History 163H (His 104) – Race & Ethnicity in the United States from 1865
Spring 2014
Tuesday/Thursday, 12:15-1:30
Honors 09
Professor Peter G. Vellon
Queens College
Powdermaker Hall, 352Q
718-997-5299
Office Hours: Thursday 1:45-2:45, or by appointment
peter.vellon@qc.cuny.edu
This course will examine the United States after the Civil War with a specific focus on
categories of race and ethnicity. To that end, we will concentrate on two key American
cities, New York & Chicago, in order to present a micro-analysis of how race, ethnicity,
and class have shaped and altered identity. More specifically, the course will highlight
the intimate link between immigration and migration, as well as between immigration
and race. The course seeks to illuminate how immigrant groups, such as Eastern and
Southern Europeans, for example, negotiated assimilation and Americanization within a
highly racialized society based upon color. We will examine key aspects of American
identity in the late 19th and 20th centuries by exploring the factors drawing diverse
peoples to the U.S.; the creation and evolution of racial and ethnic enclaves in major
American cities through immigration and domestic migration; the role of race, class,
religion, and gender in shaping immigrant interactions with the United States; how
immigrants have negotiated assimilation and americanization; and institution building.
The course will also highlight conflict and consensus among various ethnic and racial
groups throughout this period of American history.
This course meets three GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS. It meets the
ANALYZING SOCIAL STRUCTURES Area of Knowledge requirement because it
explores the rise of political, economic, social, and governmental institutions. Because it
focuses on the United States and its political, racial, cultural, ideological, economic, and
social evolution, it fulfills the UNITED STATES Context of Experience requirement.
Grade Breakdown:
Midterm & Final Exams:
You will have an in-class Midterm & Final Exam. Both exams are non-cumulative, essay
based, and rely heavily on class readings and material covered in-class. We will discuss
both exams in further detail during class. Each exam is worth 15 %.
Research Paper:
You will have the entire semester to complete this assignment. Your Paper Topic must
posted on the website by class time on Thursday, February 13th. You will earn 2
points toward your final grade for completing this assignment properly and on time.
Your Preliminary Bibliography is due Tuesday, March 25th and is worth 3 pts. These
deadlines are for your benefit as a way to encourage [at least I hope so] you not to wait
until the last minute to get started on this assignment. Your paper will use SECONDARY
and PRIMARY to inform and support your argument or thesis. Your paper must have
footnotes or endnotes and should be approximately 10-15 pages in length. We will
discuss all of this, including the process of research and writing, in class. See Syllabus
for relevant dates and assignment deadlines. (Research Paper is worth 25% (including
Paper Topic & Bibliography).
Critical Book Review:
Students will read both, Native Son by Richard Wright and Christ in Concrete by Pietro
DiDonato. Both novels take place in the 1930s and are set in Chicago and New York
City respectively. I will distribute questions that will force you to critically analyze and
compare some of the major themes in the books, as well as place both books within the
larger context of the course. Your essay must be 4 – 6 pages in length, double spaced,
and typed. We will discuss this assignment more fully in class. The essay is due on
April 10th and is worth 15% of your final grade.
On-line Participation
Beginning with our class on February 6th, students will post weekly responses to the
readings on our course blog. Two students will be assigned to “spark” the discussion by
writing 2-3 paragraphs posted online by Sunday at 7:00pm for our Tuesday class or
Tuesday at 7:00pm for our Thursday class. You will earn up to 5 points for a wellconstructed spark that does not simply summarize the material, but rather locates major
themes and critically analyzes the material. You may also raise questions to the class that
problematize the reading. When students are not providing the spark, they must respond
once per “reading” week to their colleague. This can be done for either our Tuesday or
Thursday class. I will provide a “Spark List” on our class website. 15 % of total grade.
In Class Participation:
Participation is defined broadly and simply being present in class is not enough. Students
must keep up with the weekly readings and come to class prepared to participate in
discussions. Consistent, informed, and positive participation will earn students high
participation grades. Negative participation, loosely defined as failing to discuss weekly
readings, constant text messaging, surfing the internet, dozing off, or engaging in
otherwise unproductive activities, will yield a participation grade closer to zero. Students
may earn up to 10 % of their final grade with positive participation.
Attendance is required in this course and I will take attendance at the beginning of every
class. For every absence up to three I will deduct 1 point from your total grade. After
three absences, every subsequent absence will cost 2 points. Abusive lateness will also
cost you. After your first lateness, every time you arrive over 15 minutes late for class
you will lose ½ point.
Oral Presentation:
Each student will present his or her research findings before the class. The presentation
must be 5-7 minutes long and must not be read verbatim from a typed sheet. Instead,
students must present the most interesting aspects of their research finding up to that
point, their emerging arguments, and examples of supporting evidence. Students can
work from notes, but must be mindful that their grade will be computed not only on
substance, but oral presentation. All students will present their oral reports on May 13th
and May 15th. Worth 5% of final grade.
Eportfolio class website:
This site will serve as our official meeting place. You will use this website to post blog
responses, as well as find materials relevant to the course, such as syllabi, links to
primary source material, writing aids, etc., etc.
I will also place additional assigned readings (see course schedule), as well as specific
assignments, on this website. If you do not have an account set up, you must do so
immediately. We will discuss content specifics in class.
