(This syllabus covers two classes: HIS 106 H01 on Thur & His 150-02 on Fri. Assignments, unless otherwise noted, will be due by blackboard at class time for each course respectively.)
Course Objectives:
- Students will be able to describe their own relationship to significant issues of justice 2. Students will be able to identify problems and propose solutions through evidence-based inquiry
3. Students will be able to assess the effectiveness of their own role in collaborations with people of diverse backgrounds
4. Students will be able to demonstrate effective planning and reflection to accomplish specific course outcomes
5. Students will engage with co-curricular activities to develop academic goals and personal growth
assignments are listed on the date assigned, not the day due
CLASS 1: TH 08/31 & FR 09/01
in class: signing of contracts and student info sheets, introduction to
claim / evidence / warrant
assigned reading due 9/07 or 9/08 by class time: (1) reading on cl/ev/wa; (2) Epstein reading
assigned writing due 9/07 or 9/08 by class time: hw1 (worth 10% of your semester grade)
assigned viewing due 9/07 or 9/08 by class time: The Wire Season 1, Episode 1
quiz prep: there will be a 5-minute quiz on the reading at the start of next class (that is, on 9/07 or 9/08 depending on whether you are in HIS 106 H01 on Thur & His 150-02 on Fri.)
note on time: You will want to set aside three to three and half hours to do the homework. The assigned viewing will take an hour; the assigned reading will likely take 45 minutes to an hour; the written homework will also take 45 minutes to an hour.
CLASS 2: TH 09/07 & FR 09/08
in class: in-class quiz #1 (see class 1 above); discussion of asset forfeiture as seen in The Wire
assigned reading due 9/14 or 9/15 by class time: (from blackboard) “Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with their Mothers?” from Steven Leavitt and Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics (2006) you will want to do the reading & look at HW2 before doing the required viewing; doing so will make writing the essay easier )
assigned viewing due 9/14 or 9/15 by class time: The Wire Season 1: Episodes 2 & 3
assigned writing due 9/14 or 9/15 by class time: hw 2
quiz prep: there will be a 5-minute quiz on the reading at the start of next class
Concepts for Quiz #2
1) What about the labor market for drug dealing, according to the authors, means that the wages for most workers will be low, akin to other “glamour occupations” such as architect, NFL quarterback, or media professional?
2) What was so destructive about the timing of crack’s arrival to inner cities?
3) How did crack change the long-term prospects of gang membership?
note on time: You will want to set aside four to five hours to do the homework. The assigned viewing will take two hours; the assigned reading will likely take 45 minutes to an hour to do; the written homework will likely take an hour and a half to two hours to do.
CLASS 3: TH 09/14 & FR 09/15
in class: in-class quiz #2 (see class 2 above)
assigned reading due 9/21 or 9/22 by class time: (on our blackboard site) two court cases re: “Constructive Possession by Proximity” pp. 44-52 (don’t worry about blank portions)
assigned writing due 9/21 or 9/22 by class time: hw 3 on “Constructive Possession by Proximity” as seen in The Wire.
note on time by class time: You will want to set aside 3 hours to do the homework. The assigned reading will likely take 35 minutes; the written homework will likely take two hours and twenty minutes to do.
NO CLASSES 9/19 – 9/29!
We will have no classes on 9/19 (when classes follow a TH schedule or on 9/21, 9/22, 9/28, or 9/29) BUT THERE IS HW DURING THIS PERIOD. Indeed, we will have a marathon, Wire-watching binge.
assigned viewing due 10/05 & FR 10/06: The Wire, episodes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
quiz prep: there will be a 15-minute quiz #3 on episodes 4-9 at the start of next class; I will e-mail you review questions for these episodes to prepare for the quiz.
CLASS 4: TH 10/05 & FR 10/06
in class: in-class, 15-minute quiz #3 (see above)
assigned reading due 10/12 or 10/13 by class time: (from blackboard) Michael Katz, “Poverty and Inequality in the New American City” in The Price of Citizenship: Redefining the Welfare State (2008)
assigned writing due 10/12 or 10/13 by class time: hw 4
quiz prep: there will be a 20-minute, open-note, mid-term #4 quiz on the reading at the start of next class. Very important details about this open-note mid term can be found in hw 4.
note on time: You will want to set aside three and half hours to four hours to do the homework. The reading, along with note taking, will take one and a half to two hours to do. The written work will take one hour and fifteen minutes to one hour and forty minutes to do.
CLASS 5: TH 10/12 & FR 10/13
in class: in-class, 20-minute open-note mid-term (Details about this open-note mid term can be found in hw 4) quiz #4
assigned reading due 10/19 or 10/20 by class time: (from blackboard) pp. 2-3, pp 25-77 of the graphic book–which is why the reading looks longer than it really is–by Marc Mauer, Sabrina Jones, and Michelle Alexander, The Race to Incarcerate (2013)
I will email you study questions on this reading so you can prepare for the quiz; see below
assigned viewing due 10/19 or 10/20 by class time: The Wire, episodes 11, 12, and 13
quiz prep due 10/19 or 10/20 by class time: there will be a 15-minute, closed-note, multiple choice quiz #5 based off the e-mailed study questions on the reading and episodes 11 – 13 at the start of next class.
note on time: You will want to set aside up to four and four and half hours to do the homework. The reading, along with note taking, will take one to one and a half hours to do. The viewing should will take three hours.
