Participation and Attendance (20%)
Students will be participating remotely, primarily via Zoom, during the scheduled class time of M/W 9:30-10:45am. Prior to class, you are expected to have completed the readings or other short assignments and be prepared to discuss them. Your grade will be based on your attendance, contributions to in-class activities and discussions, how you interact with your peers during class, whether you have done the readings or required assignments, and arriving on-time. See the Policies page for more information about attendances and absences.
Colorado Voting Worksheet (10%)
The 2020 election will be taking place in the middle of our semester, and one of the big themes of this class is to understand the longer history of politics and elections in the United States. As part of that, you will be completing a worksheet about voting in Colorado - both today and in the past. The goal of this assignment is to familiarize yourself with some of the mechanics of American democracy within the specific context of Colorado and an understanding of how those mechanics have changed over time. Download the worksheet here and submit it to this Dropbox folder.
Due Sunday, September 6th by 11:59PM
Weekend Briefing: 1918 (15%)
You will be writing a modified version of the New York Times “Weekend Briefing” (see examples), using one Denver weekly newspaper during one week in 1918. Using the Colorado Historic Newspapers database, you will read an entire issue of a weekly newspaper and then select six items to include in your briefing. Full description of the assignment.
Due Sunday, September 27th by 11:59PM
Reacting to the Past: Chicago, 1968 (15%)
You will be conducting a historical simulation over the course of several class periods in October. In it, you will be taking on the persona of either a politician, protestor, or journalist during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago during 1968. Full description of the assignment.
Various deadlines in late October
Election Unessay (20%)
Each student will be taking a closer look at a single US election between 1880 and 2000. You will be responsible for familiarizing yourself with the basics of the election (candidates, major issues, wider context, result, etc.) and then making an “unessay” about a specific topic connected to that election. An “unessay” consists of any format besides a traditional final paper: restaurant menu, board game, meme collage, podcast episode, series of TikTok videos, piece of historical fiction - whatever you want! Full description of the assignment.
Due Sunday, November 29th by 11:59PM
Final Exam (20%)
A final will be distributed over email and will help me evaluate what you have learned over the course of the semester. It will not involve detailed fact-recall; instead it will require you to draw on some of the larger themes, concepts, topics, and connections from the course while providing evidence. You may consult your notes from class along with any of the assigned readings themselves, but you are not allowed to consult outside sources such as Wikipedia or talk about the exam with fellow classmates. You are on your honor code. There is no specific time limit for taking the exam, other than completing and submitting it by its due date. The final exam will be emailed to you as a Word document (saved as YourLastName_final-exam.docx) that you will submit to Canvas.
Due Wednesday, December 9th by 11:59PM