History 4105. World Events in Historical Context: Reading History Through the New York Times. 11-12:15 TTh 103 SH

Jeffrey Cox. Department of History. Office:109 SH

Office hours Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-3:00 and by appt.

E-mail: jeffrey-cox@uiowa.edu

My Dept. Home Page: http://clas.uiowa.edu/history/people/jeffrey-l-cox

Course Home Page: http://myweb.uiowa.edu/jlcox/ BOOKMARK THIS PAGE

History Dept: 280 SH. Dept. Chair: Elizabeth Heineman

Required Reading: The text for this course is the daily hard copy edition of The New York Times, M-F editions. The University of Iowa provides a free copy to each undergraduate through its Collegiate Readership Program. Copies are available daily in kiosks at the following locations on campus: Schaeffer Hall, Pappajohn Business Building, Old Capitol Center, Mayflower Residence Hall, Main Library, Lindquist Center, Iowa Memorial Union first floor, Hillcrest Residence Hall, Burge Residence Hall

Objectives: The most important goal of this course is to encourage you to become an informed, critical observer of world events. The New York Times is America’s newspaper of record, famous for its claim to contain “all the news that’s fit to print”. Although we will be reading a newspaper, and discussing world events, this is not a course in journalism or international diplomacy, but a course in history. For the last two hundred years historians looking for information about the past have resorted to newspapers such as The Times of London, the first western “newspaper of record.” We will be reading The New York Times as a primary source for history, the “first draft” of modern history from a particular point of view.

We will not only learn to use the Times to inform ourselves about world events, but also to understand the ways in which journalists in the Times depend on certain assumptions, and a shared vocabulary, among their readers. The Times looks at the world through American eyes, and American elites use the Times as a means of communicating with each other. History is not merely a set of facts, a kind of time-line, but instead a series of stories, and some of these stories become ‘background’ for stories about world events. Behind the narrative, the story told in an articles, lies a partly hidden master narrative that operates by assuming that you already know it in one way or another. As the semester proceeds, we will be looking for those implicit assumptions shared by Times journalists and their audience.

Requirements: (1) Read the international news section of the hard copy New York Times Monday through Friday. On Tuesday, bring hard copies of The Times from the previous Thursday, Friday, and Monday with you to class. On Thursday, bring to class hard copies of the Tuesday and Wednesday editions. Also bring to each class a notebook for taking notes and some 3 x 5 cards which I will use periodically to let you help set the agenda for the class. On the top of one card write in advance your name and the day of the class. Below that line write the full title of an article that you would like to discuss along with the name or names of the authors. I will use these handed-in cards to direct class discussion, and also to keep attendance.

The more you read the better of course, and I particularly recommend The Wall Street Journal, and online editions of the The Guardian and The Independent (London), both free. You can download an app for each of them. Two excellent journalists cover the Middle East for The Independent: Patrick Cockburn and Robert Fisk. The only requirement for the course, though, is the daily reading of the Times and occasional short supplementary material that I will supply on my course home page, or via e-mail and e-mail attachment to your university e-mail address. For this course you are required to check your university e-mail regularly and also to consult the course home page on the web.

(2) Students will also give oral reports regularly throughout the semester, on a rotating basis normally on Thursday on a good news or bad news story of the day (or previous day), explaining why it was chosen.

(3) Each Tuesday there will be a quiz on the most important international affairs articles of the previous week (M-F), including those designated as important by the class along with a few that we have not discussed. I will identify the articles in advance and post a list each Friday on the course home page, and via email. The quiz will be in the form of a written answer to a set of questions. Please bring to class a notebook for taking notes and writing in-class essays (i.e. the quizzes).

(4) Students will submit two written reports analyzing an ongoing major news story following guidelines I will provide. The first (4 pages, i.e. about 1000 words) will be due in class on March 8; the second (8 pages, i.e. about 2000 words) will be due in class May 3. There will be no final exam. Important note: the grade on the second written report will be based substantially on improvement in writing skills in comparison with the first written report. I recommend that you purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.

Grading: The final grade is based on weekly quizzes (50%); oral report (5%); first written report (20%); final report (25%).

