Author: Frank Johnson
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 12:28:21 GMT-6
I appreciate Robert Pace's concern about balancing course reading content with financial constraints. I, too, wrestled with how to get the most for the least in my survey. In preparing variations on my reading list, I couldn't help but notice that the textbook was the financial culprit. I threw caution--and the text I was then using--to the wind. The results were dramatic. Students loved it.
Previously I had used A People and a Nation. This proved problematic for several reasons. Most importantly, students couldn't manage the material: not because it was poorly arranged, but because of their very underdeveloped analytical skills. Quite simply, they had no clue as to how one reads a book--esp. a textbook. Given the fact that I make no attempt to present an inclusive survey, I decided to add a greater variety of readings to my course. This allowed me to teach critical thinking through basic skill development. The drawback was that students had to be present at every lecture to get the notes and participate in discussions. :) Actually, many struggled to take accurate notes. Most thought I was joking when I said they could come to my office any time and, together, we would go over my notes. Just a few took my up on this. These interchanges are best reserved for a separate post, but I was thrilled to actually see the light bulb turn on for some of these kids.
My reading list included:
Stewart, Letters of a Woman Homesteader
Peretti, Creation of Jazz
Brinkley, Washington Goes to War
Caputo, Rumor of War
Wills, Reagan's America
Students also had a very brief coursepack of primary documents to stimulate discussions in their recitations sections. I found this is a very manageable reading load, especially over a span of 15 weeks. The total cost of the readings was approximately $50. It turns out that students found the Wills book too much at the end. I no longer include this work (dropping the price another $10 or so).
I will be teaching the first half of the survey for the first time this summer and would welcome suggestions for a reading list. All must be paper and must not excede $50 total. I am leaning towards J.R. Jeffry's new biography of Narcissa Whitman as one selection (I believe the title is Converting the West).
Thanks in advance,
Frank E. Johnson
Author: tkaminsk@uwspmail.uwsp.edu
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 12:01:42 GMT-6
Abandoning a text for the survey is something that I think a lot about and is something to aspire to. But like Stephanie and some others I am concerned that I can't cover enough material in lectures and that students need the text for reference. Putting copies on Reserve is a logical alternative, at least from our perspective, but few students ever take the initiative to walk all the way over to the library just to read a history textbook. On the other hand, judging by the performance of some students on exams, they don't read the text even when it is assigned. So again, we can only do our best and make a decision that is right for our own particular teaching style.
But another topic that has come up consistently with this thread is that existing textbooks do not meet the needs of either the students or the professors. Instead of the mammoth and intricate texts, instructors are looking at brief editions (as am I) or loose-leaf formats. The question is: do publishers know this and is there anything new being developed?
Theresa Kaminski
Dept. of History
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Oh, the weather outside is frightful..........
Author: Cora Greer
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 17:03:43 GMT-6
I am going to go against the tide and weigh in on the side of textbooks. I cannot imagine teaching a survey course in US History without a text for back up. The text provides students with both another interpretation [a class or two on how textbook interpretations affect attitudes can be very interesting.] and the opportunity to see the full sweep of the nation's history. In class, and in specific readings, I focus on particular topics. The textbook allows students, who generally have no sense of time or place, to put events and issues in context. Keep in mind too, most students do not attend every class and need a text to help them go over materials covered when they were not on the scene. Finally, a good text can also serve students as a reference book long after the class is over. The two texts recently I have found both readable and useful are the short Garraty and Burnhard et. al., Firsthand America.
Cora Coggins Greer
University of Maine, Machias
Author: peter c holloran
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 15:59:16 GMT-6
Frank Johnson has made a very interesting suggestion about teaching the survey without a text book. I also use A People and a Nation but find it too difficult for many of my freshmen. However, for ten years I taught a similar course, Introduction to American Studies (for which there is no useful text book in print) without a text and it worked quite well. Next time i may try teaching the US History survey without the text, I don't see why it could not work just as well. I would be interested in hear from any who have tried this.
