Course Syllabus

Contact: Beth Fowler, Ph.D.                                      Meeting Time: MW 11:30-12:45                            

STEM Building 0024                                                  Office Hours: By Appointment

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers                                            Email: bfowler@wayne.edu   

Welcome! This first-year undergraduate seminar is designed to introduce students to comparative studies of the Cold War, global freedom movements, and the U.S. civil rights movement, particularly through the lens of rock and roll music and other forms of American popular culture. The mid-twentieth century was marked by an explosion in communication technology, as well as a new global awareness informed by Cold War efforts to gain influence over decolonizing nations in Africa and Asia. The civil rights movement broadened to include Europe, Africa, and Asia during this period, and tied African Americans to people living in Africa and Asia living under colonial or neo-colonial rule. Black Americans fought for the independence of all peoples of colour from white rule, sometimes identifying themselves as colonial subjects of a country which was not truly theirs. Many argued for the creation of a global citizenship where the rights of all peoples of the world are respected, not just those who are supposed to be assured of democracy within American boundaries, although people in other parts of the world often rejected these connections.

At the same time, U.S. popular culture was spreading around the world as communication technologies improved, American products were sold to foreign markets, and U.S. military bases expanded. This created a dialogue between the U.S. black freedom movement and global decolonization movements, shaped partially by consumer enthusiasm for American music and popular culture. This link was recognized by both mainstream and African American news outlets in the United States, and helped to re-shape the movement for many activists, who began to see a global or ‘wide’ struggle emerging, rather than simply a conflict that was confined to the American South.

This class will look at how Cold War and civil rights struggles were internationalized to include comparisons to race relations in Europe, Africa, and Asia, and conceptions of other nations as spaces for African Americans to freely practice their citizenship, all of which helped to shape the freedom movement in the United States. It will also look at how rock and roll music and other cultural entities influenced this dialogue.

Course documents will consist of recent scholarship in the field, popular and news pieces, excerpts from a free online textbook, and two films: “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten” and “Depeche Mode is My Hobby.” Students will gain a greater understanding of how the Cold War and civil rights movement extended beyond American borders and prompted activists to think in broader terms about what it meant to be free, as well as the impact of rock and roll music and other forms of popular culture on these exchanges.

Learning Outcomes 

• Describe the artistic and cultural form of rock and roll and other types of popular culture (Cultural Inquiry). 
  Students will be able to describe the creation of rock and roll and other types of popular culture as an art form as well as a consumer product. They will be able to identify defining characteristics, and show how people in both the U.S. and other countries were able to find political and social meaning in popular culture.

• Describe the behaviors, practices, institutions of social movements that use or react to rock and roll and American popular culture (Social Inquiry). 
  Students will discuss the foundations of the Cold War, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, and global Third Worldist movements, and show how rock and roll and U.S. popular culture was re-shaped in order to support these movements and challenge American hegemony.

• Identify and define basic concepts in artistic or humanistic analysis (Cultural Inquiry).
  Students will listen to rock and roll music and examine pieces of American popular culture from this period. They will then show how these pieces helped to shape new and often resistant political and social identities in different parts of the world.

• Identify and define basic concepts in social analysis (Social Inquiry). 
  Students will identify and define shifts in racial and national identities during the post-World War Two period in response to decolonization movements and the beginning of the Cold War. They will explain how these identities were reflected through the use and adaptation of U.S. popular culture between the 1940s and 1990s.

• Analyze artistic practices, cultural forms and social interactions (Cultural Inquiry and Social Inquiry). 
  Students will integrate classroom lessons with specific cultural artifacts by writing a research paper and illustrating its findings through an Omeka online digital collection exhibit that analyzes music and song lyrics, fashion, dance moves, films, advertisements, and other aspects of American popular culture, with regard to social and political movements in a particular country outside of the United States.

• Express understanding through effective use of written and spoken arguments and multimedia presentation.
  Students will engage in persuasive presentations, participate in spirited classroom debates, write articulate, well-organized and well-researched papers, and create vibrant exhibits in online multi-media platforms.

• Engage in dialogue with classmates, experts and members of the community.
  Students will work together with classmates on group projects, consult subject-matter experts and archivists at Wayne State, and go beyond campus boundaries to record the experiences of participants in social movements and consider works of art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. 

Course Expectations

The course will largely function as a seminar, and I expect you to actively participate in class discussions. This is not a lecture course. While I will occasionally deliver brief lectures to orient you to the materials or to offer a perspective absent from our readings, my role in this course is to facilitate lively conversations, through which you will together determine what is important and meaningful in the texts. Classes will include discussion activities, writing and comprehension exercises, digital work, and group activities to clarify some of the material introduced in lecture. Make sure that you complete all assigned readings before class—it will become immediately apparent if you skip this step! These discussions will comprise your participation grade, so make sure that you come to our meeting prepared each week.

