• Explore California History from the perspective of an historian (if you are a History or any other Major) or as an educator (if you are in the Social Science Education Track).
• Analyze the major themes and issues in California history and the historical and geographical forces that shaped them.
• Reflect upon the most effective ways to make California history accessible, interesting, and relevant.

1. Geographical, cultural, ethnic, and geological diversity are primary ingredients in California's history.
2. Interaction, assimilation, and conflict among racial and socioeconomic groups has shaped California's history.
3. Since statehood, Californians have manipulated their environment in order to extract resources, build more complex economies, and attract and support larger populations.
4. California's lack of water is perhaps the central fact of its existence - and various water policies have all depended on the manipulation of this scarce resource.
5. California is a place of the extreme, the unusual, and the spectacular.
6. In geographical terms, California is a very old place; in socio-political terms, California is a relatively new place.
7. The real history of California is complex and filled with stories of both success and failure, power and oppression, interaction and conflict, extraordinary and ordinary individuals, environmental conservation and destruction.
8. California's society can be characterized by persistent inequality, attempts by certain groups to subordinate others, and inter-group tensions between those in power and those courageous Californians who have resisted social, economic, and political oppression.

Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory. If you miss 3 classes, your final grade in the class will drop a full grade. If you miss 5 classes, your final grade will drop two full grades. If you miss 7 classes, your final grade will drop three full grades. More than 8 absences will result in failure.

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Course Requirements

For each class meeting, you will have various reading and Internet-based assignments. Prior to coming to class, please complete all reading and assignments explained in detail on the Course Outline below. Your prior thought and preparation about the assignments will enable us to have a more intellectual conversation during each class meeting. PLEASE NOTE - If you are a History Major or a History Major - Social Science Education Track student, keep all your work for this class with my comments on them for inclusion in your final portfolio for the History Department.

Following are the course requirements:

Book: Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi, Wherever There's a Fight: How ruanaway slaves, suffragists, immigrants, strikers, and poets shaped civil liberties in California. Berkeley: Heyday Books, 2009. Chapters will be assigned as noted in the Course Outline below. Please note that several copies of this book are available on Reserve in the Library.

Primary and secondary documents: Various online primary and secondary documents as noted in the Course Outline below will be required and can be accessed directly online.

Assessments: The following will be completed throughout the semester: cold call reading reviews, three essay assignments, and four unit examinations. All assignments are listed in red on the course syllabus. Please note: You will only get credit for all of the following assignments IF you attend the entire class on the day the assignments are due.

• Cold Call Reading Reviews (50 total points or 10 points each for 5 cold calls). You will be assigned a total of 21 primary and secondary readings throughout the semester - each of which is available online or from Wherever There's A Fight. On the 20 days that you have required reading, I will pose questions directly related to the reading to 1/3 or more of all students who are present. Questions will be broad-based and will require analytical thinking. Additionally, at least one question will always address new academic language that you learned in the reading. To prepare you for the class "cold call," you should think about the following for each of the required readings:
  • What are the 3-5 ideas/themes/topics that you believe are most important to understand in the reading.
  • What are 1-5 new academic language words or phrases you encountered in the reading. You must be able to define them and explain how and why they are important to understand the article's content.
  • What questions remain after you completed the reading.

Because I will be cold calling - not asking for volunteers - you must be ready to engage in a collegial discussion about the required reading. You may use any of your notes about the reading to help you formulate your answers. You will be called upon A MINIMUM OF 10 TIMES THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. If you are called upon more than 10 times, you will earn extra credit points for your answers. The following point system will be used to determine the score for the answers:

• 10 points if you engage intellectually in the conversation by addressing the specifics of the question and if your response indicates a deep understanding of the reading assignment;
• 8 points if you engage intellectually in the conversation by addressing most of the specifics of the question and if your response indicates a solid understanding of the reading assignment.
• 6 points if you engage in the conversation by addressing some of the specifics of the question and if your response indicates an average understanding of the reading assignment.
• 4 points if you can engage in the conversation but cannot address any of the specifics and if your response indicates a poor understanding of the reading assignment.
• 0 points if you cannot engage in the conversation, are unable to address the specifics of the question and you have little to no understanding of the reading assignment.

