HIST 4261.001 /5420.001 syllabus
Item
- Title
- HIST 4261.001 /5420.001 syllabus
- Description
- Syllabus for the course "North Texas Public History Research Seminar," the students of which created this website
- Date
- Spring 2022
- Source
- Drs. Todd Moye and Andrew Torget of the UNT History Department
- extracted text
-
The North Texas Public History Research Seminar
HIST 4261.001 and HIST 5420.001
Mondays, 2:00pm-4:50pm │ BLB 075 │ Spring 2022
Instructors:
Dr. Todd Moye
Wooten Hall 257
Email: todd.moye@unt.edu
Zoom office hours: W 2:00-4:00; and by appt.
Dr. Andrew J. Torget
Wooten Hall 258
Email: andrew.torget@unt.edu
Office Hours: TR, 12:30-1:30pm and by appt.
Course Overview:
This combined course is intended to be a capstone for undergraduate history majors (though it
is not limited to history majors) and a seminar for graduate students. We will study the history
of Camp Howze, a World War II installation outside of Gainesville, Texas, just north of Denton.
Camp Howze trained thousands of soldiers, brought jobs and opportunities to thousands more
North Texans, and even hosted a POW camp. How did these World War II experiences change
North Texas? In what ways did the region remain the same? To answer these questions,
students will immerse themselves in readings and discussions on the global, regional, and local
contexts of the Second World War. Each student will gain hands-on research experience in
primary-source archives and produce original scholarship, in the form of research papers, oral
histories, and digital projects that will result in an online exhibit created by the class as a whole.
The “Online Museum”:
The end goal of our course will be to design, build, and launch an “online museum” about Camp
Howze and its effect on life in North Texas during the mid-twentieth century, which will pull
together your and your classmates’ original research and insights into a digital exhibit that will
be publicly available online.
What that online museum will look like, what it will include, and how we will put it together will
be for us to debate and determine as a class. As such, each of you will do what professional
historians do: find and interpret evidence, and then decide what our research has revealed and
how best to tell that story.
That means this class will be different from most history courses you have taken. In a nutshell,
instead of just consuming information in this course, you will create it. This will be a projectbased class, as teams of undergraduates and grad students collaborate to research, design, and
create our online museum.
Please note that you are NOT expected to have any previous skills or knowledge about building
a digital project. While you will have the opportunity to learn new digital skills, your job in the
course will be to do historical research and analysis, and then help us decide as a class what it all
means.
Communication:
Because collaboration will be such a central part of the course, we want to be as accessible to
you as we possibly can be. Each of us will hold regular office hours throughout the semester on
a first come-first served basis, but we are also happy to schedule an appointment with you
outside of normal office hours.
We will also make periodic announcements (including, if necessary, changes to the course
schedule) through the course’s Canvas site. If we ever need to contact you directly, we will send
an email to your @my.unt.edu account.
Please note: It is your responsibility to check that account regularly (or set it to forward to an
account that you do check regularly) and to monitor the Canvas site. If you need to contact
us, use email the addresses above.
Required Readings:
• Gerhard L. Weinberg, World War II: A Very Sort Introduction (Oxford, 2014).
• Allen M. Winkler, Home Front U.S.A: America during World War II (Wiley-Blackwell,
2021).
• Richard Paul Walker, The Lone Star and the Swastika: Prisoners of War in Texas (Eakin
Press, 2001),
• In addition, we will upload articles, chapters, primary-source documents, and links to
online resources to the course’s Canvas page, as noted in the following course schedule.
These are also required readings.
Required Technology:
For this course, you will need access to the following technology:
• A computer with internet access.
• Ready access to Canvas (https://unt.instructure.com/), which we will be using
extensively for the class. If you need a primer on Canvas, please visit:
https://online.unt.edu/canvas-basics-unt-students.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader or another program to read PDFs.
• Speakers or headphones to listen to audio on your computer.
• A word processing program to write essays.
Grading:
• In-class discussions of required readings (25%)
o A seminar class is unlike the kind of lecture-heavy format you may be used to
from your other history courses. In this format, you are required to complete the
reading assignments and come to class prepared to discuss them in great detail.