Remote Learning

This year is obviously going to differ from most! We will start the semester online, and hopefully return to in-person learning on February 1. Online learning has its perks, like a lack of a commute, but it also holds special challenges. We are all learning about this together, and we will make mistakes along the way, but let's do our best to fulfill our responsibilities, identify any issues we might have, and communicate them as soon as possible!

These classes will be held via Zoom. You may access the link for each live meeting under the "Zoom" tab on our Canvas site. If you are not familiar with Zoom, training is available on that page, by clicking the link in the upper-right-hand corner. We will also run through some of the features we will be using most frequently during our first meeting.

Each week, you will see a message about this week's Zoom meeting on the home page, under the "Weekly Classes'" header. This message will briefly explain what we will be looking during our meeting, and will include any directions or information you should know before class. You will also be able to find each week's PowerPoint slides under this header.

Some weeks will feature discussion questions, which will be posted under "Discussions" in the column to your left. These will almost always be optional, but responses will count towards your participation grade. Make sure to check now for our first discussion thread!

Participation & Attendance

Seminar discussions and breakout room group activities are intended to help you understand the assigned readings and relate them to course themes. Class participation grades reflect your engagement with the course, which include remaining attentive and actively participating in class discussions and activities. Active participation means coming to our meetings prepared to  discuss the main arguments of the readings, pose questions about the texts, make meaningful connections between readings and course themes, and between current readings and past readings, and, on occasion, to lead discussions. It also means listening and responding respectfully to me and to your classmates, and making comments that are relevant to the subject matter and assigned readings. It does not mean that you will get an A for simply saying something in every class meeting or for talking about subjects that are only tangentially related to the course. In sum, I will assess you on the quality and consistency of your overall contributions to the scholarly environment of the class.

Our meetings will be discussion-based rather than lectures. You may participate in class discussions either by unmuting your microphone and simply talking, or by using the chat function. Both types of responses will be considered fulfillment of your participation grade. In order to use both functions, make sure that you click "Computer Audio" in your Zoom profile so that everyone is able to hear you when you unmute your microphone, and double-click on the Chat icon at the bottom of the screen to open the chat bar. We will go over these tasks during our first meeting as well.

Video calls are new for many of us, and I understand if some of you are uncomfortable turning on your video camera. If you have a personal or medical reason for keeping your camera off, or if you find looking at many faces distracting, you are welcome to keep the camera off. It can sometimes be difficult to fully engage in online meetings when your camera is not turned on, however, so please try to make the decision that is best for your own learning purposes. It can be easy to try to multi-task or to focus on other things when your camera is off, so keep that in mind when you make your decision about cameras!

Due to the nature of online learning, we are going to rely more on active participation—unmuting your microphone to speak or using the chat function—than would be necessary in face-to-face meetings. When we meet in person, I am able to see who is paying attention and thinking about what others are saying, engaging in group work, writing notes, or contributing to digital activities. Since this becomes either difficult or impossible when meeting online, I am going to ask that everyone participate by either unmuting their microphone or using the chat function more than usual.

In order to make sure that everyone comes to class prepared to discuss the readings and major themes, I may ask you to prepare questions, write posts, or find images or videos online based on the reading assignments, and post them to the Discussion Board on Canvas. I will often begin class by presenting these discussions so that we can further talk about what everyone wrote or found during class time.

Each week, you will receive a grade out of 5 for a class discussion or assignment. At the end of the semester, these grades will be added up so that you receive a participation grade out of 25. Your two lowest grades will be dropped from the final calculation.

I will take attendance each class meeting as you log into Zoom. Make sure that your name is visible as your screen name at first, even if I ask you to change it later for an activity! You do not receive a separate grade for attendance, but it will be factored into your participation grade.

If you face medical or family difficulties given the current pandemic situation and need to miss more than two or three classes, please contact me, and we will work out a way for you to get your participation points in. 

E-Mail Correspondence & Office Hours

Make sure that you have access to your Wayne State University email account. If you do not regularly check this account, please make arrangements to have messages forwarded to an account that you do check. This is the only way I have to communicate with you via email, so please make sure that you are able to receive all messages. This will be especially important during this remote semester, when all announcements made outside of our weekly meetings will be emailed to you via Canvas!