Peter Holloran, Mount Ida College,
pch@world.std.com
Author: Stephanie Cole
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 16:06:49 GMT-6
I admire those who, like Frank Johnson, can give lectures which are both complete and accurate enough to compensate for a textbook. I, however, shy away from such an endeavor because of the responsibility it entails on my part, let alone the students. (By this I don't mean to suggest I have to explain everything, but rather that I'm not sure I fully explain to the satisfaction of everyone those trends and episodes I have decided are important. So I like the fact that they have another viewpoint and explanation source.) I wonder if it might help to at least put a couple copies of your texts on reserve at the library for students who might want to fill in details they missed or learn more about a particular incident? This would also help those too shy or busy to make it to your office hours.
As far as suggestions for the first half of the survey, I've had good luck with Boyer & Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed, White, Ar'n't I a Woman? and Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglas, though students sometimes have problems with the Salem book. You might also check the H-Survey archives for other possibilities.
Stephanie Cole
New Mexico State University
Author: "J. Douglas Deal"
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 16:08:27 GMT-6
Bravo, Frank Johnson! I haven't quite mustered the courage to do the same. I still use a text, a good, concise one, I think (Thernstrom, A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE), but I have also observed that students are often mystified by the "full-size, full-color" alternatives. They have a hard enough time with an ordinary book, let alone a multi-purpose mega-book (text authors, don't get me wrong: I appreciate the enormity of the tasks you face, and I admire your many accomplishments). So, I devote more and more time these days to supplementary books, as the basis of discussion and short papers. Some that I've used (or will use) for the first half of the survey: William Cronon, CHANGES IN THE LAND; Nancy Cott, BONDS OF WOMANHOOD; Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, GOOD WIVES; various collections of Federalist and Antifederalist writings; Anthony F.C. Wallace, THE LONG, BITTER TRAIL; Frederick Douglass's NARRATIVE; James McPherson, WHAT THEY FOUGHT FOR. Not all of the above makes for easy reading, but somehow it seems to work better than the bigger, longer texts.
Doug Deal
History/SUNY-Oswego
Author: Kenn Hermann
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 1995 06:59:21 GMT-6
I second the suggestion for putting texts on reserve. After all, what could be a better use for all of those exam copies we have cluttering up our studies--unless we used them in a strenuous work-out regimen.
Kenn Hermann
khermann@dordt.edu
Author: James Williams
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 1995 07:02:53 GMT-6
I have tried teaching U.S. survey without a text, and while a number of students enjoyed reading monographs, novels, and such, class discussion and exam papers revealed that most students lacked basic knowledge and the sense of some continuing thread. Consequently, I recommended a short survey (Sellers, Synopsis of American History) for students who felt they needed more background, and I indicated the appropriate page numbers in Sellers for each week in the syllabus. This seemed to solve the problem for all but the students who had no initiative whatsoever.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
James C. Williams Mailing address, phone, & email: California History Center 20010-C Rodrigues Avenue De Anza College Cupertino CA 95014 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard (408) 366-1342
Cupertino CA 95014
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Author: LIBSPBMK@vaxc.hofstra.edu
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 1995 12:55:05 GMT-6
I have found that most texts are not helpful for today's students. This appears to be due to two factors operating simultaneously: the students have not been prepared with a basic understanding of the events of American history, and, the texts are being structured with two competing goals -- cost effective- ness and inclusivity.
As a result, unless you already know what you are about to read, and are seeking only to be reminded, the texts will tell you nothing -- somewhat akin to reading a manual for a PC or its software. That is, they are written by those who know the material already, and are reviewed and edited by the same type. As a result the books tend to skim a surface outlining events and people, rather than informing and/or explaining in enough depth to reach the novice.
