Nancy K. Bristow
Office: 140 Wyatt
Phone: X3173
Email: nbristow@ups.edu
Office Hours:
Mon./Fri. 12:00-2:00
Wed.
2:00-3:00
and by appointment
An Unnatural Disaster:
Hurricane Katrina
A Seminar in Scholarly Inquiry II
Spring 2014
This course fulfills the Seminar in Scholarly Inquiry II
requirement. As such, we will talk very intentionally about how
scholars go about their work. We will begin by reviewing the
processes of scholarly inquiry you learned last semester, and
further sharpening those skills in asking and answering
questions, in arguing and defending your answers, and in the oral and written presentation of
your ideas. From here we will explore the steps in developing and completing a research paper,
working through those steps together as you work on your own independent project.
To develop these skills, we will focus on the history of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Early in the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 storm, hit New
Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of thousands of the region’s poorest citizens, left behind
in a hasty and badly planned evacuation, faced the storm alone. Immediate news reports
suggested the hurricane had done much less damage than predicted, and many Americans
believed the area had dodged a catastrophe. Such reports, though, had failed to note the terrible
devastation of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They also missed the breaching of the levees in New
Orleans, a disaster that began even before the worst of the hurricane hit. In the next few days,
over 80 per cent of the city filled with water, leading to the deaths of over 1700 people. To call
this a natural disaster, though, simplifies the complex history that led to the catastrophe and the
multi-layered consequences it held for the individuals and communities that suffered its impact.
This course explores these causes and consequences, investigating the ways in which Hurricane
Katrina and its aftermath might be understood as an “unnatural disaster.” While much of our
work will be historical, we will explore issues that will require us to look at the past from a
variety of perspectives—cultural, social, political, legal, economic, environmental and
technological, for instance. As a result, too, we will have the opportunity to work with sources
drawn from disciplines reaching well beyond history, including meteorology, engineering, public
policy and the law, as well as creative writing and the visual, theatrical, and musical arts.
Narrowly focused both thematically and temporally, then, the course offers both a depth of
exploration and a diversity of lenses that should allow us to learn a great deal about this
catastrophic event.
Course Objectives:
In this course you will have the opportunity to develop a comprehensive knowledge of Hurricane
Katrina and its aftermath.
You will also have a chance to continue polishing your skills in:
 reading sources carefully and critically.
 developing questions as frames for inquiry.
 developing and completing a research agenda to pursue answers to those questions.
 discovering arguments and ideas through thoughtful analysis of both primary and secondary
sources.
 demonstrating and defending those arguments and ideas.
 presenting those ideas in written forms, with attention to working with the reader.
 presenting ideas and information orally in both informal and formal contexts.
 meeting the requirements of academic integrity.
 learning cooperatively with classmates.
Required Texts:
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Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, 7th edition
Vincanne Adams, Markets of Sorry, Labors of Faith: New Orleans in the Wake of
Katrina (2013)
Rebeca Antoine, ed., Voices Rising: Stories from the Katrina Narrative Project (2008)
Dan Baum, Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans (2010)
Christopher Cooper and Robert Block, Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of
Homeland Security (2006)
William R. Freudenburg, Robert Gramling, Shirley Laska and Kai Erikson, Catastrophe
in the Making: The Engineering of Katrina and the Disasters of Tomorrow(2009)
Natasha Trethewey, Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (2012)
Nancy Bristow, ed., Course Packet for SSI-II: 135.
In addition, an occacsional reading will be posted on Moodle.
Scholarly Inquiry: Written Assignments
Because this is a course in Scholarly Inquiry, it will be important for you to write a great deal,
polishing your skills in the presentation of your ideas. Below are brief explanations of the writing
you will be asked to complete in the course. Much fuller descriptions will be circulated and
posted on Moodle as the course proceeds.
1. Covering the Catastrophe (roughly 5 pages)
This paper lets you use your skills in the close analysis of primary sources to make a claim about
journalism during the Katrina catastrophe. Your purpose will be to offer a specific claim about how
journalists represented the storm, its victims, or its immediate consequences. You will need to focus in
carefully, and be sure to state a claim sufficiently narrow to be proven in a short paper.
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2. Understanding the Catastrophe: Responding to the Scholarship (roughly 5 pages)
Your second paper asks you to locate and evaluate a secondary source related to a topic you might be
interested in exploring in your research paper. The assignment will ask you to conduct this evaluation
both through the careful and critical reading of the source and through a comparison between this piece
and at least two primary sources. In other words, this assignment asks you to take on one of the issues
raised by scholars, and to accept, revise or reject the answer provided by one secondary source.