Please email me at bfowler@wayne.edu if you have any questions.  I will make every effort to respond within 48 hours between 9 a.m. Monday and 5 p.m. Friday (please be advised that I may not check my email on the weekends). If you do not receive a response or an out-of-office reply from me during that time frame, please follow up with another email or in person. Please use your WSU email address when you email me; I cannot guarantee that I will receive or respond to non-WSU email addresses. 

Please practice professionalism in your email communication, and when chatting on Zoom with others in our class meetings. Remember that the person receiving your message is someone like you, someone who deserves and appreciates courtesy and respect. Be brief. Succinct, thoughtful messages have the greatest impact. Your messages reflect on YOU. Take time to make sure that you are proud of your content. Think about to whom you are responding and the relevance of your messages. Be careful with humor and sarcasm; without the voice inflections and body language of face-to-face communication, internet messages can be easily misinterpreted. When making follow-up comments, summarize the parts of the message to which you are responding. Avoid repeating what has already been said. Needless repetition is ineffective communication. When sending an email, include a subject in the “subject” line, a greeting, an indication of the class you are in, and your name at the end of the message. 

Office hours will also be held remotely on Zoom until further notice. I will be available after our class ends--simply send me a message that you would like to continue talking, and we can "meet" in a Zoom breakout room. If you are not free after our class, please let me know, and we can schedule another day and time to meet via Zoom.

If you would like to discuss a grade, please make come to office hours, or otherwise make an appointment to speak with me via Zoom. I will not discuss grades via email. If you feel that I have made a grading error, please prepare a written explanation of why you think your work was improperly graded, and email it to me with the original paper or exam before we meet on Zoom. Please submit all grade disputes within one week of the date the paper or exam was returned to the class. A grade dispute will trigger a review of the entire paper or exam, and may result in no grade change, a lowered grade, or an increased grade.

Class Etiquette

• I will gladly honour your request to address you by an alternate/preferred name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester, either in person or through email. 
• In order to fully engage with this class, you will need a desktop or laptop computer or a tablet with access to a microphone and, preferably, a webcam. You will also need reliable internet access. If you do not have access to any of these technical requirements, please contact the Department of Student Operations at doso@wayne.edu or (313) 577-1010 for assistance. 
• I know it will be tempting to look at your phone or other sites when we are meeting online, but it is difficult to fully engage with class when that is not your focus. I advise you to avoid browsing social media, texting, or looking at other sites when we are holding weekly meetings. Your engagement will be obvious to me and to other students, and will result in higher participation grades! (As well as your getting the most out of this class...)
• This can be difficult on video calls given lag times, but try not to talk while others (the instructor or your peers) are talking in class.  We will all make mistakes, but try to be as courteous as possible!
• Use the thumbs up or clapping emoji when you really agree with something that someone else says during our meeting!

• Please make an effort to be on time for class. If this happens once or twice, please quietly take a seat, and delve into the class as quickly as possible. But do not make a habit of being late. Habitual lateness will significantly affect your grade.

• Please turn your phone to silent during class. You may be asked to use your phone for digital activities in class, but otherwise refrain from checking your phone—be respectful of your instructor and classmates!

• Similarly, please bring your laptops and tablets to class to participate in digital activities, but refrain from using your laptops to shop, check Instagram, etc. during lectures.
• Please do not talk while others (the instructor or your peers) are talking in class. This is distracting and just plain rude, so please be courteous to the instructor and your fellow students. 

Drop/Withdrawal Dates

Last day to add courses: MONDAY JANUARY 24

Last day to drop courses with full tuition refund: MONDAY JANUARY 24

Last day to withdraw from courses: SUNDAY MARCH 27

In the first two weeks of the (full) term, students can drop this class and receive 100% tuition and course fee cancellation. After the end of the second week there is no tuition or fee cancellation. Students who wish to withdraw from the class can initiate a withdrawal request on Academica. You will receive a transcript notation of WP (passing), WF (failing), or WN (no graded work) at the time of withdrawal. No withdrawals can be initiated after the end of the tenth week. Students enrolled in the 10th week and beyond will receive a grade. Because withdrawing from courses may have negative academic and financial consequences, students considering course withdrawal should make sure they fully understand all the consequences before taking this step. More information on this can be found at: https://reg.wayne.edu/students/information#droppingLinks to an external site.

Assignments 

We will go over essay writing strategies prior to assignment deadlines. Class meetings are also where you should ask questions about assignments—if you have questions about something, chances are that other students do as well. If you make an office appointment, I will also look over essay ideas and outlines, and will comment briefly on them, but will not mark them fully. Please do not email paper drafts. 

