Course Description: How to reconcile dissent with the will of the majority is a recurring dilemma for any democracy, especially in periods of civil strife and war. Striking parallels exists between the dilemma of the Unionists in Texas during the Civil War and the hard choices faced by those who opposed the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. This class will examine these periods in a cross–disciplinary approach that stresses both history and literature and then apply the insights gained to contemporary situations and confrontations.
This is a University Signature Course.
absences)
• Project A: Everything but the Paper
Description: Students conduct the research for a paper except for writing the final draft. At various times, students are required to turn in 1) their choice of topic; 2) an annotated bibliography; 3) an outline; 4) a thesis statement; 5) an introduction and a conclusion.
Short Syllabus Fall 2015:
Class 1 (TH Aug 27): Introduction to the Course
Class 2 (T Sept 1): The U.S. Constitution
Class 3 (TH Sept 3) Spanish and Colonial Texas
Class 4 (T Sept 8): Republican and Antebellum Texas
Class 5 (TH Sept10): Secession and Texas
Class 6 (T Sept 15): Unionism in Texas, Conscription, and the Gainesville Hangings
Class 7 (TH Sept 17): Cynthia Patterson Dance Troop visits class
Class 8 (T Sept 22): Field Trip to the LBJ Library
Class 9 (TH Sept 24): Germans in Texas; Battle of the Nueces
Class 10 (T Sept 29): Literature of the period: W.A. Trenckmann Die Lateiner am Possum Creek (Role playing class)
Class 11 (TH Oct 1): TEST 1
Class 12 (T Oct 6): Field Trip to the Briscoe Center for American History Studies
Class 13 (TH Oct 8): Historical Background of the Indo-China War
Class 14 (T Oct 13): American Involvement in Vietnam
Class 15 (TH Oct 15): Projects day: rubrics, expectations, etc.
Class 16 (T Oct 20) The Anti-war movement and Vietnam
Class 17 (TH Oct 22): The History of Conscription and the Draft
Class 18 (T Oct 27): The Civil Rights Movement
Class 19 (TH Oct 29): Protest movements in Texas and Austin
Class 20 (T Nov 3): Student discontent and the University of Texas
Class 21 (TH Nov 5): Underground Newspapers: The Rag
Class 22 (T Nov 10): The Music, Art, and Literature of the Movement
Class 23 (TH Nov 12): TEST 2
Class 24 (T Nov 17): Presentation: Researching a Controversy
Class 25 (TH Nov 19): Presentation: Researching a Controversy
Class 26 (T Nov 24) Presentations: All but paper
Class 27 (T Dec 1): Presentations: All but paper
Class 28 (TH Dec 3): Wrap up
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