3. Understanding the Catastrophe: Your Own Scholarly Inquiry
(roughly 12 pages)
Your third paper will be the final draft of your research project, in which you are turned loose to develop
an investigation on a topic of your own choosing related to some aspect of Hurricane Katrina. We will
work together in class to move you through the phases of this project, and you will have a number of
preparatory assignments to ensure you are making appropriate progress. These will include:
*A Statement of your Research Question and Rationale
*An Annotated Bibliography
*Working Hypothesis and Outline
4. Peer Editing Responsibilities
You will also be responsible for significant peer-editing work this semester, providing classmates with
thoughtful feedback on their ongoing work. You will provide peer editing responses to Paper #1, and to
both the “Getting Started” and First Draft of Paper #3.
Scholarly Inquiry: Presenting Your Research
You will present your work to your classmates on several occasions during the semester. You
will do this formally in Week 10, when each of you will present your ideas for your final project.
During Weeks 14 and 15 you will make a more complete presentation of your work as part of a
panel of presentations. The specific requirements will be discussed in class as we approach the
presentations.
Class Discussions:
This is primarily a discussion course, so although I may include an occasional short lecture to
provide context for your readings, the emphasis in class is on your thoughtful and informed
participation. Use our class discussions as models of critical inquiry that you can draw on when
writing your essays, as a way to test out your theories-in-progress, as a stimulating place to
discuss with your peers and with me conflicting, confusing, or exciting ideas. Please be aware of
appropriate timing and turn-taking when speaking in class so we can create as open and
democratic a space for conversation as possible. I am always happy to continue discussion with
you after class, and I would encourage you to do so as well with your peers. Working together,
we have the opportunity to learn from one another, to consider opinions different from our own,
and to build on one another’s ideas. Keep in mind that attendance and contributions to
discussions are important factors in your final grade. The following suggestions will help to
make our discussions as fruitful as possible:
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Prepare for class: This includes not only reading all assignments before class, but thinking
about them as well. It is often useful to write down a few thoughts and questions before class
in response to the PREP questions and suggestions listed for each day of class. This not only
forces you to think critically about what you are reading and about our reading, writing and
research processes, but will often make it easier for you to speak up during discussion.
Attend class: Unless you are in class, the rest of us cannot benefit from your ideas, and you
will miss the opportunity to benefit from the ideas of your classmates. Further, on many days
we will be in a workshop format in which your contributions are the essential building blocks
of the day’s learning. You owe it to others to be there.
Participate in discussions: We can only know your ideas if you express them. Eighteen
minds are always going to be better than just one. For this reason, we will all benefit from
this course to the degree to which each of you participates in our discussions. Each of you
has a great deal to contribute to the class, and each of you should share that potential with the
other class members.
Listen to your classmates: The best discussions are not wars of words, but are a
cooperative effort to understand the issues and questions before us. Listen to one another,
and build on the conversation. While we will often disagree with one another, you should
always be sure to pay attention to the ongoing discussion, and to treat your classmates and
their ideas with the respect they deserve. Recognize that even those ideas that conflict with
your own may play a very valuable role in forming and revising your thinking. Approach
discussions with an open mind and you will learn a great deal from those around you.
Discussion Leadership:
One day this semester you will have responsibility, with a partner, for opening up our discussion
on a particular set of readings and topics, asking at least two discussion questions, and
coordinating the resulting conversation for up to ten minutes or so. We will talk in class about
how to prepare for this, and each of you will be expected to stop by my office to talk for a few
minutes about your plans. The purpose here is to give you practice in the intellectual leadership
you will want to bring to all of your courses, demonstrating your engagement, your insight, and
your willingness to be a contributing member of your intellectual community.
Principles and Policies:
 A good faith effort must be made to complete all assignments in order to receive a
passing grade. That includes three essays, three preparatory assignments, two
presentations, and peer-editing work.
 I fully recognize that due dates are arbitrary impositions on the writing process, that you
may have competing deadlines in other classes, or pressing obligations outside of class.
