HIST 217
Nevada History
Required Readings:
James Hulse, The Silver State (OUR TEXTBOOK!))
Russell Elliott, Nevada’s 20th-Century Mining Boom: Tonopah, Goldfield, and Ely ElliottDiscQuestions
Eugene Moehring, Resort City in the Sunbelt: Las Vegas, 1930-2000 ResortCityDiscQuestions
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Office Hours: Wright Hall B312
Monday & Wednesday 4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Tuesday & Thursday 6:00 PM-6:45 PM
Goals and Objectives:
The primary goal of this course is to describe and evaluate how the state of Nevada developed from its days as a colony and later a territory. Emphasis will be given to social and economic development and how Nevada met the challenges of growth and modernization. The main objective of the course is to help students develop their analytical skills in both oral and written forms by encouraging critical thinking and policy analysis in discussions and examinations.
Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you will need to contact disability services to coordinate your academic accommodations. They are located in Reynolds Student Services SSC-137 Phone: 895-0866
Religious Holidays:
Tests will not be given on a major religious holiday or during “study week” (the last week of class).
Plagiarism or Cheating:
Anyone engaging in plagiarism or cheating on a test or paper will receive a grade of F for the course.
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Course Requirements:
Students will read three books and we will have a class-long discussion of two of them during the semester. There will be questions relating to these discussions on the First, Second, and Final (Third) examinations. All students are expected to participate actively in class discussion. Failure to do so will result in the lowering of your final grade.
Constitution Requirement:
This course satisfies the Nevada Constitution requirement.
Discussions:
In addition to mini-discussions at various point during some lectures, we will hold four formal class discussions—two each for the Elliott and Moehring books. Study questions will be handed out well in advance. All students are expected to be prepared to participate in class discussions.
Handouts:
Many course handouts can be found on my website, http://emoehring.faculty.unlv.edu/. Click on appropriate course webpage; links to handouts are embedded in the course syllabus on the left side of the page. See guiding handout provided below.
Examinations:
There will be three exams, each covering one-third of the course. They will be non-cumulative and only cover one-third of the course. So, the Final Exam will only cover the last third of the course. The tests will be a mix of 50 short answer questions and two out of three essays. The exams will be based upon material covered in the lectures and the book discussions. You will also be responsible for material in the Textbook—Hulse, The Silver State.
For Exam #1, there will be questions covering Hulse, Chapters 5 and 6.
For Exam # 2, know Hulse Chapter 9 and Russell Elliott’s book discussion questions
For Exam #3, know Hulse Chapter 19 and Moehring’s book discussion questions.
Test Grading Policy:
Improvement is the key. If you do badly on the First Exam but better on the next two, I will drop the First Exam. If you do badly on the Second Exam but better on the First and the Final exams, I’ll drop the Second Exam. I will recognize effort. But, be advised, I will not drop the Final Exam, so don’t blow it off!
Writing Assignment:
Numerous surveys of companies and other employers of college graduates indicate that three of the main skills they want in a new hire are the ability to conduct research, to think analytically, and to write well. Being able to identify issues, think critically about them, and clearly express your ideas in writing are vital to the successful pursuit of any high-paying, professional career because they are conducive to problem-solving. This course will help you strengthen all three skills and will use Nevada history to do it.
The research collection we will consult is an electronic one–UNLV library’s new database covering controversial nuclear testing in the state between 1950 and 1991. Each student will click on the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project’s website and write about one person who was interviewed and about their experience with nuclear testing.
1. You can access this website at http://digital.library.unlv.edu/ntsohp/
2. To see the list of over 200 interviews, click on “View All Transcripts,” which will give you a photo of the person being interviewed and their relationship to the Test Site.
3. Then click on a few transcripts of interest to briefly read what some interviewees said. Note the boxed Index located in front of each interview that covers the subject the person is discussing on each page of their interview. You first may want to click on “Communities of Voices” to get a feel for the collection and pick a “group” e.g. women, etc. who interest you, and then select a person within that group. You may also want to click on “Chronology” to get a short history of nuclear testing or click on “Contested Landscapes” to get a better feel for the issues surrounding nuclear testing. But, eventually (in a week or two), select the interview that you want to write about.
