Hist 4004: Topics in Social and Cultural History

AMERICA IN THE NUCLEAR AGE

Fall 2009, CRN 93385,

T, TH, 2:00-3:15 p.m., 231 McBryde

 

 

If I were asked to name the most important date in the history and prehistory of the human race, I would answer without hesitation 6 August 1945. The reason is simple. From the dawn of consciousness until 6 August 1945, man had to live with the prospect of his death as an individual; since that day when the first atomic bomb outshone the sun over Hiroshima, mankind as a whole has had to live with prospect of its extinction as a species.

—Arthur Koestler

 

The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our mode of thinking, and thus we drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.

—Albert Einstein

 

Contact Info:

Instructor: Dr. Mark V. Barrow, Jr.; E-mail: barrow@vt.edu

Office: 432 Major Williams; Phone: 231-4099 (O), 552-5876 (H—before 9:30 p.m.)

Office Hours: Tues, Thurs., 11:00-12:00 noon, and by appointment

IM Screen Name: vthistprof (available during office hours)

URL: http://www.history.vt.edu/Barrow/

 

Prerequisites:

This course is one of a series of writing-intensive, senior-level seminars designed primarily for history majors.  The formal prerequisites include: Hist 2004, one other history class, and junior or senior standing.

 

Course Description:  

Although scientists had long dreamed of unlocking the power of the atom, not until World War II did they finally discover how to achieve that goal.  Since then atomic energy—in its many guises—has had a profound impact on American society.  The bomb, "humanity's most powerful and destructive weapon," has transformed our culture, threatened our existence, haunted our dreams, and shaken our confidence in science, technology, and the government.  This course uses readings, videos, discussions, student presentations, and writing assignments to explore the historical and cultural legacy of nuclear technologies in the United States.

 

The centerpiece of the course is the collaborative production of an edited volume of historical essays examining various dimensions of America in the Nuclear Age.  Each student will contribute a ca. 20-page chapter for this book on a topic of their choice (made in consultation with me).  At the end of the semester, we will each receive a copy of this jointly produced publication, and we will place a copy in Newman Library for future generations of scholars to consult.

 

Each chapter must be based on original research and critically engage with a range of appropriate sources.  A satisfactory chapter should generally include a minimum of 20 primary sources and 10 secondary sources.  Each chapter should also be clearly presented, engagingly written, well organized, and carefully proofread.  In short, your chapter should not only be as error free as possible but also represent a genuine contribution to history, the kind of paper historians regularly deliver at professional meetings or submit for publication in historical journals.  To achieve this level of competency is a challenge, but with hard work and dedication, you can do it.

 

Readings:

 

This is an engaging overview of the bomb and its impact on society that we'll be reading over the first few weeks to provide background and generate ideas for chapter topics.

 

This is a compact guide to grammar and style that we'll be consulting periodically throughout the semester.

 

Both books are required and available at the University Bookstore, Volume Two Bookstore, and the Tech Bookstore.  DeGroot has also been placed on two-hour reserve at Newman Library.  In addition, online readings will be posted on Scholar or otherwise made available on the Web.

 

Grades:

Course grades will be based on the following formula:

 

 

The Chapter Writing Process:

To help you complete the best chapter possible, we will follow a process that guides you through the various stages of conceptualizing, researching, and writing history.  This is the same process most historians use.  The various stages of that process are as listed below, while the specific due dates for each stage are contained in the Schedule at the end of this syllabus.

 

1. Chapter Concept Proposals

Early on in the semester, each student will craft three "chapter concept proposals" to generate possible topics for their individual chapters.  Think of these as a way for you to begin formulating and testing out your ideas.  I expect each of these to be radically different.  Each should ask a distinct question and utilize a completely different source base.  One key to writing a good chapter is asking a good question.

 

2. Formal Chapter Proposal (Abstract and Bibliography)

This is the first formal expression of your intentions for your chapter.  You must consult with me about your topic before turning it in.  The more thorough you are in this assignment, the more useful feedback I can provide at this critical stage of the research process.  The working bibliography must follow the Chicago Manual of Style format, the standard format professional historians use (and the one presented in Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual).  Deviations from that format will result in significant deductions from your grade.  You should include everything you might possibly use in your working bibliography, both primary and secondary sources.  And again, a satisfactory chapter should be based on a minimum of 20 primary sources and 10 secondary sources.

