History 346  The Gilded Age

Roger Williams University

GHH 106

M, Th  3:30 - 4:50

Spring Semester, 2010

Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph. D.

Office:  GHH 215

Hours:  MWF, 1:00-2:00 T, 9:00 - 10:00

Phone:  254-3230

E-mail:  hist346gildedage@gmail.com

Index

For Tuesday, March 2

No New Readings.  I think the length of the two Carnegie Videos will leave us short of time to discuss the changes in work about which both Schlereth and Chambers wrote in the chapters I assigned for the week of February 23.  So review those readings and come prepared to give them a thorough discussion.

Come prepared, too, to introduce your character in brief.  Here’s what you’ll need for yourself:

Yourself in 1876

• Name: 
  

• Gender
  

• Date of Birth (remember you need to be at least 10 in 1876)–Use the historic calendar to make this day “real”–a day of the week as well as a simple day, month, and year.
  

• Ethnicity:
  

• Place of Birth:
  

• Place of Residence in 1876–(if different)I
  

• Immigration Status (old family? 1st generation, 2nd generation, 3rd generation?)
  

• Occupation (if you’re too young to have one, the occupation of your parent(s)
  

• Education
  

• Religion
  

• Marital Status
  

• If you’re in a treasure hunt mood you can look for picture to represent what you look like c.1876. I browsed aroung the New York Public Library Digital Archives for these.
  

For Friday, March 5

Now all of these save gender are capable of change as the years pass.  But you need a perspective to relate to what we’re beginning to discuss more closely, and I want that anchored just about now.  You can store this in your Blackboard “Storehouse”.

Read, in Chambers,

Chapter 1 “Crisis of the 1890s” pp.  1-24

Chapter 2 “Prelude to the 20th Century” pp.  25 - 53

As you read these chapters, be aware of the typographic devices: headings, sub-headings, and the like.  Decide how the topics described in them are likely to affect you.  Will they effect you directly or indirectly? greatly or to a lesser degree? positively or negatively?  To some extent you’ll be in charge here. As you meditate on the possibilities, focus on the reasonable ones, given the character you’ve created for yourself.  I’ll like to create a cumulative list for the class as a whole, so bring notes with you for this particular discussion.