Syllabus
Progressive Movements: (Re)Writing History
UW20 Section 31 (Spring 2008)
Prof. Zachary Wolfe
Introduction and Purpose of the Course
As you know, UW20 sections teach serious scholarship through engagement of a
challenging intellectual theme. This course explores social justice movements that brought
us many of the rights and social expectations we now enjoy but likely were glossed over in
your history classes to date. In the course of exploring this theme, students will master
critical analysis, research, and self-reflective and scholarly writing.
One way to conceptualize this course theme is to consider a right that you
particularly appreciate. Perhaps you are excited about coming to a new school to live and
learn with people of all races and genders. Or maybe you have a renewed appreciation for
time off and vacations. How much do you really know about the struggles that produced
these benefits to you? You know that there were civil rights, feminist, and labor
movements, but is your understanding of them comprehensive, or even accurate?
Exploration of these issues raises further questions regarding how history is presented and
who writes the accepted narratives of mass movements.
Materially, this course consists of assigned readings, presentations by experienced
political activists, papers reflecting on the readings and presentations, and a final research
paper on a topic of your choosing that is related to the theme of this course. The syllabus is
designed to provide students with a theoretical and factual background, opportunities to
work closely with the professor and peers on writing and research, and the chance to
culminate the semester with a major paper that will be personally rewarding and reflect
your status as a university-level researcher, writer and scholar.
Instructor Information
Zachary Wolfe
zwolfe@gwu.edu * (202) 994-3053 * Rome 557
Office Hours: Tu/Th/F, 1:00-2:00 and by appointment
This is my fourth year of teaching at GW. I first did so as part-time faculty, while
also practicing public interest law. (I obtained my Juris Doctorate from George Washington
University Law School.) Just over a year ago, I decided that I so enjoyed teaching and
academic work that I wanted to pursue it full-time. Last year was my first as a full-time
professor. I continue to practice law to a limited extent, mostly by consulting on cases and
as chair of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the National Lawyers Guild.
I am readily available for discussion with students outside of class, and encourage
all students to meet with me regularly. Formal office hours are listed above; or just
approach me after class to speak then or arrange a mutually convenient time. I also check
email frequently (zwolfe@gwu.edu).
Librarian Information
David Ettinger (dettingr@gwu.edu – note the missing e) is the reference librarian
who will work closely with us for the duration of this course. He holds a Ph.D. in political
science and has taught a graduate-level course in international relations research here at
GW’s Elliott School. We will meet with him at Gelman Library early in the course to
introduce students to research resources at GW. Later in the term, when students should
be mid-way through their research, we will meet with him again to discuss advanced
research methods and any issues you have encountered.
Course Readings
In addition to the materials below, students will read the New York Times or similar
major daily newspaper every day. We begin each class discussion period by exploring
newsworthy events and their relation to the course theme.
Some readings will be on Blackboard. The books to be obtained from the bookstore
for the course are:
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Zinn, Voices of a People’s History
Murolo & Chitty, From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend
Lunsford, Easy Writer
COURSE SCHEDULE
Please note that the outline is not intended to provide a precise schedule for the
course. Rather, the order and expected time periods are approximate and subject to change
as the course progresses, as is the content itself.
Students are expected to have completed the reading and be prepared to discuss it in
class before the first day indicated for each text.
Introduction to the course.
Week 1
15-Jan
Discussion of contrast between NYT OpEd and Rockwell image /
popular memory.
Please review this syllabus carefully.
17-Jan
Week 2
Zinn, Chapter 6
22-Jan
Murolo & Chitty, Chapter 5
24-Jan
Murolo & Chitty, Chapter 8
29-Jan
31-Jan
Week 4
Murolo & Chitty, Chapter 9
Zinn, pages 378-388
King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (Blackboard)
Discussion of final paper topic options and expectations
Zinn, Chapter 17
1-Feb
presentation – Imam Mahdi Bray
5-Feb
Zinn, Chapter 19
7-Feb
8-Feb
Week 5
Selection from It was Like a Fever (Blackboard)
18-Jan
25-Jan
Week 3
Zinn, Introduction
12-Feb
14-Feb
Zinn Chapter 24 -- except 609-615
Impeachment movement materials (Blackboard)
Topic proposals due. In-class discussion of topics.
Library instruction – meet in Gelman 300
Review of paper expectations.
Familiarize yourself with Lunsford and bring it to class.