 

3. First Chapter Version

Your first chapter draft should not be an incomplete or inadequate draft; rather, your initial chapter version must not only fit the length parameters (ca. 20 pages) but also be well crafted, thoughtful, and as "finished" as you can possibly make it.  This includes correct notes and a formal bibliography, which must adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style format.  Fortunately, historians are no longer write on stone tablets, rendering our particular version of the past onto an immutable surface for all times.  We all revise, revise, and revise again.  You should follow this practice as well to create as polished a chapter draft as you can. 

 

4. Peer Editing and Evaluation I

On each draft of the paper, you will receive feedback from the professor and from a peer editor.  I will partner up peer editors based on the topics each of you choose; it makes sense to have people working on similar topics share their insights, sources, and challenges.  And one of the best ways to improve your own writing is to critically engage with the writing of others.

 

On this first draft, the editing should be mainly conceptual.  Rather than focusing on the finer points of grammar, syntax, clarity, and sentence structure, this first round of evaluation should focus on argument, organization, structure, evidence, and coherence – on the larger questions of where the essay succeeds and where it fails.  You will be required to edit, evaluate, and return your peer's chapter by the next class meeting after the draft is due.

 

5. Second Chapter Version

This second version of your chapter should incorporate the suggestions of the instructor and peer evaluator, make any conceptual, structural, or evidentiary changes necessary, and show evidence of careful self-editing for clarity, syntax, grammar, and style.

 

6. Peer Editing and Evaluation II

The second round of evaluation and editing from the instructor and the peer partner will focus on line editing, a process through which every scholarly manuscript goes.  The goal here is to catch errors of spelling, grammar, syntax, usage, style, etc.  The final product after this process should be an entirely clean copy ready for publication in our book.  I urge everyone to pay special attention to the footnotes and bibliographies.  It is quite easy to overlook errors in footnotes and bibliographies on projects that you have been working on for some time, whereas a peer editor will often notice errors that look "right" to you.

 

7. Final Chapter Version

This "camera ready" chapter will be error free and ready for inclusion in the book.  We will talk about the particular format requirements (margins, type-fonts, sub-headings, etc.) before your fully revised chapter is due.

 

8. Class Conference

During the class "conference," you will present your chapter to your collaborators.  These presentations will be informal and should last approximately three or four minutes (depending on the final size of the class).  This assignment is intended not only to brief your classmates on your work, but also because presenting research is a crucial part of all historical scholarship.  In addition to our class conference, I urge you to submit your presentations at other appropriate venues within the university and at other institutions.

 

9. Partner Evaluation

At the end of the course, I'll ask you to evaluate your partner.  Did they do a good job of providing feedback and editing?  Did they help you focus your conceptual framework and your evidentiary base?  Did they help you catch errors you may have missed?  Did they offer encouragement?  Did you work well together?  This assignment will determine your Peer Editing and Evaluation grade.

 

The process of framing, researching, and writing a book chapter might seem overwhelming at first.  You might even think that there is no way to complete this assignment in one semester, but this course is designed to be the capstone of your experience here at Virginia Tech.  This is your opportunity to take all the skills you have learned over the last few years and put them to work in a sustained and meaningful way.  These projects should be intellectually stimulating and fun.  Don't choose a topic that will fail to engage you.  Feel free to let your imagination roam.

 

Additional Course Requirements and Issues:

 

Short Analytical Reaction Papers:  To sharpen writing skills, focus ideas, and facilitate discussion, during the first part of the semester each student will turn in two short (ca. 1 p., double spaced) analytical reaction papers.  The specific topic is open.  You might assess the strengths and weaknesses of the assigned reading, respond to its major arguments, critically examine its theoretical and/or methodological frameworks, relate it to other readings for the course, or some combination of these approaches.  Simple summaries will not suffice; analytical reaction papers must come to terms with the significance and meaning of the reading.  I want you to demonstrate that you have read and given serious thought to the material for that week.  Regardless of the particular strategy you adopt for doing this, your reaction papers should also be concise, well written, and carefully proofread.  Analytical reaction papers will be graded using 1-to-5-point evaluation system.  Occasionally we may also do peer evaluations of them.  Reaction papers must be turned in by the beginning of the class in which they are due to receive credit.

 

Attendance and Participation: This class is designed to facilitate active learning and give students a primary role in the presentation and discussion of class material.  To achieve these goals, students must attend each class meeting, complete the assigned reading and any other exercises before class, and offer informed contributions to the class discussion.  To encourage and reward class attendance, preparation, and participation, I will regularly take attendance and assign occasional homework exercises throughout the semester.  If I sense that students are not coming to class prepared or not participating adequately, I may also occasionally give unscheduled quizzes.