But almost all the writing you will ever do (in or out of college) will be contingent upon
constraints of one sort or another (yours, your professors', your employers', for example),
so it is important to learn how to organize your studies, your time, and your life to get
what needs to be done finished when it needs to be done. Do the best you can given the
circumstances--and there are always circumstances. I also hold students to deadline
commitments because it is only fair to those who do struggle and sweat to turn work in
on time. However, for those few occasions when a real crisis (or illness) arises and you
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think your work will be late, let me know as far in advance as possible and we'll see if we
can make alternative arrangements.
In this course, we will operate according to my “48 hour rule.” This means that you can
turn in one paper or project up to 48 hours late without penalty or explanation. Consider
this a “safety valve” of sorts, available to you once this semester.
Because I ask a lot of you in terms of commitment and responsibility, I am available
(during and outside office hours) to help you one-on-one with your work; to review the
readings or assignments with you; to give you a mid-semester assessment of your grade;
to talk with you about any problems or concerns you have about this course, class
dynamics, or school in general; to look over a draft of an upcoming assignment; or just to
talk more about anything in class that has captured your attention.
If you can't come by during office hours, let me know early enough in the week so we
can try to arrange another time (or medium, including email) to get together.
Finally, in terms of academic polices, and the rules and regulations governing our
course, feel free to check The Academic Handbook. Any policy or question I don’t
touch on here in the syllabus would be governed by that broader document that
outlines the policies and procedures of the university. Keep in mind that you are
responsible for knowing the information covered there.
A FEW OTHER RESOURCES TO KNOW ABOUT:
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Office of Accessibility and Accommodations. If you have a physical, psychological,
medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Peggy
Perno, Director of the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations, 105 Howarth,
253.879.3395. She will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and
appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.
Reference Librarian: Peggy Burge (pburge@pugetsound.edu) is the History
Department liaison librarian. You will meet her when she conducts some library sessions
for our course. She is also available to meet with you in individual appointments for
assistance with your research. You will find she is a remarkably knowledgeable guide to
our library and beyond.
The Center for Writing, Learning and Teaching (CWLT) is available to all Puget
Sound students interested in developing their writing skills. Here you can meet with a
writing advisor for help with every stage of the paper process. To make an appointment
with a writing advisor you can stop by the center, in Howarth 109, or make an
appointment by calling 879-3404 or emailing writing@ups.edu.
Writing Liaison at the CWLT. Because we are a first-year seminar, we have the luxury
of being appointed our own writing liaison at the CWLT. Our liaison is Jana CaryAlvarez, a senior history major who worked with the SSI-1 course on Katrina and who
has taken an upper-division history course on American catastrophes and culture.
Patrick Rael, Bowdoin College, Reading Writing, and Researching for History: A
Guide for College Students is a wonderful collection of advice for the history student,
available on the Bowdoin College website. The address is:
http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/. I will ask you to read materials on this site for
some of our class days, but I encourage you to go ahead and peruse the entire guide
posted there.
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A WORD ABOUT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Because of its importance, I wanted to say a quick word about academic honesty. It is assumed
that all of you will conform to the rules of academic honesty. I should warn you that plagiarism
and any other form of academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely in this course.
Plagiarizing in a paper will result in an automatic F on that assignment and potentially in the
course, and may lead to more substantial university-level penalties. As a member of this
academic community, your integrity and honesty are assumed and valued. Our trust in one
another is an essential basis for our work together. A breach of this trust is an affront to your
colleagues, to me, and to the integrity of this institution, and so will be treated harshly. Rest
assured that I will make every effort as a part of our work together to familiarize you with the
rules surrounding academic honesty. If at any time you have questions about these rules, too,
know that I am anxious to help clarify them.
Grading Standards: Written Assignments
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A typical “A” paper is clearly written and well organized, but most importantly it contains a
perceptive and original central argument, cogently argued and supported by a well-chosen
variety of specific examples. It demonstrates that the student has grappled with the issues
raised in the course, has synthesized the readings, discussions and lectures, has formulated a
compelling, independent argument that is fully developed in the paper, and has polished the
presentation of that argument with care. An “A” paper also succeeds in suggesting the
importance of its subject and of its findings.
A typical “B” paper is a solid work containing flashes of insight that demonstrate that the
student has engaged in significant thinking and has developed substantial evidence and
discussion in the paper. Yet a typical “B” paper may not be as complex or creative in its
ideas as an “A” paper. In other “B” papers the argument is sophisticated, but it is not
presented as clearly or convincingly as in “A” papers.