• Assignments (90 total points): You will complete 3 required assignments during the semester: one written assignment and two other written assignments that will result in Teach-Ins.
  • Reading about and viewing films on Japanese Relocation on 10/22 - Click here to access the assignment - 30 possible points
  • Viewing and Teach-In on Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement and The Zoot Suit Riots on 12/3 - Click here to access the assignment - 30 possible points
  • Reading and Teach-In about "Californians and Civil Liberties" on 12/10 - Click here to access the assignment - 30 possible points

• Three Exams (190 points). You will have three exams - a written exam for Unit I (40 points), an oral exam for Unit II (50 points), and an oral exam for Units III and IV (100 points).
  • Written Exam for Unit I - due September 15th. You will be given four essay questions a 10 days before the exam. You must turn in your typewritten answers in essay format on September 15th. (40 points). The Unit I Key that provides information about the grade breakdown as well as key to understanding my comments on your exams, can be accessed by clicking here.
  • Oral Exams - Unit II exam on October 13th (50 points) and the combined Units III and IV exam (100 points) on November 19th. These exams have the following components:
    • Written component. Ten days before the exam, you will receive 4 essay questions. Each will address one or more of the course discussions for each unit of study and will require the use of specific examples from classroom discussion notes and required reading materials. You must take notes on each question and turn in your typewritten notes - in any format that helps you study - on the day of the exam.
    • Oral component. For the oral component, the class will be divided into eight groups which will work together for 15 minutes to produce a collective answer to a one of the four questions. Each group will then take 5-7 minutes to present their answer to the class. The remainder of the class will engage in a dialog with the oral presenters about each of the questions and will complete a required evaluation form for the oral presentations.
    • Each exam will be assessed as follows:
      • 80 percent - will be based upon your written notes and the quality of examples used from the classroom and reading materials.
      • 10 percent - will be based upon the dialog in which you engage during the presentations of the other groups.
      • 10 percent - will be based on the evaluation form you complete during and after the oral presentations.
• There will be no make-ups for these exams. You must be present on the days they are given to receive your grade.

It is possible to accumulate 330 points for this semester's class. Points and grades will be earned as follows:

• 330 - 295 points = A
• 294 - 260 points = B
• 259 - 220 points = C
• 219 - 180 points = D
• 179 and below points = F

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Course Outline

This course is divided into four units of academic study. Under each of the four units, you will find the topic and a link to the discussion guides for each day's discussion, as well as the required reading/viewing and any required assignments that are due.

8/25 - Introduction: California - Land of Mythology and Geographical Diversity. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Calif-LandofDiversity.html

Unit I: Colonizing California

• 8/27 - The Original Californians. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/OriginalCalifornians.html.
  • Required Reading: Elinson and Yogi, "Introduction" (pp 1-6) and "Epilogue" (pp 453-470)
    • 8/27 - First Cold Call
• 9/1-9/3 - The Discovery, Exploration, and Founding of Spanish California. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Discovery.html
  • Required Reading for 9/1: Read Introduction and Goal 1 in the discussion guide for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Discovery.html
    • 9/1 - Second Cold Call
  • Required Reading for 9/3: Guadalupe Vallejo, "Ranch and Mission Days in Alta California," (1890) at http://www.sfmuseum.net/hist2/rancho.html. (There will be no cold call on this reading BUT we will have an in-class group assignment that requires your knowledge of this article.)
• 9/8- 9/10 - Mexican Occupation and American Conquest. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Mex_Americans.html
  • Required Reading for 9/8: Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast, Chapter 13, "Trading at Monterey" at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DanTwoy.html (click on Chapter 13).
    • 9/8 - Third Cold Call
  • For September 10, you will work in groups to create possible questions for the upcoming exam. Please bring your lap top, notes, and/or anything that you will need to help you develop some thoughtful essay questions about what we have learned in Unit I.
  • Required Viewing for 9/10: Watch the History Channel documentary movie The Mexican-American War at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JjjaMBoSQE (1 hr. and 28 minutes).
    • 9/10 - Fourth Cold Call