Students need to go to http://qwriting.org/ and sign up w/ a QC email address and then
active their account. Do not click on “creating a website.” You just need an account and
then you can start process of accessing the class blog. Once your account is activated
you can login and go to the website: http://his163hsection2.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/
Once there you should click the "ADD ME" button and this should allow you to post
blogs, as well as comment on other posts.
Required Books:
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Binder & Reimers, All the Nations Under Heaven: An Ethnic and Racial
History of NYC (Columbia Univ. Press, 1995)
David Roediger, Working Toward Whiteness: How America’s Immigrants
Became White, (Basic Books, 2005)
St. Clair Drake, Black Metropolis: A Study of Negro Life in a Northern City
(Harcourt, Brace,1945)
Richard Wright, Native Son
Pietro DoDonato, Christ in Concrete
In addition, selected readings have been uploaded to the class website either as
pdf files or hyper links to QC’s electronic library.
Please be advised that changes to this schedule/additional readings may be made via
e-mail or announced in class. If this is necessary I will try to provide as much
advance notice as possible. Also, note that the readings are due the day they appear
on the syllabus.
NOTE to STUDENTS:
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Although you are free to e-mail me on my Queens College account with
course related information or questions, please understand that I may not
respond for many days, if at all. Therefore, e-mail is not a preferred method
of communication. Rather, if you have questions or need information related
to the course, please see me during designated office hours. If that time is
not convenient for you we can try to arrange another mutually convenient
time. If you cannot attend class and need to let me know, feel free to leave a
message on my QC voicemail. Also, if you cannot attend a particular class
meeting I urge you to make a friend who can provide you with lecture notes.
I will not meet with you to discuss what we did in a class in which you were
absent.
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Make-up exams: I will NOT offer make up exams unless there are
exceptional circumstances, such as a death in the family or serious illness.
Proper documentation would need to be provided and be approved by me
before scheduling a make up. If you miss an exam you will receive a zero for
the assignment.
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You cannot e-mail me any assignment under any circumstances. Any
assignment submitted via e-mail will be ignored and receive a zero. Your
research paper and critical book review must be submitted during class.
Tue Jan 28 – Course Outline
Thur Jan 30
Americanization/Assimiliation/Identity
 Steinberg, The Melting Pot and the Color Line”
 Michael Walzer, “What Does it Mean to be an “American”?, Social Research,
Vol. 7: No. 3, Fall 2004
Tue Feb 4
 Gerstle, “Liberty, Coercion and Becoming American…”
 Morrison, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination”
 James Baldwin, “On Being White and Other Lies,” pp.177-180 re-printed in
Black on White: Black Writers on What it Means to be White, Edited by David
Roediger
 Horsman, “Race and Manifest Destiny: The Origins of American Racial AngloSaxonism
Video: Race: The power of an Illusion
Thur Feb 6
 Stephen Steinberg, Chapter 8 “Racial & Ethnic Conflict in the 20th Century”
from Ethnic Myth:Race, Ethnicity, Class in America (Beacon Press, 1981)
 Stephen Cornell & Douglas Hartmann, “Conceptual Confusions and Divides:
Race, Ethnicity, and the Study of Immigration,” in Not Just Black & White:
Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Immigration, Race, & Ethnicity in
the US
Tue Feb 11
Chicago & NYC at turn of century: Brief Context
 Drake, Black Metropolis, Introduction, Ch. 1 & 2
Thur Feb 13
Chicago & NYC at turn of century: Brief Context
 Binder & Reimers, Ch. 3-4
Tue Feb 18
IMMIGRATION/MIGRATION: factors influencing—push/pull/
Race/color line
--European immigration/jobs/
-- Old & New Immigrants
Thur Feb 20 (NO CLASS – MONDAY schedule)
Tue Feb 25
Mandatory Research/Database Seminar in Rosenthal Library: Room 225
Thur Feb 27
Race/Whiteness/inbetweeness/color line
Tue Mar 4
Who can be an “american”?
--Restrictionists & the Dillingham Commission
(King)
Thur Mar 6
Radicalism, Repression (Red Scare), & Immigration Restriction (1921/1924)
Tue Mar 11
The Great Migration: Af-Am’s (Grossman)
-----Impact of WW I (economics)
Thur Mar 13
Generational Conflict & Racial Conflict: ---Race riots (Chicago 1919)/KKK
(Tuttle)
Tue Mar 18
MIDTERM
Thur Mar 20
1920s:
Cultural Capital: The Harlem Renaissance & the New Negro (Jazz/Blues)
Tue Mar 25
1920s:
Labor/Labor unions/Labor conflict/cooperation (Cohen)
Thur Mar 27
Great Depression—economics (Lizabeth Cohen)
Tue Apr 1
Impact of World War II/”the double v”/cementing white ethnics
Thur Apr 3
The Second Great Migration
Tue Apr 8
Changing Neighborhoods, Urban Renewal, and Race/Color
White Suburbs/Black Housing
Residential segregation
Thur Apr 10
The Push for Civil Rights: The Lynching of Emmett Till
***Critical Book Review Due***
Tue Apr 15 - SPRING RECESS
Thur Apr 17– SPRING RECESS
Tue Apr 22– SPRING RECESS
Thur Apr 24 (cancel class)
Tue Apr 29
1960s: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the White Ethnic Backlash
Thur May 1
Tue May 6
Thur May 8
Tue May 13
Oral Presentations
Thur May 15
Oral Presentations