All papers must be typed, double-spaced, with 1” margins and composed in 12-point Times New Roman font (or similar). Cite all evidence per the Chicago Manual of Style or MLA style. Include a works cited page or bibliography. Please underline or highlight your thesis statement, and include any pertinent images when submitting your paper.

You MUST upload your paper to Canvas by 5:30 pm on the due date. Any papers handed in  after the 5:30 pm deadline on that date will be considered late. Please consult me as soon as possible if you have difficulty uploading your paper to Canvas—do not wait until the following day to tell me that you had problems with this! Essays will be marked and returned to you within 1-2 weeks of the due date.

Please read over paper due dates early in the semester, and mark them in your calendars so that you have enough time to submit them by the due date. If you encounter serious extenuating circumstances that will make it difficult or impossible for you to submit your paper by the due date, please contact me as soon as possible. There may be a penalty depending on the circumstances or how late your submission, but I will not accept any late papers unless you contact me first. Please note that too many other assignments/exams due that week or inadequate planning will not be accepted as reasons for late submissions, so please plan accordingly.

Papers are intended to help you develop your analytical skills, learn to craft a historically grounded argument, and improve your writing. All writing assignments will be graded on content, the strength of your argument, evidentiary support, and grammar: I expect perfect spelling, complete sentences, healthy paragraphs, thesis statements, topic sentences etc. While this is not an English class, the clarity and sophistication of your writing are essential to communicating clear and sophisticated ideas. It does not matter how good your argument is, if you cannot communicate it clearly in writing, no one will know or care.

Research Paper

 January 31—Research Topic Due (5 points)

Write a brief description (no more than one page) of your topic. You should be prepared to answer ONE of the following questions:

• How did people in a particular country use U.S. popular culture to shape new social or political identities for themselves, or to frame social or political movements in their nation?
• How did African Americans use U.S. and/or global popular culture to define themselves as “colonized” people within the United States?

February 28—Prospectus Due (10 points)

Your 2-page prospectus should include the following components: a working title, a brief description of your topic, a provisional thesis statement that answers the research question, an outline of the major points you will address, and an annotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Include an explanation of which digital platform you will be using to present your research, and how you will present your findings. Late submissions must be submitted before I will accept your Abstract and Outline.

March 28—Abstract and Outline Due (15 points)

Write a 150-250 word abstract and a detailed outline of both your written essay and your digital project, which should include a revised thesis statement and demonstrate the structure of your paper and your argument, as well as indicate which sources you will use to provide evidence for each of your major points. You should also provide a brief outline of what your digital project will look like, and the progress you have made on this exhibit. Late submissions must be submitted before I will accept your Final Paper.

April 27—Final Paper Due (25 points)

 The research paper will draw on a variety of primary and secondary sources, as well as class readings, lectures, and discussions, resulting in an 8-10 page essay. Essay template to follow in class.

Digital Research Exhibit (15 points)

This paper will also include a digital component. Students will use Omeka or StoryMaps to create an online exhibit based on the research and analysis conducted for your final paper, but you will prepare new text and add images and multimedia (video, music, social media elements). Readings and examples of other online exhibits will be assigned on March 9, where we will devote the class to discussing digital projects, assessing different platforms, and learning how to build our own exhibits. Part of your assignment is to investigate other online exhibits to get ideas about what works, what does not, and how to design a visually appealing product.

When you finish your site, make sure that others are able to post comments. Please let me know if you have questions about how to do so. Everyone will upload their Omeka URL to Canvas and to a Google doc, which will be visible to everyone else in the class. Due date is April 18.

You must view and comment on at least 6 other exhibits by April 22 to receive your presentation grade. Be kind yet critical! Obviously harsh or unkind comments will be unwelcome, and will hurt your grade significantly. But I am also looking for more than just "Great job!" Focus on what the person did well, and why you think it was effective. But also think about questions that you have about the exhibit, and how the person may go further in answering these questions through their exhibit. Your comments on other students’ exhibits will be worth 5 points.

Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism & Cheating 

Academic misconduct is any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the institution or undermine the education process. Examples of academic misconduct include:

• Plagiarism: To take and use another's words or ideas as your own without appropriate referencing or citation.
• Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use or intentionally providing unauthorized materials, information or assistance in any academic exercise. This includes copying from another student's test paper, allowing another student to copy from your test, using unauthorized material during an exam and submitting a term paper for a current class that has been submitted in a past class without appropriate permission.
• Fabrication: Intentional or unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation, such as knowingly attributing citations to the wrong source or listing a fake reference in the paper or bibliography.
• Other: Selling, buying or stealing all or part of a test or term paper, unauthorized use of resources, enlisting in the assistance of a substitute when taking exams, destroying another's work, threatening or exploiting students or instructors, or any other violation of course rules as contained in the course syllabus or other written information.