A typical “C” paper has a good grasp of the material on which it is based but may provide a
less thorough defense of the student’s independent analysis, may lack sufficient analytical
focus, or may suffer from more significant problems in presentation such as frequent errors,
or unclear writing or organization.
A paper that receives a grade lower than “C” typically does not respond adequately to the
assignment, lacks coherent analysis, is insufficiently developed, is marred by frequent errors,
unclear writing, poor organization, or some combination of these problems.
Grading Standards: Class Discussions
 A student who receives an “A” for his or her participation typically comes to every class with
questions and ideas about the readings already in mind. He or she engages other students and the
instructor in discussion of their ideas as well as his or her own. This student is under no
obligation to change their point of view, yet respects the opinions of others. This student, in
other words, takes part in an exchange of ideas, and does so on a regular basis. This student also
makes use of specific texts during the discussion, providing depth to their contributions.
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 A student who receives a “B” for his or her participation typically has completed all the
reading assignments on time, and is a steady participant in discussion. This student may not
initiate discussion, though, and is more likely to wait for others to raise interesting issues. Other
“B” discussants are courteous and articulate but do not listen to other students, articulating their
ideas without reference to the direction of the discussion. Still others may have a great deal to
contribute, but participate only sporadically, or may not regularly connect their contributions to
particular texts or specific examples.
 A student who receives a “C” for discussion typically attends every class and listens
attentively, but rarely participates in discussion, or is unable to listen effectively to what others
have to say. Other “C” discussants would earn a higher grade, but are too frequently absent from
class.
 A student who receives a grade lower than “C” is consistently unprepared, unwilling to
participate, often seems distracted from the discussion, or is too frequently absent.
Grading Scale:
In assigning grades, both during the semester and at its end, I will use the following scale:
A+: 97-100
A:
93-96
A-:
90-92
B+:
87-89
B:
83-86
B-:
80-82
C+: 77-79
C:
73-76
C-:
70-72
D+: 67-69
D:
63-66
D-:
60-62
F:
below 60
Final Grade Tabulation:
Due Date
Assignment
Jan.-Mar.
Discussion Leadership---------------------------------5%
February 19
Peer Editing on Paper #1--------------------------- 2.5%
February 24
Writing Assignment #1----------------------------12.5%
March 14
Writing Assignment #2 ---------------------------12.5%
March 31
Statement of Research Topic and Rationale-----2.5%
April 2 or 4
Presentation of Topic to Class---------------------2.5%
April 4
Annotated Bibliography ------------------------------5%
April 9
Working Hypothesis and Outline-----------------2.5 %
April 18 and 25
Peer Editing on Research Papers--------------------5%
April 28, 30, May 2 or 5 Sharing your Findings-------------------------7.5%
May 12 (by 10 a.m.) Final Draft—Research Project----------------------25%
All Semester
Community and Conversation Participation ---17.5%
Schedule for Class Meetings,
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Readings,
and Assignments
Unit One:
Introductions
1. January 22 (W)
Introduction to the Course and One Another
READING:
 In-class handouts:
o Associated Press, “Looters Take Advantage of New Orleans Mess”
o Nikky Finney, Left”
2. January 24 (F)
Introduction to Hurricane Katrina / Remembering SSI:I
READING:
 Course Packet, 242-247, 365-367
o Scott Shane and Thom Shanker, “What Storm Hit, National Guard Was
Deluged Too”
o Tech. Sgt. John Orrell, “Hurricane Katrina Response: National Guard’s Finest
Hour”
 Moodle: View Trouble the Water
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, introductory material on
Puget Sound, pp. 3-23 and also pp. 68 and 77, “Guidelines for Active Reading”
and “Guidelines for Analyzing a Text”
 Handout: Bristow, “Reading Primary Sources”
PREP:
Think about what you learned in SSI-1 last semester, and make a list of the five most
significant insights you gained into the process of academic reading, writing, and
speaking. Next, remind yourself about how to “read” primary sources, and then read
through the two articles on the National Guard during Katrina. How do you explain the
differences between them? Next, view the film Trouble the Waters. Remember that to
view it critically you need to be thinking about perspective, argument, evidence, audience
and genre. What, in turn, can we learn from this film? Finally, read the syllabus front to
back, and record any questions you have.
