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HIST243
Class and Labor in the United States: 1890s-1990s
HIST243 FA
Crosslistings: AMST223
Photo Caption and Credits
Fall 96 Availability (Last Updated on Thu Apr 17 05:01:13 EDT 1997
)
Section Limit Enrollment Available
01 35 0 35
Class, class conflict and working-class life are seldom
discussed in the United States. We will begin by asking why
that is so and then explore topics such as the lives of
immigrant laborers, in particular Slavic immigrants in early
20th century and Chinese immigrants in New York in recent
years; the AFL and the CIO, their nature and evolution; the
relationships between middle-class reformers and labor; the
re-structuring of work in factories and offices; the
relationship of socialism and, later, communism to labor;
the lives of Black workers, with special attention to the
World War I migration from south to north and life in
northern cities during and after the Second World War;
working-class standards of living; the evolution of women's
work; and business attitudes toward organized labor.
MAJOR READINGS
(Subject to change)
Thomas Bell, OUT OF THIS FURNACE (1941)
American Social History Project, WHO BUILT AMERICA? WORKING
PEOPLE AND THE NATION'S ECONOMY, POLITICS, CULTURE, AND
SOCIETY, VOL. TWO: FROM THE GILDED AGE TO THE PRESENT (1992)
Benjamin DeMott, THE IMPERIAL MIDDLE: WHY AMERICANS CAN'T
THINK STRAIGHT ABOUT CLASS (1992)
Milkman, Ruth, ed., WOMEN, WORK AND PROTEST
Nick Salvatore, EUGENE V. DEBS: CITIZEN AND SOCIALIST
Alice and Staughton Lynd, RANK AND FILE: PERSONAL HISTORIES
OF WORKING-CLASS ORGANIZERS
Connie Porter, ALL-BRIGHT COURST (1991) - a novel.
Martin Levitt, CONFESSIONS OF A UNION BUSTER (1993)
Peter Kwong, THE NEW CHINATOWN (1987)
In addition, we will be using many documents.
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Three essays (5-7 pp each),
and one-page assignments.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
Previous work in
20th-century history, if not U.S. history then the history
of other lands, labor economics, economic history, or
introductory classes in government or sociology are strongly
recommended. I would very much like to have students with
experience outside of school.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class
meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to
the first class, they will be dropped from the class list.
NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form
to the Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Lecture
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level: UG Credit: 1.00
Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS HIST
Prerequisites:
None
- Section 01
- Schatz, R
- Times: M.W.... 1:10PM;
- Grading Mode: A/F
- Registration Preference (1 high to 6 low, 0=Excluded) Sr: 1, Jr: 1, So: 2, Fr: 0
- Major Preference Given
Last Updated on MAR-10-1997
About the Photo:
Reference:
Adamson, Madeleine and Seth Borgos. THIS MIGHTY
DREAM: SOCIAL PROTEST MOVEMENTS IN THE
UNITED STATES. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984
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