CLASS 6: TH 10/19 & FR 10/20
in class: 15-minute, closed-note, multiple choice quiz #5 on The Race to Incarcerate based off the e-mailed study questions
assigned viewing due 10/26 or 10/27 by class time: The Wire, Season 2, episode 1
assigned reading due 10/26 or 10/27 by class time: pp.1-6, pp. 21-50 of John Pfaff, Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform (2017)
I will email you study questions on the reading so you can prepare for the quiz; see below
quiz prep due 10/26 or 10/27 by class time: there will be a 15-minute, closed-note, quiz #6 based off the e-mailed study questions on the reading and the viewing at the start of next class.
note on time: You will want to set aside between three and half to four hours to do the homework. The reading, along with note taking, will take one and a half to two hours to do. The viewing should will take two hours.
CLASS 7: TH 10/26 & FR 10/27
in class: 15-minute, closed-note, quiz #6 on Locked In based off the e-mailed study questions. There will also be questions on episode 1. In class work with New York Times articles from the 1960s.
assigned writing due 11/02 & 11/03 by class time: hw 5, an essay comparing, on the one hand, “The Standard Story” as exemplified by Marc Mauer, Sabrina Jones, and Michelle Alexander with, on the other hand, the analysis of Pfaff in Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform and the New York Times articles from the 1960s.
assigned viewing due 11/02 & 11/03 by class time: The Wire, Season 2, episode 2
quiz prep due 11/02 & 11/03 by class time: there will be a 5-minute, closed-note, multiple choice quiz #7 on The Wire, Season 2, episode 2 at the start of next class.
Walking Tour of the birth of organized crime in Chinatown and Little Italy, Meet at Columbus Park 5:30 PM (counts for Honors students as one of your “academic” bucket activities. For students who are not in the Honors program, you can win up to 5 extra credit points for the semester (depending on how well you do on the quiz after the tour)
CLASS 7: TH 11/02 & FR 11/03
in class: a 5-minute, closed-note, multiple choice quiz #7 on The Wire, Season 2, episode 2; division of class into groups for final project
assigned reading due 11/09 or 11/10 by class time: (blackboard) Susan Faludi, “Chapter 1: The Son, The Moon, and the Stars: The Promise of Postwar Manhood” from Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man (be sure to do the reading and written homework before starting on the viewing)
assigned writing due 11/09 or 11/10 by class time: hw 6
assigned viewing due 11/09 or 11/10 by class time: The Wire, Season 2, episodes 3, 4, and 5
quiz prep due 11/09 or 11/10: there will be a five-minute, closed-note, multiple choice quiz #8 on both vocab from the reading (see hw 6) and on the broad events from The Wire, Season 2, episodes 3, 4, and 5 at the start of next class.
CLASS 8: 11/09 or 11/10
classes next week, and so due dates for hw assigned this week, are a bit wonky because of Thanksgiving. Instead of Friday classes meeting on Tuesday 11/21 as called for by the academic calendar I will instead hold optional individual conferences in my office during class time during that time. You can e-mail me for an appointment or you can walk in–but it is not necessary to come.
in class: introduction to Plotagon (see here for a 26-minute youtube tutorial on Plotagon)
assigned viewing due 11/16 or 11/17 by class time: The Wire, Season 2, episodes 6, 7, and 8(see below, however, as it makes sense to look at the HW before doing the viewing)
assigned writing due 11/16 or 11/17 by class time:: hw 7 (look at before doing viewing)
and hw 8 (be sure to do BOTH assignments)
quiz prep due 11/16 or 11/17 by class time:: there will be a 10-minute, closed-note, multiple choice quiz #9 on The Wire, Season 2, episodes 6-8 at the start of next class.
CLASS 8: 11/16 or 11/17:
in class: quiz #9
assigned writing due 11/31 or 12/01 by class time: rough script for final project (hw 9)
assigned viewing due 11/31 or 12/01 by class time: The Wire, Season 2, Episodes 9 & 10
quiz prep due 11/31 or 12/01 five-minute quiz #10 on Episodes 9 &10
NO CLASS ON 11/19, 11/23, and 11/24
EXTRA CREDIT DUE 11/30 or 12/01 (see here; be sure to set aside 7 – 11 hours to do)
CLASS 9: 11/31 or 12/01
in class: quiz #10
assigned writing due 12/20: final video project due 12/20 at 11:59 PM; this submission will be BOTH the “annotated script” and a link to the final youtube video of your animation. See here
CLASS 10: 12/07 or 12/08
Bring laptops to class (or rent one from JJ for the period). Group project work day.