• 9/15-9/17 -The California Gold Rush and the Contoversy over the State Constitution. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/GoldRush.html.
  • Required Viewing for 9/15 - watch "The Start of the California Gold Rush" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxekRM5-uMU&list=PL20AA0317DD175B90&index=7
    • 9/15 - Fifth Cold Call
    • September 15th - First Unit Exam - Written
  • Required Reading for 9/17: read Goal 5 in the discussion guide at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/GoldRush.html AND the July 2015 article in The Atlantic, "How one law banning ethnic studies led to it's rise" at http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/07/how-one-law-banning-ethnic-studies-led-to-rise/398885/
    • 9/17 - Sixth Cold Call

• 9/22-9/24 - The Intricate Web of State and National Politics: 1850-1860. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Politics1850-1860.html
  • Required Reading for 9/22 - Read Goals 2, 3, and 4 in the discussion guide for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Politics1850-1860.html
    • 9/24 - Seventh Cold Call
  • Required Reading for 9/24 - Read Elinson and Yogi, Ch. 1, "Staking Our Claim: The Law in California"
    • 9/24 - Eighth Cold Call
• 9/29-10/1 - Entrepreneurial Politics and Economics: The Transcontinental Railroad and Its Consequences for California. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/CentralPacific.html
  • Required Reading for 9/29: Introduction (including the video), Goals 1, 2, and 3 in the discussion guide for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/CentralPacific.html
    • 9/29 - Ninth Cold Call
  • Required Reading for 10/1: Read Elinson and Yogi, Ch. 2, "In a Strange Land: The Rights of Immigrants"
    • 10/1 - Tenth Cold Call

• 10/6 - Americanization. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/CaliforniaIndians.html.
  • Required Reading: "Genocide and Extortion" in The Journal at http://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/genocide-and-extortion/Content?oid=2130748
    • 10/6 - Eleventh Cold Call.
• 10/8 - Progress and its Consequences. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Consequences.html.
  • Required Riewing for 10/8: Read the Introduction, Goals 1 and 2 in discussion guide for this lecture at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Consequences.html
    • 10/8 - Twelfth Cold Call

• 10/15 - Unit II Oral Examination. See above under "Assessments," "Three Exams" for information about this exam.

• 10/20 - Labor, Reform, Industry, and Politics. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/LaborReformIndustry.html.
  • Required Reading for 10/20: Read Introduction and Goals 1,2, and 3 in the discussion guides for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/LaborReformIndustry.html", AND "The L.A. Times Terrorist Attack" at http://www.thenativeangeleno.com/2012/09/07/the-la-times-terrorist-attack/
    • 10/20 - Thirteenth Cold Call: Introduction and Goal I and 2 in discussion guides for today AND "The L.A. Times Terrorist Attack" at http://www.thenativeangeleno.com/2012/09/07/the-la-times-terrorist-attack

• 10/22 - California within the National Framework: The Great Depression and World War II. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Depression-WorldWarII.html.
  • Required Reading for 10/22: Read Goals 1,2, and 3 in the discussion guides for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Depression-WorldWarII.html AND read Elinson and Yogi, Ch. 7, "Mightier than the Sword"
    • 10/22 - Fourteenth Cold Call
    • Required Assignment #3 for 10/22: Read Elinson and Yogi, Ch. 12, "Behind Barbed Wire: WWII Removal and Incarceration" and watch Japanese Internment During WWII at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mr97qyKA2s and A Challenge to Democracy at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgkNaK6fviA and George Takai - Life in the Internment Camps at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpn3k8mxjqY. Then, complete the assignment that can be accessed by clicking here.

• 10/27-10/29 - Case Study of California Growth: Southern California and Los Angeles. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/LosAngeles.html.

