Frank Reaugh, North Fork of the Red River, 1914
Frank Reaugh, North Fork of the Red River, 1914
Professor Mark Stoll
742-1004 ext. 250 Holden Hall 135
E-mail: stoll@ttu.edu
Web:
http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/stoll/
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00–12:00; Wednesday 10:00–12:00
The graduate seminar for Fall 2003 will focus on the topic, "People and the Land in the American West." The course will offer students the opportunity to examine the ways that humans have interacted with the natural environment, and the historical consequences and implications of this interaction. A multidisciplinary approach will allow new perspectives on many aspects of human history.
The instructor will devote the first half of the semester providing background lectures and discussion of possible topics, sources, bibliographies, and mechanics of writing a history research paper. Students will also read books and discuss them in class. The reading is designed to expose students to a variety of approaches to history of the human interaction with the land that they can use in their own work. Students will write three reaction papers, each of which counts 10% of the final grade. Discussion counts 10% of the final grade. The research paper will count the remaining 60%.
Required texts for the course are:
 | Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature's Role in American History |
| Donald Worster, Under Western Skies |
| Dan Flores, Caprock Canyonlands |
| Conevery Bolton Valencius, The Health of the Country: How American Settlers Understood Themselves and Their Land |
| Elliott West, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, & the Rush to Colorado |
| David Igler, Industrial Cowboys: Miller & Lux and the Transformation of the Far West |
| William Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West |
| Date | Assignment |
| Sep 2 | No class; individual consultation by e-mail |
| Sept 9 | Humans and the land in America Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth |
| Sept 16 | Nature and Western history Donald Worster, Under Western Skies |
| Sept 23 | The land and people of West Texas Dan Flores, Caprock Canyonlands First short paper due |
| Sept 30 | Land and white settlers Conevery Bolton Valencius, The Health of the Country |
| Oct 7 | Gold and the settlement of the Plains Elliott West, The Contested Plains Second short paper due |
| Oct 14 | Ranching, labor, and the land David Igler, Industrial Cowboys |
| Oct 21 |
Cities and the land William Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis Third short paper due |
| Oct 28 | No class; individual conferences |
| Nov 4 | No class; individual conferences |
| Nov 11 | No class |
| Nov 18 | Presentation of papers and critiques |
| Dec 2 | Presentation of papers and critiques |
| Dec 9 | Presentation of papers and critiques |
Note: Students who, because of a disabling condition, require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary accommodations. Students should present appropriate verification from Disabled Student Services, Dean of Students Office. Students may not retake exams or quizzes taken prior to presentation of documentation.