 

The participation component of the final grade will be based on how actively students engage in discussions and other exercises we complete during class and how well they prepare themselves by reading and thinking about the assigned material before class.  I encourage questions, welcome alternative viewpoints, and expect everyone to demonstrate respect for the ideas of their fellow students.

 

Homework and Discussion Questions: On days when we have reading assignments from DeGroot or some of the shorter scholarly articles, I will ask students to bring in questions to guide our discussion.  These are due at the beginning of class (though we will also experiment with posting them in advance of class during the semester).  Crafting effective discussion questions is an art that takes some practice.  In general, questions about specific "facts" presented in the reading do not elicit much useful discussion.  But broader questions that ask the class to interpret what the author is arguing, analyze the position from which the author is writing, evaluate the evidence or arguments being presented, or compare a given day's reading with other things we've learned for the course generally work well.  I also want you to generate questions on things in the reading that you find interesting, confusing, or problematic. 

 

Students will also complete a small number of homework assignments. Homework assignments, discussion questions, and weekly analytical reaction papers must be turned in during the class they are due to receive credit.

 

Late Assignments: Late assignments can only be accepted with an official, documented excuse.

 

Honor Code: Students are expected to follow the Virginia Tech Honor Code for all assignments.  I don't mind if you consult with your classmates (indeed I encourage this for it's how scholars typically work), but anything you turn in should ultimately represent your own thoughts and words.  Otherwise we would all be forced to live in a world of deceit and distrust that most of us would prefer not to inhabit.

 

The honor code will be strictly enforced in this course.  Any infractions will be reported to the Honor System Review Board and could lead to a failing grade in the course, community service, probation, and even expulsion from the university.  If you are not familiar with the Honor System at Virginia Tech, I would urge you to take a look at the following homepage immediately:

 

http://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/

 

A Personal Note:

I am here to help you learn.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, special needs, or difficulties related to this course (or even if you just want to talk about the issues it raises).  I know that approaching a professor can be intimidating, but I want to assure you that I enjoy meeting with students, and I do everything possible to make myself accessible throughout the semester.

 

 

 


Schedule:

Subject to revision as needed (any changes will be announced in class and posted on Scholar).  Reading assignments are to be completed by the time of class on the day they are listed below, and all are posted on Scholar except DeGroot and Hacker, which are textbooks.  SARP = short analytical reaction paper.  DQ = discussion questions.

 

Date

 

Topic

Reading

Assignment

8/25

T

Introduction and Choosing a Research Topic

Turabian, 12-23; Boyer, 3-20

research resume

8/27

Th

"Hiroshima: Decision to Use the Bomb" (V)

 

biographical sketch

9/1

T

Entering the Nuclear Age

DeGroot, 1-105

SARP/DQ

9/3

Th

Model Articles

TBA

concept proposal 1

9/8

T

Embracing the Bomb

DeGroot, 106-216

SARP/DQ

9/10

Th

No Class

 

 

9/15

T

Citing Sources, Avoiding Plagiarism

Hoffer; Hacker 197-230 (skim)

concept proposal 2

9/17

Th

Finding/Evaluating Sources (3310 Torg.)

Turabian, 24-47

 

9/22

T

Surviving the Nuclear Age

DeGroot, 237-351

concept proposal 3 DQ

9/24

Th

Civil Defense, "The Fallout Shelter" (Video)

Henrickson, 151-73

 

9/29

T

"Atomic Cafe"

Loader; Jacobs

formal chapter proposal

10/1

Th

"Atomic Cafe"

Turabian, 48-81

 

10/6

T

Primary Source Workshop

 

primary source

10/8

Th

Titles, Organization, and Introduction

 

 

10/13

T

Research Reports

 

 

10/15

Th

Common Writing Errors

TBA

 

10/20

T

No Class: Individual Consults

 

 

10/22

Th

No Class: Individual Consults

 

 

10/27

T

Introduction Workshop

Turabian, 98-107

draft introduction

10/29

Th

Research Reports

 

 

11/3

T

"Dr. Strangelove" (Video)

Boyer, 95-102

1st chapter version

11/5

Th

"Dr. Strangelove"

 

 

11/10

T

Class Conference

 

 

11/12

Th

Class Conference

 

 

11/17

T

No Class: Individual Consults

 

 

11/19

Th

TBA

 

2nd chapter version

11/24

T

Thanksgiving Break

 

 

11/26

Th

Thanksgiving Break

 

 

12/1

T

TBA

 

 

12/3

Th

TBA

 

 

12/8

T

End of Semester Celebration

 

final chapter due

research resume