• Required Reading for 10/27: Read Introduction, Goals 1 and 2 in discussion guides for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/LosAngeles.html AND Chapter 1 in California for Health, Pleasure and Residence which you can download at https://archive.org/details/californiaforhe00nordgoog
  • 10/27 - Fifteenth Cold Call
• Required Reading and Viewing for 10/29: Read Goal 5 in the discussion guide for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/LosAngeles.html AND watch Twilight at http://www.thirteen.org/programs/great-performances/twilight-los-angeles/
  • 10/29 - Sixteenth Cold Call

• 11/3 - The Entertainment and Theme Park Industries. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Entertainment.html

• 11/5-11/10 - California Water - Political and economic policies related to a scarce resource. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Water.html
  • Required Reading for 11/5: Read Introduction and Goals #1 and #2 in the discussion guide for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Water.html
    • 11/5 - Seventeenth Cold Call
  • Required Reading for 11/10: Read "Contemporary Issues Related to California's Water" at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/WaterProblems.html
    • 11/10 - Eighteenth Cold Call

• 11/12 - Campus Turmoil . The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/CampusTurmoil.html.
  • Required reading and viewing: Read Introduction, Goal 1, 2, and 3 in the discussion guide for today at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/CampusTurmoil.html AND watch Berkeley in the Sixties (documentary) on 2-hour reserve at the Library or online at https://humboldt-kanopystreaming-com.ezproxy.humboldt.edu/node/110127&final=1
    • 11/12 - Nineteenth Cold Call

• 11-17 - Red Power. The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/RedPower.html
  • Required viewing and reading: Watch "The American Indian Movement" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlKc19OUR54 AND read Goals 3 and 4 in today's discussion guide at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/RedPower.html
    • 11/17 - Twentieth Cold Call

Please note that we will not spend a class on the discussion of Brown, Reagan, and Brown: California Governors. (The discussion guides can be found at http://gorhistory.com/hist383/Brown-Reagan-Brown.html.) HOWEVER, you will have a question from the discussion guides on your final exam so you will have to go through the discussion guides on your own AND/OR in a study group.

• Thursday, November 19 - Units 3 and 4 Exam - Oral

• Explanation of the two Teach-In Assignments due during the last two weeks of class can be found by accessing http://gorhistory.com/hist383/LastTwoWeeks.html

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This course meets the five major skills that the History Department believes historians need and that history majors should develop as they progress through the major: writing, research, critical thinking, historiography and methodology, and oral presentation.

• Writing. Each assignment requires the use of writing skills. The journal entries on the required course reading and the two lesson plans requires multiple types of academic writing.
• Research. The two lesson plans require extensive research involving both primary and secondary sources, the application of such research to a middle or high school history course, and a chronological understanding of the chosen topic.
• Critical thinking. You will be asked to use critical thinking when completing every course requirement, as well as during the Socratic discussions that take place during every class period.
• Historiography and methodology. You will gain a better understanding of what historians actually do by learning in our first unit of study how historians agree and disagree about causes and consequences of historical topics. You will also discuss various teaching methodologies that will help students understand the relevance of history to their lives, as well as how interesting and exciting history can be.
• Oral presentation. You will be required to give an oral presentation of both of your lesson plan to a group of your peers.

• Academic Honesty. Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity. For HSU's definitions of academic honesty and cheating, as well as the consequences of and appeal process for being accused of cheating, see http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/judicial/academic_honesty.php
• Add/Drop policy: Students are responsible for knowing the University policy, procedures, and schedule for dropping or adding classes found at http://www.humboldt.edu/~reg/regulations/schedadjust.html
• Emergency evacuation: The evacuation plan for the classroom, which is posted on the orange signs, can be accessed at http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/emergencyops/campus_emergency_preparedness.php
• During an emergency, information can be found campus conditions at: 826-INFO or online at http://www.humboldt.edu/~humboldt/emergency.
• Attendance and disruptive behavior: Students are responsible for knowing policy regarding attendance and disruptive behavior found at http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/judicial/attendance_behavior.php