Course Syllabus

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Instructor: Gia-Quân (Anna) Nguyễn, PhC

Class Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00pm-2:10pm in CMU 326

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30pm-3:30pm (or by appointment) in Smith 103A

Email: annng816@uw.edu or gq.anna.nguyen@gmail.com

Course Description and Goals:

This course is designed to offer a survey of U.S. history by investigating how ideas of U.S. citizenship have changed over time. In interrogating ideas of U.S. citizenship, students are also asked to think about who gets to be a citizen of the United States, what it means to be a non-citizen in the United States, and how and why rights and privileges associated with U.S. citizenship have been granted to some groups while being withheld from others. As a class, we will explore shifting U.S. policies and laws concerning citizenship from the colonial period to the present day, while also exploring the lived experiences and historical accounts of the peoples of the United States.

By completing this course, students will learn how to think historically and conceptually about U.S. history, citizenship, and immigration. Students will also learn how to better engage with primary and secondary documents, and how to conduct and present historical research. 

Assignments & Grading:

  • Participation: 15%
  • 2 Reading Responses: 20%
  • 2 Quizzes (Multiple Choice & Short Answer): 25%
  • 8-10 Page Final Research Paper: 25%
  • Final Exam: 15%

*You must complete both reading responses, both quizzes, the final exam, and the final research paper to pass this course. If there is an emergency or extenuating circumstances that will prevent you from completing a quiz, exam, or assignment on the date and at the time it is due, please contact me as early as possible.

Textbooks:

  • Proud Shoes by Pauli Murray
  • Kiyo’s Story by Kiyo Sato
  • The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
  • This course will include other required readings, but these will be provided as links or pdf files on the Canvas syllabus. 

Requirements:

You are expected to attend all class sessions and take notes to the best of your ability, to complete the assigned readings as scheduled, and to participate substantively and respectfully in discussions. Please examine the syllabus carefully and plan your schedule accordingly.

Please do not use your cell phone during class. If you must access your phone to address an urgent matter, please quietly step out of the classroom and use your phone outside.

Laptops and tablets are allowed in the classroom for note taking, but please do not distract those around you (for example, do not stream videos or shop for clothes during class).

Participation:

Classroom time will be a mixture of lectures and group discussions. Participating in the group discussions is an important part of this course as the exchange of ideas is crucial to developing a critical understanding of the material. Group discussions will be in both large and small groups, and will focus on the concepts from the lectures, the readings, or some combination of the two.

Reading Responses:

To help facilitate informed discussions, each memoir we read will be paired with a list of 5-6 questions to consider on the reading. These lists of questions can be found in the “files” section of the Canvas page.

Students are required to write and turn in to Canvas a response to the reading questions for two out of the three required memoirs for this class. The due date for each reading response can be found in the syllabus.

The answer to each reading question should be at least 4-5 sentences long. All answers should also be thoughtful, well-written, and based on evidence from the readings or lectures.

Two Quizzes & the Final Exam:

The course will include two quizzes and a final exam that will test your knowledge and comprehension of the lecture materials and readings. A study guide will be provided before each quiz and final exam. The quizzes and the final exam will consist of about 7-8 questions that will include multiple choice, fill in the blank, and matching-type prompts as well as short answers. These will be 60-minute quizzes that will be scheduled for the beginning of class on the days indicated by the syllabus.

If you have a conflict with one of the quizzes or the final exam, you must notify the instructor as soon as possible to reschedule.