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
15-Feb
Autoethnography draft due. 5-7 pages. In-class discussion
19-Feb
Individual meetings (no class meeting)
21-Feb
Individual meetings (no class meeting)
22-Feb
Group work on autoethnography
26-Feb
Autoethnography FINAL draft due
28-Feb
Zinn, Chapter 20
29-Feb
Zinn Chapters 12 & 14 except 291-306
4-Mar
Zinn Chapter 18
6-Mar
Brian Becker – Anti-war organizing and movements
7-Mar
Draft due: “What we know now, and why we didn’t before.” 8-10
pages. An assignment prompt will provide more information. Inclass discussion.
11-Mar
Individual meetings (no class meeting)
13-Mar
Individual meetings (no class meeting)
14-Mar
Final draft due: “What we know now, and why we didn’t before.”
17-22 March
Week 10
25-Mar
27-Mar
28-Mar
Week 11
Week 12
SPRING BREAK
Proposals for University Writing and Research Symposium
Boykoff, Chapter 14 (Blackboard)
Mass media coverage of last week’s anti-war demonstration
Presentation – Gloria LaRiva
1-Apr
Presentations on status of final paper
3-Apr
Library session – meet in Gelman 300
4-Apr
Group work on final research paper
8-Apr
Preparation for University Writing and Research Symposium
10-Apr
University Writing and Research Symposium
11-Apr
University Writing and Research Symposium
Week 13
Week 14
15-Apr
Final paper outlines and annotated bibliographies due -bring them to class
17-Apr
Presentations on status of final paper
18-Apr
Library session – meet in Gelman 300
22-Apr
Draft of final papers due -- bring them to class. 12-15 pages
24-Apr
Group work on final paper
25-Apr
Group work on final paper
9-May
FINAL DRAFT OF PAPERS DUE
by email (zwolfe@gwu.edu) before 3:00 p.m. EDT
Daily Newspaper reading
and starting to think about your final paper
Although much of this course deals with historical movements, we are also
interested in contemporary social justice efforts and in how past struggles are reflected in
current events. You might even select a final paper topic that is related to ongoing
demands and organizing. Moreover, reading a serious newspaper and thinking about the
issues of the day is a worthwhile habit. I like to begin most of our class meetings with a
discussion of current events.
I strongly encourage you to read the New York Times. It is the “newspaper of
record” in this country. The quality of writing is second to none, and it is where every
advocate for a position strives to have an OpEd piece placed. I push the Times not because
I agree with its editorial bent (in fact, I very often do not), but because I view it as the most
respected and highest quality newspaper printed in this country.
GW should again have the “readership program,” which provides free papers in
various locations around campus. There have been problems with this program in the past
and it was discontinued for a year, but we are hopeful that the Student Association has
arranged for delivery of the New York Times in sufficient quantity to convenient locations.
Nevertheless, in case you have trouble obtaining a free copy, I have arranged for discounted
home (dorm) delivery for students in this course. Your copy would be delivered to the lobby
of your building in a wrapper with your name on it. I will send around a link for online
ordering, or call 888-698-2655 ext 1 and tell them you are calling for Professor Wolfe’s
course. The cost for delivery to your dorm will be $2/week for Monday-Friday, or
$4.40/week for 7 days.
If you wish a more conservative paper, a good choice would be the Wall Street
Journal. It is less broadly read than the Times, and the OpEd page will not have the same
scope of views and authors. It tends to focus on financial issues, but offers good coverage of
other topics as well. Another excellent newspaper is the Christian Science Monitor. It is
widely respected as the most journalistic newspaper available, providing quality, unbiased
reporting. It is not a source for views of advocates with OpEd pieces, however. Also, it is
delivered through the mail, so you will be a day behind.
If you must, I suppose you could make due with the Washington Post, Los Angeles
Times, or Atlanta Journal-Constitution. These are fine and respected papers, but simply
are not on the level of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Some students may
wish to read NY Times during the week and get the Washington Post on the weekends.
Please discuss with me if you are considering some other newspaper.
As you become engaged in your daily readings, you will identify topics and events
that relate to past social justice movements or reflect contemporary demands. As we will
discuss, your final paper topic could be something that came to your attention from the
papers, from the syllabus, or due to some pre-existing interest. The first day of class is not
too early to begin thinking about and keeping your eyes open for final paper topics.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS
UW20’s Common Goals
UW20 courses make use of a wide variety of topics, approaches, and assignment designs to
meet a common set of goals. To prepare students for rigorous academic writing across the
range of disciplines offered at GW, the course strives to develop or extend student writers'
capacity for critical reading and analytic thinking; their ability to explore information
resources; their grasp of rhetorical principles; their ability to frame sound questions or
hypotheses; and their ability to edit and proofread carefully. For a full view of the template
that all UW20 sections share, please visit http://www.gwu.edu/~uwp/fyw/fyw-about.htm
UW20’s Common Workload
Every UW20 course requires 25 to 30 double-spaced pages, or their equivalent, of “finished”
writing. In this context, “finished” writing refers to papers that have been developed in a
rigorous composition process often consisting of pre-draft preparation, drafts, and revisions
based on instructor’s advice and classmates’ comments. In this class, that workload is
fulfilled by three papers that are 5-7, 8-10, and 12-15 pages in length. Each paper is
revised based on feedback from peers and the instructor, as outlined in the syllabus.