Such activity may result in failure of a specific assignment, an entire course, or, if flagrant, dismissal from Wayne State University. https://doso.wayne.edu/conduct/academic-misconduct

We will also review what constitutes plagiarism before the first paper is due. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please contact me before the assignment is due; it is better to be safe than sorry! If an assignment is found to be plagiarized then the student will receive a 0 on the assignment. The Instructor will not sign off on a withdrawal form for any student under review for, or guilty of, plagiarism.  The professor reserves the option to pursue further sanctions.

If you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism, please consult the instructor before you hand in your assignment. By the time you hand your paper in, I will assume that you understand what constitutes plagiarism, as well as the consequences of handing in a plagiarized paper.

Required Readings

All materials will be posted to Canvas. We will also be reading sections from the OpenStax U.S. History textbook, which is available free of charge at this link (the link is also posted to Canvas):

https://openstax.org/details/books/us-history

 Grading Scale

94-100% A                                                                                                                  73-76% C

90-93% A-                                                                                                                   70-72% C-

87-89% B+                                                                                                                  67-69% D+

83-86% B                                                                                                                    63-69% D

80-82% B-                                                                                                                   60-62% D-

77-79% C+                                                                                                                 0-60%     F

 Grading and Due Dates

Participation, In-Class Assignments, and Canvas Discussion—25 percent, or 250 points 

Research Topic—5 percent, or 50 points                                                       JANUARY 31

Prospectus—10 percent, or 100 points                                                          FEBRUARY 28

Abstract and Outline—15 percent, or 150 points                                           MARCH 28

Digital Exhibit—15 percent, or 150 points                                                      APRIL 18

Exhibit Comments—5 percent, or 50 points                                                   APRIL 22

Final Paper—25 percent, or 250 points                                                          APRIL 27

 Please Note: All papers must be completed by the last day of class. Failure to complete any of the papers may result in a failing grade. 

Religious Holidays

 Because of the extraordinary variety of religious affiliations of the University student body and staff, the Academic Calendar makes no provisions for religious holidays. However, it is University policy to respect the faith and religious obligations of the individual. Students with classes or examinations that conflict with their religious observances are expected to notify their instructors well in advance so that mutually agreeable alternatives may be worked out.

Student Disabilities Services

In response to COVID-19 and with a commitment to the safety of our students and staff,
Student Disability Services will continue to provide academic support and access to students with disabilities virtually. Please visit our website to learn more about services
www.studentdisability.wayne.edu

If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with Student Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The
Student Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the Student Academic Success Services department. However, during the fall 2020 semester SDS will only be delivering services remotely. The SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 (main number) or 313-202-4216 for videophone use. Please continue to use these numbers as SDS is still receiving calls. Once you have your accommodations in place, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my office hours to discuss your special needs. Student Disability Services’ mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University. You can learn more about the disability office at
www.studentdisability.wayne.edu

To register with Student Disability Services, complete the online registration form at:
https://wayne-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

It is quite common for college students to experience mental health challenges, such as stress, anxiety and depression, that interfere with academic performance and negatively impact daily life. Help is available for any currently enrolled WSU student who is struggling with a mental health difficulty, at WSU Counseling and Psychological Services. (313 577-3398). Other options, for students and non-students, include the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic. and the Mental Health and Wellness Clinic , both in the WSU College of Education. Services at all clinics are free and confidential. Remember that getting help, before stress reaches a crisis point, is a smart and courageous thing to do – for yourself, and for those you care about. Also, know that the WSU Police Department (313 577-2222) has personnel trained to respond sensitively to mental health emergencies at all hours.

Other Student Services

The Academic Success Center (1600 Undergraduate Library) assists students with content in select courses and in strengthening study skills. Visit success.wayne.edu for schedules and information on study skills workshops, tutoring and supplemental instruction (primarily in 1000 and 2000 level courses).

• The Writing Research and Technology Zone is located on the 2nd floor of the Undergraduate Library and provides individual tutoring consultations free of charge. Visit http://clasweb.clas.wayne.edu/writing to obtain information on tutors, appointments, and the type of help they can provide.
• Library research assistance: Working on a research assignment, paper or project? Trying to figure out how to collect, organize and cite your sources? Wayne State librarians provide oncampus or online personalized help. Contact them at: https://library.wayne.edu/forms/consultation_request.php. Clayton Hayes, our Honors College librarian, may also be reached at as6348@wayne.edu