History 600:
Im/migration and U.S. Popular Culture
Spring, 2015
Tuesday, 12:30-3:10
Dr. Rachel Ida Buff
Holton 341
Office: HLT 313
Office Hours: T/W 11-12
rbuff@uwm.edu
& by appointment
Course Description:
This is the capstone course for the History major and/or Comparative Ethnic Studies
certificate. The course will provide some discussion and approaches to questions of
im/migration and popular culture. Then, students will identify questions of interest to
them and design a research project.
Course Books:
 Josh Kun, Audiotopia *
 George Sanchez, Becoming Mexican American*
 Anna Pegler Gordon, In Sight of America: Photography and the Development of
US Immigration Policy
 Gaye Theresa Johnson, Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity: Music, Race and
Spatial Entitlement in Los Angeles *
*= available as e-book through UWM libraries.
Other readings are available@ our D2L site at “Content”.
Course Work
1. Discussion Work:
 Each student should come to each class with discussion questions based on the
reading. Written on a (preferably colorful) index card, these questions can
reflect on an individual reading, ask questions of readings together, or pull
from previous discussions or readings. I will collect the index cards, and count
the questions toward your class participation grade.
2. Writing Work:
 Short Papers: There are three short papers due during the first half of the
course. These papers provide opportunity to engage with different kinds of
sources and questions about im/migration and popular culture.
 Research Paper: The central goal of the capstone course in History and
Comparative Ethnic Studies is an original research paper. The longer paper will
require several steps: a proposal, a five page draft, a bibliography, a formal
final presentation, and a 10 page rough draft of the whole paper. Only the
final paper will be graded, but all of this work must be handed in to receive a
grade on the final paper. Length: 15-20 pages + bibliography & footnotes.
Grading
Short papers @ 15%:
Participation:
Final Research Paper:
Class Policies
45%
10%
45%
100%
1. What I expect of you: This is a small class, and will be primarily discussion-driven.
Student participation is a crucial aspect of the class. I expect students to come to class
prepared, and to participate.
Participation means:
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Coming to class on time
completing each week’s reading by Monday’s class
staying current with your email- if you use a non-uwm account, have your uwm
email forwarded to it
bringing readings, when possible
keeping up with discussion question assignments
putting cell phones on “mute”
using personal electronics only to take or review notes, to refer to on-line
readings, or to engage in “digital participation” during class time
missing class only when absolutely unavoidable. You get two free misses, no
questions asked: after that it will affect your grade without the appropriate
documentation.
Handing in written work on time. I will deduct 5 points for every 24 hours a
paper is late.
Showing up for appointments scheduled with me.
2. What you may expect of me:
• I will answer email within 24 hours of receiving it. I do not, however, read email
from sundown on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday, so my response time
during this period will be slower.
• I will be in my office during scheduled office hours and appointments. (N.B.: As a
parent, I will invariably have to cancel office hours sometimes due to sickness: I
will send around an email when this is the case).
• I will return written work within a one-week window.
• I will almost always remember to silence my cell phone during class
Class Schedule
Tuesday, January 26: Introduction
Feb 2: Migrant Identities in Popular Music
 Read: Kun, “Introduction,” and “Against Easy Listening” (p. 1-48) in
Audiotopia; also Raymond Williams, “Structures of Feeling” Each student
should come to class prepared to present a song and explain its meaning in
terms of social/historical structures of feeling.
Feb 9: Representations, I.
 Read Pegler-Gordon, In Sight of America (ISA), Intro. & Ch 1-3
 Students should come to class with an idea for a final project and how to
research it written on an index card, and should be ready to present it.
Feb 16: Representations, II
 Finish ISA
 Short paper #1 due: Restriction and Representation: to D2L dropbox by
Sunday @ midnight
Feb 23: Gender & Cultural Citizenship
 Read George Sanchez, Becoming Mexican American, Introduction and Parts 1
&2;
 Angela Fritz, “Lizzie Black Kander and Culinary Reform”
 Introduction to UWM Archives
March 1: Gender & Cultural Citizenship, II
 Finish Sanchez
 Short Paper #2 due: Struggles over Gender and Cultural Citizenship, Sunday by
midnight
March 8: Culture & Resistance
 Read Williams, Ch. 6-8
March 15 : Zoot Suit, I
 Start reading Johnson, ch. 1-3
 Research prospectus due
March 22: Spring Break
Due Sunday, 3/27 by midnight
5 pages of writing on your paper topic
March 29: Space, Place & Culture
 Finish Johnson
 Short paper #3 due: Letter to Raymond Williams and/or Gaye Theresa Johnson
April 5: Uses of Folk
 Review Williams, ch. 7-8
 Annotated bibliography due Friday
April 12 : Audiotopia
 Read Audiotopia. Ch. 2- end
 10 p. draft due to dropbox & small groups by Sunday @ midnight
April 19:
 Group Conferences on drafts
April 26: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
 Half the students do 10 minute presentations; the other half, as audience,
responsible for Q&A
 Each student who presents will get written feedback from the class
May 3: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
 Half the students do 10 minute presentations; the other half, as audience,
responsible for Q&A
 Each student who presents will receive written feedback from the class
May 12: FINAL PAPERS DUE to D2L Dropbox by midnight