Attendance Policy
Class attendance is required, with limited excused absences; class participation is essential
to performance and affects the final grade. Students are expected to take class attendance
and participation seriously, understanding such to be essential to obtaining full value from
this course. Please advise the instructor well in advance of planned absences (for religious
observance, etc.) and take whatever measures are possible to minimize disruption in the
event of unplanned absences for illness or other emergencies. As discussed below, class
participation accounts for 20% of your grade. A fourth absence in the semester will result
in a full-grade reduction in your class participation grade. Five or more absences is
grounds for failing the course. Moreover, all peer reviews and class presentations are
required for course credit.
Grading
Written work will determine 80% of the grade for this course, with class participation
accounting for 20% of the final grade. The final research paper is worth twice as much as
the other papers (i.e., 40% of the final grade). Final drafts are assigned a letter grade,
which is converted to grade points and averaged to calculate the final grade for the course
(4.0 for A, 3.66 for A-, 3.33 for B+, etc.) Although drafts are not graded, please note
that revision of written work is part of the course requirements. Accordingly,
you cannot receive credit for the final draft of a paper unless you have turned in
the first draft on time and gone through the required revision process.
NO LATE PAPERS
Students are expected to approach all deadlines and writing assignments seriously and
professionally. All written work must be given to the professor or emailed to
zwolfe@gwu.edu by the specified time. Late papers will not be accepted and will
result in a zero on the assignment, absent extraordinary circumstances. A cold is not
extraordinary. If you are experiencing illness in the days leading up to a paper deadline,
you must request an extension as early as possible, and at least 24 hours prior to the
deadline.
The “R” Grade
Students must pass UW20 with a grade of C- or above in order to receive credit for the
course. A grade of C- or above in UW20 indicates that the student is prepared to write in
upper-division, writing-intensive courses.
If a UW20 student is not prepared for the next level of university writing, the instructor
will assign the student a grade of R (for Repeat.) The R grade is reserved for students who
work hard in the course, complete the main course assignments, but will still benefit from
additional UW20 writing instruction. The student will not receive credit for the course;
however, the R will not factor into the student's GPA.
Students who do not complete the course requirements, who are consistently absent from
class, or who violate other expectations of academic behavior, will receive an F.
Academic Integrity
Academic writing builds on the work of others who have written and created before us.
Academic writers use and cite the ideas, words, and images of others in order to document
grounds for knowledge, illuminate contexts of argument, acknowledge intellectual
influences, distinguish our own analytical voices, and encourage further investigation and
inquiry. If, on the other hand, we take others' work as our own--using their phrases,
images, concepts, or arguments without acknowledgement--we not only hamper these goals
but also cross the line into academic dishonesty.
GW's Code of Academic Integrity defines academic dishonesty as "cheating of any kind,
including misrepresenting one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without
crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information."
The minimum penalty for such offenses, whether on rough or final drafts, is to fail the
assignment; the more common penalty is to fail the course. This instructor takes ethical
violations extremely seriously, and students are expected to conduct themselves responsibly
and professionally in every respect. You can find more information about the Code of
Academic Integrity at http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html.
Disability Accommodations
As a general matter, students with disabilities should be in contact Disability Support
Services (Marvin Center 242, x4-7610 or TDD x4-8250). If you have a disability or some
other special circumstance that might affect your work this semester, please let me know
both verbally and in writing as soon as possible, so I can make appropriate
accommodations. For additional information please refer to http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/
In Case of Problems with your Classes
If you are struggling with an individual class, or several classes, your first line of contact is
always the professor.
If, for whatever reason, you need more assistance than your professor can provide, seek out
your academic advisor. For example, if you have an illness or a family tragedy that
requires you to be away from class for an extended period of time, you need to contact and
meet with the academic dean for your college (CCAS, SEAS, ESIA, Business, etc.). The
dean will inform all your professors of the reason for your absences. Below is the contact
information for the dean’s offices at the different schools:
CCAS: Phillips Hall 107; 202.994.6210
ESIA: 1957 E St., NW, Suite 302; 202.994.3002
SPHHS: Ross Hall 202; 202.994.2160
SEAS: Tompkins Hall of Engineering 105; 202.994.6080
GWSB: Duques Hall 456; 202.994.7027