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3. January 27 (M) Introduction to New Orleans: Looking Back
READING:
 Dan Baum, Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans, Part I:
“Where Daddy Gets His Groove”
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, “Evaluating Sources,”
346-357
PREP: What kind of book is Nine Lives? How might it be useful to us? What problems does it
confront us with? Select one passage you think we should discuss and be ready to explain why
you selected it. (Does it offer insight? Illustrate one problem you see with the text? Confuse you?
Intrigue you by opening up an issue of importance?...)
4. January 29 (W) “Walking on Glass”: Living in New Orleans
READING:
 Dan Baum, Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans, Part II:
“Walking on Glass”
PREP: Read the pages in Baum and then develop one discussion question you would like to ask
the class. This will be good preparation for your “leading discussion” assignment.
5. January 31 (F)
A Hurricane Called Katrina
READING:
 Dan Baum, Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans, Part III
 Course Packet, pp. 123-135, 364
o Read any two of the poems on Hurricane Katrina
o Steve Earle, “This City” You can also view this on YouTube at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5dYyaQiwS0
PREP: How are the insights you gain from poetry or a musical performance different
from those we gain in a text like Nine Lives? How would you compare the kinds of
questions we might ask them?
6. February 3 (M) Introduction to a Scholarly Context: Narrating Katrina
READING:
 Christopher Cooper and Robert Block, Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure
of Homeland Security, “Authors’ Note”
and ONE of: (we will divide this responsibility in class)
 William R. Freudenberg, Robert Gramling, Shirley Laska and Kai Erikson,
Catastrophe in the Making, Prologue
 Vincanne Adams, Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith, ch. 1
 Course Packet, pp. 22-49 or 50-94
o Edward T. Linenthal, The Unfinished Bombing, excerpt
o Rebecca Solnit, A Paradise Built in Hell, excerpt
PREP: Again, think back to SSI-1. What do you remember about how to approach scholarly
sources? What kinds of questions should we have in mind as we begin to read them? Finally,
select one of the sources for today and be ready to give a brief summary of its thesis and main
arguments. These scholarly perspectives can serve as framing ideas for us this semester.
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Unit Two:
Living and Dying in Katrina
7. February 5 (W) Voices Rising: Narrating the Storm through Oral Histories
READING:
 Rebeca Antoine, ed., Voices Rising: Stories from the Katrina Narrative Project, pp.
11-19, 107-126, 144-145, 170-196, 204-215
 Paper Assignment #1
 Hacker and Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, 3-10, 78-100
PREP:
Beginning today, pairs of you will be opening class with your discussion questions, and
guiding us through the first ten minutes or so of class. You might begin your own preparation by
thinking about how one of our scholarly readings from last Friday interacts with today’s primary
source readings. Also take a few minutes to think about the particular use of oral histories. What
problems do they confront the critical reader with? How can they be useful? I will distribute
your first paper assignment in class today.
8. February 7 (F)
Imagining Katrina
READING:
 Rosalind Bell, The New Orleans Monologues, complete
 Optional: Course Packet, pp. 95-122
o Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones: A Novel, excerpt
o Reviews and Summary of Salvage the Bones
PREP: How is it different work with a text based in imagination as well as research? How is
the play different from the oral histories? Similar? Select one passage you would like us to read
together as a class, and be ready to explain why you selected it. What do we gain when we read a
play aloud, rather than simply leaving it on the page?
9. February 10 (M) An Unnatural Disaster: The Dome and Other Catastrophes
READING:
 Course Packet, pp. 136-144, 232-241
o Juliette Lamphair, “The Forgotten People of New Orleans”
o NPR, “What Happened on New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge?”
o “What Happened at the Danziger Bridge?”
o Campbell Robertson, “Judge Throws Out Officers’ Convictions in Killings
After Hurricane Katrina”
 Rebeca Antoine, ed., Voices Rising, pp. 20-63, 72-96, 133-138
PREP: What does Lamphair argue in her piece? Do you find her convincing? Why or why not?
Next, what did happen on the Danziger Bridge? How do you know? And finally, how is it
related, or not, to the experiences of people at the Superdome?
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10. February 12 (W)
Prisoners All?