This problem is compounded by the attempt to include a much wider number of social groups, while simultaneously keeping the finished product affordable/marketable. I would still kill for a text which was available in chapter sections, perhaps in looseleaf format, so that I could only order that which I would want to cover in the course. A solidly written text, sold in chapter form, would, I believe, allow for more thorough coverage of each issue/event, while not being outrageously expensive for the students to purchase. It seems to me that it would also be cost effective for the publishers, since the entire text would not have to be reproduced every time a particular section required updating.
Although I do put several texts on reserve [and find that they are rarely, if ever, consulted], I rely heavily on two formats to get me through.
The first is that I treat the course thematically, rather than attempt to be 'complete'. I use monographs plus two excellent surveys: After The Fact and The Social Fabric which allows for common readings on the selected themes.
The second is that I divide the monograph readings among groups, each of which is responsible not only for a term paper based on its particular assignment, but also for an oral report [cooperative within the group] which prepares the rest of the class for a related question on the final test. So, for example, I use Boyer and Nissenbaum's Salem Possessed and might include among the final questions one or more on economic determinism as a factor in the accusations at Salem. I also pair up my students and have them proofread each others' papers as a means of enforcing a second draft before I have to read the papers. By making sure that they are proofing a paper on a book they did not read, I give them a chance to gain some more information about the issues they did not cover in depth.
I console myself by realizing that that which took over 500 years to enfold not to mention the millions of players involved] CANNOT be covered in 42 class hours, no matter what I do, read, assign or threaten. So I strive to cover those issues which are of major significance and which are of the greatest interest, either inherently or because they have practical, contemporary application. I count on the interest level to seduce the student into wanting to read more later [it has been shown that when an historical film runs on TV, there is an immediate rise in the sale of books related to the same issue].
I also count on the fact that if their interest is sufficiently raised, I will not be the only history teacher they encounter during their college careers.
Barbara Kelly
Hofstra University
LIBSPBMK@VAXC.HOFSTRA.EDU
Author: Stephen Piscitelli 646-2224
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 1995 12:58:18 GMT-6
regarding a textless class--
i will be attempting a survey class next term without a traditional textbook. i have opted for 3 document books (short) and one volume with opposing historical essays. i hope this will inject some excitement into the lives of my students!
steve piscitelli
fccj
piscits@mail.firn.edu
Author: Frank Johnson
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 1995 12:57:18 GMT-6
I wanted to add a postscript to my earlier note. Having thrown out my text, I decided I should in fact put it on reserve. I retrieved the textbook off the sidewalk and deposited it in assigned reading at the library. I announced several times that such a resource was available to students. Would you believe that not a single student (out of 200) used it. This is not to imply that my lectures wrap everything into neat packages, complete with bows and ribbon. Believe me, I have my share of students who write down every word, even silly anecdotes. Instead, I have found that most students welcome the challenge of making the connections between issues, ideas, and events.
This gets to the need for an additional, i. e. outside, perspective. While I appreciate Stephanie Cole's point here, I maintain that too much confuses as often as it clarifies. At our first meeting I explain to the class that they must filter me out of the material they are about to engage. I go on to explain how and why--basically some variation on the theme of my growing up in a redneck town whose sole cultural attraction was a bar that served deep-fat fried chicken gizzards. I would rather, remember this is a survey, that my class realize that differences of interpretation define this business. I require students to bring to bear any "expertise" they might have on a subject. Especially when discussing readings, I prod students until they admit they know what they are talking about (and if they can't they come better prepared next time). Thus, I attempt to practice the craft with the class while teaching it. I hope that makes sense. What better way to hook prospective majors than to demonstrate what we do.
Please don't mistake my quibbles as an anti-text bias (although exam-copy aerobics has considerable appeal). I find it more difficult to teach with a text than without one. If anything, I celebrate the diversity of teaching styles. There simply is no "right" way to teach. I expect my current misgivings about textbooks will come back to haunt me as I hope to write a text and document reader on the Midwest in the near future.
What we are really talking about here is the process of information transmission and the subsequent need to involve students in that material. I think it might be beneficial to talk about strategies for the same.
Happy Holidays,
Frank E. Johnson
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