4. Then, print out the transcript of the interview, read it, and take notes on the most important information, experiences, or issues discussed by the person.
5. Then write a short paper about it. In the 11th Week of the semester or earlier, give me a 5-page, double-spaced paper in which you describe the person’s occupation and their relationship to the nuclear test site (e.g. they were a scientist, engineer, truck driver, or “downwinder” living in the fallout zone—southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah– where cancer rates jumped, etc.). By page 4 of your paper you should begin to critically evaluate what the person said. For example, good critical thinking requires identifying omissions—So, what questions would you have asked if you could have interviewed the person? Or, what stimulated your curiosity? What large issues is the person raising? What did you agree with and disagree with? Was the government’s policy flawed and if so, how? Or, you may have other questions or issues that would be relevant to your analysis.
Note–I have written a sample term paper to help guide you in writing your paper. My essay is based on the interview of Curtis Amie, an African American miner who worked at the test site for more than twenty years.
This first draft of the paper should be well written (edit your draft to smooth out the wording before handing it in). The first draft is due on either class day in the 11th week of the semester, I will return the paper to you within two weeks with my comments and give you the opportunity to improve it.
The final draft is due on the last day of class in Week 15 (not at the Final Exam). Students who make the stylistic and content changes that I suggest will receive full credit. A lesser effort will receive a lesser grade. I will be more than happy to meet with you in my office to help you with this revison process. Not only will this assignment (if properly done) help you to solidify a good grade in the course, it will also strengthen your critical thinking and writing skills. We will also work to strengthen your critical thinking skills with mini-discussions about government policy in Nevada at appropriate times during the lectures.
The Writing Assignment and Your final Course Grade: if you submit a good first draft, I will raise your final course grade by one letter grade (e.g. a B would become a B+). If your final draft integrates all of the revisions I recommended, I will raise your final grade by another letter grade (e.g. the B+ would become and A-) A truly great paper might become an A. Similarly, a poor effort may give you either no grade or (depending on how poor it is) may drop your letter grade (from B to B-). If either draft is late there will also be a drop of one letter grade (B-to C+ or C if both drafts are late). So, hand in a good paper on time.
Lecture Guides: The lecture guides for each third of the course are more like an outline of the lecture, listing what will be discussed. They are not lecture notes and do not take the place of lecture notes. On exams it won’t be enough to mention, for example, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act or the Interstate Commerce Act. You will have to explain what they did and why they were significant. To do that, you will need to be in class and take good lecture notes. See handouts provided below.
Examination Review Guides: These will not list the questions to be asked on the test, but will instead review what was important in the lectures and encourage you to master that information. See handouts provided below.
Attendance: While I do not take attendance in class, I expect you to be there! Anyone can miss a class or two because of illness or a personal emergency. But if I see that you are absent from class more than a few times during the semester, I will lower your final course grade accordingly!
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Lecture Topics:
The Triumph of Indian Culture—Textbook–Hulse Chapters 1-2
White Exploration of Early Nevada—Hulse Chapter 3
The Comstock Bonanza—Hulse Chapter 5
Urban Life on the Comstock
Civil War and Statehood, 1861-1875—Hulse Chapter 6
Creating a Diversified Economy, Mining—Hulse Chapter 8
1st Exam—To be announced
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Creating a Diversified Economy: Agriculture and Ranching
Discrimination in Nevada: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion—Scan Hulse Chapters 19 and parts of 7 and 11
Building a Transportation Network: Roads, Rivers, and the “Iron Horse”-Hulse Chapter 9
Economic Renaissance in the Silver State: Tonopah, Goldfield, Ely, and the Great
Copper Boom–Textbook (Hulse), Chapter 12 and Russell Elliott, Nevada’s 20th Century Mining Boom—Class Discussion
2nd Exam—To be announced
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The Age of Reform: Progressivism on the National, City and State Levels—end of Hulse Chapter 11
The Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal—Hulse Chapter 13
America under Fire: Nevada and World War II
Gaming, Defense, and Postwar Development, 1940-Present-Hulse Chapters 17,18,20-21
Saving Lake Tahoe: The Environment and Nevada Public Policy
The Rise of Las Vegas—Moehring, Resort City in the Sunbelt—Class Discussion
Final Exam—To be announced