READING:
 Course Packet, pp. 210-231
o Sheri Fink, “Deadly Choices at Memorial”
o ACLU, “ACLU Report Details Horrors Suffered…”
o Adam Nossiter, “Teenage Prisoners Describe Hurricane Horrors”
o Charles Shaw, “Hurricane Katrina and the Lost Prisoners of New Orleans”
 Also spend some time perusing and reading on the PBS web page, “Law and
Disorder” at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/law-disorder/
PREP: As you do the reading for today, try to imagine the choices people were forced to make,
and the values and circumstances on which they based them. Are our ethical responsibilities
changed by circumstance? Next, try to imagine a research project for which one of today’s
sources could serve as a starting place or inspiration.
11. February 14 (F)
Covering Katrina / Talking about Writing
READING: Any ONE of:
 Course Packet, pp. 159-203
o Articles and photos from TIME “Special Report: An American Tragedy,”
12 September 2005
o New York Times coverage
 Moodle:
o Assorted news clips—CNN and Fox News
o The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report clips
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, pp. 10-20, 32-45, 139-172,
499-502
PREP: Bring at least one body paragraph of your paper, due next week, with you to class. These
will serve as the basis for our writing workshop today.
12. February 17 (M)
President Bush Responds?
READING:
 Course Packet, pp. 204-209, 365-367
o President George W. Bush, “We Will Do What It Takes” speech from Jackson
Square, New Orleans, September 15, 2005
You can also watch President Bush deliver this speech at:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Aftermath
o Mos Def, “Katrina Clap (Dollar Day)”
You can also watch him perform this at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrvHMQO5HM4
PREP:
How does President Bush represent the storm? Its consequences? Its victims? Himself? The
government? The American people? How does Mos Def represent these same figures? How
is each piece (the speech and the song) shaped by its genre? What can we actually learn from
each? How could each be used in a research project? Be ready with one important insight
from each document.
Bring a COMPLETE DRAFT of your PAPER #1 to class
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TODAY!!
12. February 19 (W)
Workshopping Papers
READING:
 Your classmates’ drafts.
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, 20-31, 510-540
PREP:
For class today you will have completed the worksheet on peer editing for two of your
classmates’ papers. Class time will be devoted to going over your suggestions for one another,
and then talking together about Chicago style citations.
Bring completed PEER-EDITING WORKSHEETS for each of
your partners to class TODAY.
13. February 21 (F)
Forgotten Victims: The Gulf Coast
READING:
 Natasha Trethewey, Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Gulf Coast, complete
PREP:
Today’s text is very rich, and so we will turn today’s discussion over to all of you. We
might think in advance about how we will coordinate our work together.
15. February 24 (M)
Children in the Hurricane and Aftermath
READING:
 Course Packet, pp. 265-302
o Alice Fothergill and Lori Peek, “Surviving Catastrophe: A Study of Children
in Hurricane Katrina”
o Lianne Hart, “Crayons and Back Memories Make for Art and Therapy”
o Shaila Dewan, “Using Crayons to Exorcise Katrina”
 Rebeca Antoine, ed., Voices Rising, pp. 69-71, 139-143, 146-148,167-169
 Also visit the art gallery at the website: Katrina Through the Eyes of Children
http://www.katrinaexhibit.org/photoalbum/index.htm
PREP:
Your FIRST paper is due in
class TODAY!!
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Unit Three:
How Could This Happen?
Explaining the Disaster
16. February 26 (W)
LIBRARY DAY: Finding Scholarly Sources
READING:
 Paper Assignment #2
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, 331-346
PREP:
To be announced.
17. February 28 (F)
Laying Blame: An Unnatural Disaster?
READING:
 Freudenberg, Gramling, Laska and Erikson, Catastrophe in the Making, skim ch. 1,
then read chs. 2-5
 Course Packet, pp. 5-21
o “A Failure of Initiative: Final Report…”
PREP:
Today we review working with our secondary sources. Remember that we want to approach
these with a critical eye, focusing first on the authors’ arguments and evidence. For today, be
ready to provide a one or two-sentence summary of the main argument of the reading from
Catastrophe in the Making, as well as a single sentence summary of each chapter’s key idea.
Then compare the findings of the governmental report, “A Failure of Initiative.” Where do you
find agreement? Any disagreement? How would you compare the kinds of things we can learn
from each source?
18. March 3 (M)
Engineering Katrina / Engineering Reading Strategies
READING:
 Freudenberg, Gramling, Laska and Erikson, Catastrophe in the Making, chs. 6-9
PREP:
Today’s reading is both lengthy and dense. What reading strategies are working for you as you
make your way through this material? What isn’t working? Now locate at least two book reviews
of Catastrophe in the Making. Print these and bring them with you to class. We’ll talk today
about how to read scholarly works strategically, effectively, and efficiently, and the place book
reviews can play in our work.