Final Research Paper:

The final research paper will entail a series of tasks and assignments:

  1. Is there a particular episode, topic, or issue related to citizenship in the United States that you have wanted to learn more about? Think back to what you might have seen in the media, what you learned in high school, what your family has experienced, and so forth. Be creative as you compile a list of potential topics.
  2. Conduct preliminary research to frame historically the episode, topic, or issue that you find the most interesting and exciting. Try to phrase your topic as a historical question. Your question should not be open-ended or vague in scope. Work through specific questions about citizenship in U.S. history that you can research through scholarly writing and primary sources. Framing and articulating your question should help you define and explain your topic. Please contact your instructor in a timely manner if you need help formulating a research question.
  3. Submit a paper proposal to the instructor on July 5. The paper proposal should be at least 200 words long and explain your research question, the scope of your paper (including the temporal and geographical scopes), and how you will approach researching your question.
  4. Submit a bibliography to the instructor on July 12. The bibliography must include at least 6 sources and it should be written using the Chicago Manual of Style. Your secondary sources should consist of scholarly books and scholarly articles, not popular websites. You are encouraged to locate and research primary sources, but you are not required to do so.
  1. Examine your sources and take careful notes. Based on your findings, develop your paper’s framework and argument. Your goal is to write a research paper that will help us understand an issue historically and critically.
  2. Write and submit a rough draft of your paper to the instructor on August 4. The rough draft must at least have an introduction and a thesis for constructive feedback. The thesis should be underlined. Ask yourself repeatedly if your thesis is answering: “How?” “Why?” and “So, What?" Although there is no minimum for the length of your rough draft beyond the introduction, the more of your paper that you hand in, the more the instructor can help you craft a historically critical and well written final draft. It is recommended that you take full advantage of this opportunity.
  3. Once the instructor returns your rough draft, edit your paper based on the constructive feedback given. If there are any questions about the feedback given, please contact your instructor in a timely manner to clarify and discuss.
  1. Bring your edited draft to class on August 16 for peer review. Be prepared to comment on your classmates’ drafts with particular attention given to strength of argument, overall organization, and clarity of writing.
  1. Final papers will be due on August 19, by 11:59 pm via Canvas.

Statement About Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom:

The instructor is committed to fostering a class environment that is open and welcoming to all students. Do not display disrespectful behavior toward any individual based on age, ability, race/color/ethnicity, religious/spiritual beliefs, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, marital status, military/veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, relationship status, and/or anything that is likely to be perceived as disrespectful to someone’s background, culture, or identity.

Due to the topic of this course, the instructor would like to emphasize that there should be no disrespectful behavior based on someone’s citizen status, documentation status, or immigration history. Even though this course is about the history of citizenship in the United States, no one in this course should feel pressured to divulge their citizen status, documentation status, or immigration history.

Please note that encouraging respect is not meant to prevent serious debate about important issues. But keep in mind that our goal is to question the logics that create and maintain the historical marginalization of individuals and communities. If you have serious concerns about classroom climate, please, contact the instructor immediately.

Syllabus attachment covid_June 2022.doc 

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

  • July 5 (T): Labor, Immigration, and Manifest Destiny (ASYNCHRONOUS) 
    • RESEARCH PROPOSAL DUE ON CANVAS BY 11:59 PM. 
  • July 7 (Th): The Civil War and Striking for Freedom
    • Murray, Proud Shoes, 1-111.

WEEK 4

  • July 12 (T): Black Reconstruction and Redeeming White Supremacy
    • BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR RESEARCH PAPER DUE ON CANVAS BY 11:59 PM. 
    • Murray, Proud Shoes, 112-279.
  • July 14 (Th): Empires in Asia and Exclusion of Asians
    • QUIZ #1 AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. 
  • July 17 (Sun): READING RESPONSE FOR MURRAY DUE ON CANVAS BY 11:59 PM. 

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

  • July 26 (T): Incarcerating “Aliens” and Citizens
    • Sato, Kiyo’s Story, chapter 7-13.
  • July 28 (Th): The Red and Lavender Scares
    • QUIZ #2 AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. 
  • July 31 (Sun): READING RESPONSE FOR SATO DUE ON CANVAS BY 11:59PM. 

WEEK 7

WEEK 8

WEEK 9

**Schedule and readings subject to change

Course Summary:

Date Details Due