Attendance: Attendance is required. If you are unable to attend class because of illness, authorized University activities, or other circumstances that make absence unavoidable, please notify me by email as early as possible. You are allowed two unexcused absences. For the third unexcused absence your final letter grade will be reduced by half a letter (i.e. an A- will become a B+); for the fourth unexcused absence it will be reduced by a full letter grade. Plagiarism is forbidden (see below), and will result in an F on the assignment, and a report to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Grading criteria for written reports:

A grade: insightful thesis, well argued, supported by evidence, excellent writing (which includes punctuation and style).

B grade: sound thesis, solid argument, adequate evidence, good writing skills, no mispunctuated sentences or sentence fragments (see The Elements of Style).

C grade: some good ideas but no clear thesis; merely adequate evidence, poor writing skills, mispunctuated sentences.

D grade: no clear thesis, little analysis, poor organization, inadequate evidence, inadequate writing skills.

F grade: no paper, or a plagiarized paper.

The second paper in particular should be written in a style that would make it acceptable for submission to The New York Times. These elementary rules of usage taken from The Elements of Style should help. Make sure you understand what they mean. Ignore the first one when it comes to surnames..

1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.

2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.

3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.

4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.

5. Do not join independent clauses with a comma.

6. Do not break sentences in two.

7. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.

8. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary.

9. The number of the subject determines the number of the verb.

10. Use the proper case of pronoun.

11. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

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House Rules: The quality of political and religious discussion has deteriorated in the last few years, especially in electronic media, where abusive language and personal insults abound. We should all treat each other with respect, and welcome views of every political and religious point of view. Nobody should feel constrained in voicing a thoughtful opinion. If you feel that there is a problem in this respect, please come and talk to me.

Classroom Procedure: Please do not use your laptop or tablet in class, and either turn off or mute your cell phone. If you text, read email, or consult facebook during class, you may be asked to leave. If you need to leave class early for any reason, please inform me in advance, sit near the door, and leave quietly. If an emergency is in progress, you may of course take a cell phone call outside the classroom. If you need to leave class, please do not return.

Administrative Home

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Academic Policies Handbook at https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook.

Electronic Communication

University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences (Operations Manual, III.15.2).

Accommodations for Disabilities

The University of Iowa is committed to providing an educational experience that is accessible to all students. A student may request academic accommodations for a disability (which includes but is not limited to mental health, attention, learning, vision, and physical or health-related conditions). A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet with the course instructor privately in the instructor's office to make particular arrangements. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between the student, instructor, and SDS. See https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/ for information.

Non-discrimination in the Classroom

The University of Iowa is committed to making the classroom a respectful and inclusive space for all people irrespective of their gender, sexual, racial, religious or other identities. Toward this goal, students are invited to optionally share their preferred names and pronouns with their instructors and classmates. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination and harassment against individuals on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and other identity categories set forth in the University’s Human Rights policy. For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, diversity@uiowa.edu, or visit diversity.uiowa.edu.

Academic Honesty

All CLAS students or students taking classes offered by CLAS have, in essence, agreed to the College's Code of Academic Honesty: "I pledge to do my own academic work and to excel to the best of my abilities, upholding the IOWA Challenge. I promise not to lie about my academic work, to cheat, or to steal the words or ideas of others; nor will I help fellow students to violate the Code of Academic Honesty." Any student committing academic misconduct is reported to the College and placed on disciplinary probation or may be suspended or expelled (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook).

CLAS Final Examination Policies

The final examination schedule for each class is announced by the Registrar generally by the fifth week of classes. Final exams are offered only during the official final examination period. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. All students should plan on being at the UI through the final examination period. Once the Registrar has announced the date, time, and location of each final exam, the complete schedule will be published on the Registrar's web site and will be shared with instructors and students. It is the student's responsibility to know the date, time, and place of a final exam.

Making a Suggestion or a Complaint

Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit with the instructor (and the course supervisor), and then with the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook). For problems or complaints of any kind, including sexual harassment, the Office of the Ombudsperson provides confidential advice to students; call 335-3608 or e-mail “ombudsperson@uiowa.edu”. For complaints about discrimination or sexual harassment, call The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 335-0705, or see this website:http://www.sexualharassment.uiowa.edu/assistance.php.

Understanding Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Office of the Sexual Misconduct Response Coordinator for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather

In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Department of Public Safety website.