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19. March 5 (W)
Gutting Government / Gutting a Book
READING:
 Christopher Cooper and Robert Block, Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure
of Homeland Security
PREP:
Spend no more than two hours “gutting” the book Disaster, using strategies we discussed in class
on Monday. As you go, complete the worksheet. This will allow us to see how effectively you
were able to “gut” the text in the allotted time. After you have completed this work, locate at least
two reviews on the book and read and print them. Were the reviews harder or easier to find than
those for Catastrophe in the Making? More or less useful? Why?
20. March 7 (F)
The Power of Unity? / Critical Analysis of Scholarly Articles
READING:
 Course Packet, pp. 145-158 OR 303-335
o Ari Kelman, “Even Paranoids Have Enemies: Rumors of Levee Sabotage in
New Orleans’s Lower 9th Ward”
o Eric Tang, “A Gulf Unites Us: The Vietnamese Americans of Black New
Orleans East”
PREP:
Be prepared to present your article to your classmates that did not read it. What would
they want/need to know? What ideas, in turn, do these articles offer for your future research
projects?
21. March 10 (M)
Rebuilding Lives?
READING:
 Dan Baum, Nine Lives, Part Four: “The Heebie-Jeebies”
PREP:
Bring the introduction and one body paragraph of your paper, due Friday, to class today. Again,
too, think about the kinds of research questions today’s reading might prompt.
22. March 12 (W) The Trauma Lives On
READING:

Course Packet, pp. 248-302
o “Katrina Victims Increasingly Depressed…”
o Susannah Breslin, “After Hurricane Katrina, Years of Post-Traumatic Stress”
o Katie A. McLaughlin et al, “Recovery from PTSD Following Hurricane
Katrina”
 OPTIONAL: Rebeca Antoine, ed., Voices Rising, 197-203
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, “Researching,” pp. 332355
PREP: What do today’s readings teach us about the link between catastrophe and trauma? Can
you imagine, in turn, some possible research questions that could emerge from this reading?
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23. March 14 (F)
Using our Voices to Shape Understanding
Your SECOND paper is due in
class TODAY!!
Enjoy Spring Break!!
See you in a week.
Unit Four:
Researching and
Writing Katrina
24. March 24 (M)
Library Session II: Developing our Bibliographies
READING:
No new reading for today.
PREP:
Today we will meet with Peggy Burge in the library, and we will talk about strategies for locating
the primary sources necessary for your research projects. Bring with you a clear focus for your
research project. These will need to be narrowed, and narrowed again, certainly. But for today, a
general area of interest will help us get you started on your research.
25. March 26 (W)
Disaster Capitalism / Managing Information
READING:
 Vincanne Adams, Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith, chs. 2-4
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, 357-361
PREP: With a longer research paper, you will need a strategy and technique for managing your
information. Doing this appropriately is an important step in ensuring your academic integrity,
and will also make your process much less stressful. We’ll talk today about ways to manage all
you are discovering in your research. We’ll also introduce the ideas about disaster capitalism
offered by Adams. What new issues does she open for us? Do you find her convincing?
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26. March 28 (F)
Project Progress Reports and Brainstorming
READING: Continue reading sources for your project.
PREP:
Bring a narrowed topic idea with you to class. We will talk about how to turn your
interest into a question.
27. March 31 (M) Academic Integrity: Using Quotations and Citing Correctly
READING:
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, pp. 361-368, review 502540
 Patrick Rael, Reading, Writing and Researching for History, sect. 7.a., “Presenting
Primary Sources in Your Paper,” at http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/
PREP:
Continue narrowing the focus of your research project, and write up both a specific research
question and a rationale for that question’s importance. We’ll do an exercise in class today to
make sure the rules and ethos of academic integrity are very clear.
Bring your RESEARCH QUESTION and RATIONALE to
class TODAY!
28. April 2 (W)
Presentations: Project Ideas / The Value of Annotated Bibliographies
READING:
 “Annotated Bibliographies,” University of North Carolina website, at:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/annotated-bibliographies/
 “Annotated Bibliography Samples,” Purdue University, at:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/
PREP:
Be ready to explain the purpose of annotated bibliographies. Also be sure you understand the
proper format for a bibliography in our course, which is the Chicago Style.