From time to time, you will be called upon to lead discussion on some topic in the
readings or on group work.
•
Writing assignments (25%)
HIST 4261/5420 syllabus p. 2
•
•
o You will write several short papers on the assigned readings. Each assignment
will differ slightly from the others, in hopes that they will help you sharpen a
variety of writing skills. (Please note that your first assignment will be due next
week.)
Research reports (25%)
o We will break into small groups throughout the semester to research various
aspects of our final project. Many weeks your group will be responsible for
reporting findings back to the class. (To be clear, what you’ll be doing here is
somewhat similar to -- but separate from -- your discussion of required readings.)
Contribution to final project (25%)
o Our final project will be an online exhibit on Camp Howze. It will combine all of
our research and will involve considerable individual and group effort.
Our Expectations:
To be clear at the outset, you will almost certainly have to work harder and in different ways in
this class than you may be used to working in undergraduate history courses. Unlike almost any
other history course offered at this university, our class will be doing original research and
publishing our findings online.
To that end, here is what we do – and do not – expect of you in the class:
• Because the class places a premium on collaboration and teamwork, we expect you to
be an active and supportive participant in class discussions.
• Similarly, we – and your classmates – will expect you to be fully prepared for class
discussions. That means completing and thinking about the class readings well in
advance, preparing your research reports fully, and so on.
• We do not have an official attendance policy, but missing one meeting of this course is
the equivalent of missing an entire week in a course that meets two or three times a
week. What does that mean? It means that you cannot expect to do well in this course if
you miss class more than once, or if you make a habit of arriving to class late.
• We do NOT expect any of you to already be an expert in any subject – whether it be
World War II, historical research methods, contributing to a digital online exhibit, or the
like. Everyone in the class will begin on the same page, and we will provide the
resources and guidance needed to complete the course work.
• As such, you should ALWAYS come talk to us (and your classmates) if you have
questions, concerns, or need help with anything.
• We expect everyone to behave professionally at all times, come to class prepared, and
treat each other with respect and civility.
Course Learning Objectives
Over the course of the semester, we expect that you will develop and refine particular skills and
abilities. Indeed, by the end of the class you’ll be able to:
• Identify, explain, and contextualize key figures, events, and trends in the history of
World War II, especially its effects in Texas.
HIST 4261/5420 syllabus p. 3
•
•
•
•
•
Place the WWII experience in North Texas within the larger context of United States and
world history.
Conduct original research in historical archives.
Develop new skills in various methods of historical research.
Write an effective analytical essay.
Develop new skills in conducting and executing a collaborative research project.
The end result, we believe, will be a high-quality digital history project that will last long after
the course is completed.
GENERAL COURSE POLICIES
Statement Regarding Academic Integrity: We encourage you to become familiar with the
University’s policy of academic dishonesty found in the Student Code of Conduct
(http://policy.unt.edu/policy/07-012). The content of the Student Code applies to this course,
and we refer all cases of cheating and plagiarism to the Provost’s office. If you do choose to
cheat or plagiarize on a paper or exam you will fail the course.
Disability Statement: The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic
accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking reasonable accommodation
must first register with the Office of Disability Access (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a
disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with a reasonable accommodation letter to be
delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You
may request reasonable accommodations at any time; however, ODA notices of reasonable
accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in
implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of reasonable accommodation for
every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class.
Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of reasonable accommodation during faculty
office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss
such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For
additional information, refer to the Office of Disability Access website at
http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact ODA by phone at (940) 565-4323.
From the UNT Dean of Students
Acceptable Student Behavior:
Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students'
opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional
forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the
classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Dean of Students to consider whether
the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for
student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom,
HIST 4261/5420 syllabus p. 4
labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at
www.deanofstudents.unt.edu.
SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION, HARRASSMENT, AND ASSAULT: UNT is committed to providing an
environment free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault,
domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced
or experiences any of these acts of aggression, please know that you are not alone. The federal
Title IX law makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender are Civil Rights
offenses. UNT has staff members trained to support you in navigating campus life, accessing
health and counseling services, providing academic and housing accommodations, helping with
legal protective orders, and more. UNT’s Dean of Students’ website offers a range of oncampus and off-campus resources to help support survivors, depending on their unique needs.
