Introduction

Western culture is pervasive in modern American culture. From cowboys to Hollywood to Environmentalism, the West has become a dominant section of the United States. In this course we will examine the history and culture of the American West, and how it pervades modern culture. We will explore books and films related to the West to discover and analyze these cultural elements. We will explore how the ‘mythological’ West is in many ways more influential than the actual West.

Essential Question

In what ways has the mythological West come to represent American culture as a whole?

Activities

The chief activity of this class will be Socratic seminar. Socratic seminar is a format for discussion based in understanding a particular ‘text’ – which might be a book, a movie, a piece of art, a musical work, or something else. Socratic seminar is a democratic process, where everyone has a chance to speak, and where our learning occurs as a group. Although I remain in charge of the class, it is really the students who lead the discussion. The teacher in this class does not deliver knowledge – it is arrived at through group effort.

As part of our preparation for Socratic seminar, we will be watching films, looking at art work, listening to music, and occasionally reading from books. In addition, students will be assigned books on a regular basis to prepare for discussion. It is crucial that you do the readings and be prepared for discussion, as your not being prepared detracts from the learning that is possible for the whole group. You have a responsibility to yourself and your peers to be prepared for seminar.

In addition to seminar, you will have one other major assignment. This will be an artistic construction that you create that answers the essential question for this class. Your constructions should be multimedia, and may include aspects of sculpture, collage, drawing, video, music, and more. Think of it as a performance piece with multiple layers and aspects. We will discuss this assignment more in class, and brainstorm ideas. This artistic project will serve as your portfolio item for the class.

Some of the planned readings and movies for this class are as follows. This list is subject to change.

Books

 

The Virginian

Wounded Knee

The Place Where Souls Come From

The Ox-Bow Incident

Riders of the Purple Sage

Wanted Dead or Alive: A History of Western Culture

Movies

 

“Shane”

 “A Fistful of Dollars”

“Rustler’s Rhapsody”

“The Magnificent Seven”

“The Searchers”

“Dances With Wolves”

“Unforgiven”

“The West”

“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”

“High Noon”

“Thunderheart”

“The Milagro Beanfield War”

“Incident at Oglala”

Television

 

“Gunsmoke”

“Bonanza”

“The Lone Ranger”

“How the West Was Won”

“The Rifleman”

Points Breakdown

Seminar                                                                        80%

Art Project                                                                   20%

                                                                                    100% Total

The American West

Syllabus

Introduction

Geographically, the American West is a hard place to define, but probably best stated as that region west of the Mississippi, south and west of the Missouri, east of the Pacific Ocean, and north of the Rio Grande. It definitely includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. It probably includes California, Oregon, Washington, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It may include Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alaska, and Hawaii. Whatever the American West is physically, it also has a clear location in our modern mythology. It’s the place where cowboys shoot it out, of wild natural beauty, gold rushes and ghost towns. In this course we will be studying the myriads of perspectives on The American West, in order to synthesize an overview of what it is and how it came to be that way.

Essential Question

What are the common elements of the individual perspectives of Westerners and The American West?

Focus Skill

Appreciate and understand different perspectives.

Class Methods

A key element of instruction in this course is travel. We will actually be going to the American West – not as sightseers, but as students. Our objective is to hear the voices of the West, past and present. We will organize interviews, research sessions, and visits to locations that give voice to the modern day residents as well as the settlers of older days. I have begun the process of organizing this trip, but students are expected to play a central role in developing our plan of action.

Another key element of instruction in this course is research. I have mentioned already that we will be doing research on our trip. We will also be doing research here at home, using the library, museums, and other resources. A great deal of our research will focus on primary sources – interviews, letters, first-hand accounts, and so forth. This is to help us with the next element of the class…

As a class we will be creating our own book. This book, tentatively titled “Faces of the American West”, will consist of portraits of individuals, giving their perspective on the West. Some of these portraits will be based on interviews of modern day people (interviewed both here in Virginia and on our trip). Other portraits will be about historical figures of the West, based on our primary source research. Our object is to make this a quality, publishable book.

In addition, students will be participating in group activities, watching videos, and learning from lectures.

Assignments

Exhibition

The exhibition for this course will have two main elements, one a group project, and the other an individual one. Every exhibition must address the essential question for the course, “What are the common elements of the individual perspectives of Westerners and The American West?” Our group exhibition is the book we are creating “Faces of the American West”. We will be publishing this book – at least to the school, and perhaps on a wider basis, if its quality warrants. As a group, we will lead a seminar on our book for the community to participate in.

As individuals, you will each give a presentation, answering the essential question, and using as your source the book we create. Only information mentioned in the book can be used as evidence for your presentation. Your presentation can take whatever form you like, but will necessarily include primary sources and photographs. You will develop a research question and thesis based in our class essential question. You will use interviews and primary sources to back up your answer to your research question.

To develop this research question and thesis, you will complete several benchmarks as follows.

In preparation for your exhibition, you will write a position paper that lays out and develops your argument in answering the essential question. This will be a paper of about five pages in length that develops at least four main arguments or examples.

In support of your research question and thesis, you will create an analysis based on a comparison of a modern photograph (from our trip) and a historical one. You will discuss what the photographs say about the American West, and what changes are shown.

A crucial part of this course, of our book, and of your individual exhibition work is interviews. You will complete 3 minor and one major interview during the course. As a group we will develop a very clear format and process for conducting these interviews.

In addition to your interviews with living participants in the American West, you will be undertaking interviews with historical residents of the West as well. Through primary research – letters, first-hand accounts, etc. – we will develop ‘interviews’ with these historical figures using our interview format. Each student will complete 3 minor and 1 major historical ‘interview’ for our book.

This assignment helps you to clarify your research question, to determine what subquestions would need to be answered in order to properly answer the question.

In addition to the assignments for your exhibition, you will be taking one comprehensive test for this course. The test will require you to identify key names, concepts, and events of American Western history. In addition, you will respond to the essential question for the class by means of an in-class essay for the test.

A rough list of important dates for events and assignments in this class is as follows. This schedule is subject to change.

September 24               Sub questions Due

September 28               Historical Interviews Due

October 1                    Test

October 5                    Fly to Los Angeles

October 6-9                 Explore Southern California

October 11                  Travel to Arizona

October 12-15             Explore Arizona

October 16                  Travel to Kansas

October 17-19             Cattle Drive in Kansas

October 20                  Travel to Chicago

October 21                  Explore Chicago

October 22                  Fly Home

October 23                  Rest and Recover Day

October 24                  All Interviews Due

October 26                  Position Paper Due

October 29                  Photographic Analysis Due

October 31                  Exhibitions

November 1                 Exhibitions

November 2                 Exhibitions

Subquestions                                                50 pts                                       5%

Photographic Analysis                                  100 pts                                     10%

Historical Interviews

            Minor                                            33pts(x3)                                10%    

            Major                                              100pts                                      10%

Interviews

            Minor                                               33pts(x3)                                 10%

            Major                                              100pts                                      10%

Position Paper                                              100pts                                      10%

Test                                                             100pts                                      10%

Discussion and Participation                         100pts                                      10%

Total                                                                            1000 pts                                100%

Linguistic                                  Position Paper, Test, Interview Writeups                      15%    

Mathematical /Logical            Analysis                                                                       5%

Spatial                                      Photographic Analysis, Travel                           10%

Kinesthetic                               Travel                                                                           15%

Interpersonal                            Travel, Interviews                                                         25%

Intrapersonal                            Travel, Interviews                                                         25%

Musical                                                                                                                        0%

Naturalistic                               Travel, Analysis                                                            5%