29. April 4 (F)
Presentations: Project Ideas
READING: No new reading for today.
Your ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
is due in class TODAY!!
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30. April 7 (M)
Labors of Faith and the Rebuilding Process
READING:
 Adams, Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith, chs. 5-7
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, review “Planning,” 1-10
and read 11-14
PREP:
Come to class ready to offer your critical analysis of the work of Adams. Did she
convince you? Why or why not? Then, think about how reading someone else’s work
can help you learn about what does and does not work in your own writing. Pick one aspect of
Adams’s work—positive or negative—that you are going to watch for in your own work. We’ll
talk about outlines in class today.
31. April 9 (W)
Preparing to Write: Formulating and Organizing Your Ideas
READING:
 Hacker and Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, “Drafting,” 14-20
PREP:
Your WORKING HYPOTHESIS and POINTBASED OUTLINE are due in class
TODAY
32. April 11 (F)
No class today.
I will be attending the Organization of American Historians meeting in Atlanta, Georgia
today. Continue to work on your projects, and I’ll see you Monday.
33. April 14 (M)
Introductions (and Conclusions)
READING:
 Moodle:
o Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of
Research, “Introductions and Conclusions”
PREP:
Bring a draft of your introduction to the research project with you to class. Include an
“opening move,” common ground, disruption or research “problem” and a thesis
statement in that drafted introduction, if you can.
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“Getting Started” Drafts
34. April 16 (W)
Bring to class TWO COPIES of at least FOUR pages of
the draft of your research paper, including your
INTRODUCTION. (These pages need not be sequential.)
35. April 18 (F)
Workshopping our Works-in-Progress
READING:
 Two of your classmates’ drafts.
PREP:
Complete the peer-editing worksheet for your two work group partners. We will spend time in
class today workshopping and talking about the last steps in completing the full drafts.
Bring the completed PEER-EDITING WORKSHEETS for
each of your partners to class TODAY!!
36. April 21 (M)
Drafts Due!
Your complete DRAFTS are due
in class TODAY!!
37. April 23 (W)
Imagining the Revision Process / Preparing the Presentations
READING:
 Diane Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, “Revising,” 20-31
 Moodle:
o Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft
of Research, chs. 14 and 17 “Revising Your Organization and Argument”
and “Revising Style”
PREP:
Do the reading for class, but otherwise, take some time to catch your breath.
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38. April 25 (F)
Peer Editing Meetings
READING and PREP:
 Read your partners’ papers at least twice as you complete your comprehensive peer
editing of their work. In addition to completing the peer-editing worksheet, you
should also write comments on the paper itself. You will need to bring TWO copies
of your peer-editing worksheets to class—one for your partners, and one for me.
Bring your updated PEER-EDITING worksheet for each
of your partners to class TODAY!!
39. April 28 (M)
Panel Presentations: Sharing Your Findings
40. April 30 (W)
Panel Presentations: Sharing Your Findings
41. May 2 (F)
Panel Presentations: Sharing Your Findings
42. May 5 (M)
Panel Presentations: Sharing Your Findings
43. May 7 (W)
Katrina: The End of an Error?
READING:
 Freudenberg et al, Catastrophe in the Making: The Engineering of Katrina and the
Disasters of Tomorrow, ch. 10
 Adams, Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith, ch. 8
 Course Packet, pp. 336-346
o Michael P. Powers, “A Matter of Choice: Historical Lessons for Disaster
Recovery”
Remember:
Your FINAL PAPER is due in my
office by 10:00 a.m. on
Monday, May 12th
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Classroom Emergency Response Guide
At the request of the Academic Dean I am including the following emergency response
information:
Please review university emergency preparedness and response procedures posted at
www.pugetsound.edu/emergency/. There is a link on the university home page. Familiarize
yourself with hall exit doors and the designated gathering area for your class and laboratory
buildings.
If building evacuation becomes necessary (e.g. earthquake), meet your instructor at the
designated gathering area so she/he can account for your presence. Then wait for further
instructions. Do not return to the building or classroom until advised by a university emergency
response representative.
If confronted by an act of violence, be prepared to make quick decisions to protect your
safety. Flee the area by running away from the source of danger if you can safely do so. If this
is not possible, shelter in place by securing classroom or lab doors and windows, closing blinds,
and turning off room lights. Stay low, away from doors and windows, and as close to the interior
hallway walls as possible. Wait for further instructions.
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