You may reach UNT’s Survivor Advocate directly at SurvivorAdvocate@unt.edu or by calling the
Dean of Students’ office at 940-565-2648. You are not alone. We are here to help.
COVID
Face Masks
UNT encourages everyone to wear a face covering when indoors, regardless of vaccination
status, to protect yourself and others from COVID infection, as recommended by current CDC
guidelines. Face covering guidelines could change based on community health conditions.
If You Get Sick (Or Suspect You Could Become Sick)
If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 please seek medical attention from the
Student Health and Wellness Center (940-565-2333 or askSHWC@unt.edu) or your health care
provider PRIOR to coming to campus. UNT also requires you to contact the UNT COVID Team at
COVID@unt.edu for guidance on actions to take due to symptoms, pending or positive test
results, or potential exposure.
COVID Resources
For UNT’s campus COVID resources for students, please visit:
https://healthalerts.unt.edu/students. If you have medical questions or need any assistance,
please contact:
• UNT COVID Hotline: 844-366-5892 or covid@unt.edu.
• UNT Student Health and Wellness: 940-565-2333.
• Medical City Denton Emergency Room: 940-384-3535.
• Texas Health Presbyterian Denton Emergency Room: 940-898-7000.
• Always call 911 in an emergency.
HIST 4261/5420 syllabus p. 5
Course Schedule | North Texas Research Seminar
(Subject to change on short notice)
January 24: Introductions
• Reading: Andrews and Burke, “What Does it Mean to Think Historically?”; McDaniel,
“How to Read for History”; Erin Cristales, “The Past as a Present”
January 31: World War II in Global Context
• Reading: Weinberg, World War II: A Very Short Introduction; Read any four consecutive
issues of the Camp Howze Howitzer from August-December 1943 (available on The
Portal to Texas History)
• Due: Howitzer-Weinberg paper
February 7: World War II: The Homefront
• Reading: Winkler, Homefront USA
• Due: Winkler paper
February 14: The World War II Experience in Texas
• Reading: Ralph Wooster, Texas and Texans in World War II, chapters 2, 5, and 6
(available on Canvas); “Use it Up, Wear It Out,” “Texas Minorities Wage War,” and
“Women at War,” in James Lee Ward, ed., 1941: Texas Goes to War (electronic version
available through UNT Libraries).
• Due: Texas Homefront paper
February 21: POW Camps in Texas
• Reading: Walker, The Lone Star and the Swastika
• Due: Walker paper
• In Class: Preliminary reports -- what are you finding?
February 28: Visit to Gainesville
• Visit sites of Camp Howze, the Cooke County Library, and the Morton Museum
• Due: Reports on primary sources
HIST 4261/5420 syllabus p. 6
March 7: Using Omeka
• Reading: Explore the “Mansfield Crisis” (https://mansfieldcrisis.omeka.net/) and
“Uncovering St. John’s” (https://omeka.library.unt.edu/s/stjohns/page/welcome)
project sites. Then select and explore two Omeka sites from the Omeka.net showcase
(https://info.omeka.net/showcase/).
• Due: Omeka and online museums paper.
• In Class: Research plans – how will your team tackle your part?
March 14: Spring Break – No Class!
March 21: Project Team Reports
• Reading: TBA
• Due: Research reports – team reports on progress.
March 28: Project Team Reports
• Reading: TBA
• Due: Research reports – team reports on progress.
April 4: Project Team Reports
• Reading: TBA
• Due: Research reports – team reports on progress.
April 11: Project Team Reports
• Reading: TBA
• Due: Presentations of initial exhibits.
April 18: Project Team Reports
• Reading: TBA
• Due: Class critiques of exhibits
April 25: Project Team Reports
• Reading: TBA
May 2: Lessons Learned: Assessing the project’s accomplishments and failures
• Due: Final Projects
HIST 4261/5420 syllabus p. 7
