History 103D

E Pluribus Barnum: Popular Entertainment in the United States

Fall 2017
Monday 1012 pm, 3104 Dwinelle

Instructor: Dr. Sarah Gold McBride

Email: [email protected]
Office: 2314 Dwinelle
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:303:30 pm, or by appointment

OVERVIEW
This course will explore how ordinary Americans gathered together in museums, fairgrounds, theatres,
and stadiums to entertain themselves before the twenty-first century. Since 1786, when Charles Wilson
Peale opened his museum in Philadelphia as a place for audiences to encounter art, lectures, scientific
specimens, and natural history objects, Americans have sought out popular entertainment for both
amusement and education.
In this class, we will consider how the kinds of entertainment Americans engaged in has changed over
time, but also how the justifications for attending events and performances have shifted, too. What did
Americans hope to gain from watching a blackface minstrelsy performance in 1843, buying a ticket to
a circus in 1903, or attending a music festival in 1969? How did popular entertainment reflect,
reinforce, or challenge ideas about race, gender, class, science, and national identity? Throughout this
semester, we will take seriously what may seem to be trivial, as we consider how historians can use
popular entertainment as a lens to examine major themes of American life.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This semester, we will be reading a combination of primary and secondary sources (including both
scholarly articles and monographs) in order to answer these two important questions: how have
historians analyzed popular entertainment in order to better understand the history of the United States;
and what kinds of strategies and sources can youthe budding historianuse to interpret this past?
This class will ask you to consider both the opportunities and challenges of studying the history of
popular culture. We will go over strategies for successful reading at the beginning of class.
The skills you will learn, practice, and refine in this class are how to read a secondary source (for
content, argument, and methodology); how to read and analyze a primary source; how to put multiple
primary and/or secondary sources in conversation with each other; how to conduct effective library
research; and how to get ready to write a senior thesis (in History 101).

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 1) | Revised 8/17/17

EXPECTATIONS
I expect my students to:
1. Respect each others opinions and perspectives, and speak respectfully to each other;
2. Be active participants in class discussions and activities;
3. Arrive to class on time (we will always begin promptly at 10:10 am), and complete all
assignmentsincluding all readingson time; and
4. Be prepared to discuss all assigned readings each week.
Students can expect that I will:
1. Respect their opinions and perspectives, and speak respectfully to them;
2. Respond to all emails within 48 hours;
3. Provide clear expectations for all assignments and grading; and
4. Solicit students feedback throughout the course.

Since this is an upper-division class intended to provide you with a strong foundation in historical
research and prepare you to write a senior thesis, this class has a heavy reading load and high
expectations for discussion and assignments. If you would like some extra support or strategies for
keeping up with the class, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the Student Learning Center
(slc.berkeley.edu), or to come talk to me in in office hours. No question is too small or insignificant. I
am here for you, and you are always worth my time.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Class participation and discussion lead . . . . . . . . . . 30%

Weekly reading responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%
Proposal for final paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%
Final paper (including preparatory assignments) . . 30%

Every component of the final grade will be assessed (and assigned a letter grade) in accordance with
the standards of excellence described in the following section (Evaluation). I also retain the right to
take into consideration in the final grade students who have demonstrated significant improvement
over the course of the class.

CLASS PARTICIPATION AND DISCUSSION LEAD

In this class, both attendance and informed, active participation each week is mandatory. I will be
assessing both the quantity and the quality of your contribution to our class conversations. Each
student will also be responsible for leading discussion in one class meeting. You will sign up for your
date at the first class meeting. On your chosen date, you give a brief (about 5 minute) presentation
about the reading(s) for that week, and then you will be in charge of guiding our in-class conversation

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 2) | Revised 8/17/17

about those reading(s), which will typically last about half of our class session. You will be evaluated
based on your content and your ability to promote class discussion. The purpose of being discussion
leader is to give each student some experience with how to analyze scholarly texts carefully, and how
to use texts as a starting point for a broader discussion. Please note: Barring extraordinary
circumstances, more than two absences will result in a failing grade for this course.

WEEKLY READING RESPONSES

To prepare for our in-class discussion, each week you will write a brief but thoughtful response to the
readingwith the exception of the week when you are the discussion leader. (If there are more than
one assigned readings, you will choose ONE reading to discuss in your reading response. You do not
need to write a separate response for each reading.) The purpose of these responses is to give you
regular practice with evaluating the scholarship of other historiansa skill that will serve you well as
you write your final paper. Your reading response must answer the following three questions:
a. What is the central argument (or arguments) of the book or article?
b. How successful was the author in proving his or her argument, and why?
c. What is one lesson or takeaway that you, as a budding historian, learned from reading this book
or article? (e.g. how to design an argument, how to structure body paragraphs, examples of
evidence to utilize, examples of theory that can bolster your analysis, etc.)
Note that I am asking you to evaluate the readingsNOT summarize them! Your reading responses
should be truly brief: no less than a paragraph, but no more than a page. You will post your
responses to bCourses each week; they are due by Sunday at midnight before each class meeting. No
late responses will be accepted. I will provide comments and feedback on each responses, but they
will not be graded individually; your cumulative work (including your improvement over the course of
the semester) will comprise your grade for this assignment.

FINAL PAPER (DUE DECEMBER 11) AND PROPOSAL (DUE OCTOBER 2)

For your final project, you will write a 911 page prospectus for a senior thesiseither the thesis you
will write in the spring in History 101, or an imagined thesis project on a topic from American history
that interests you. The purpose of the prospectus is to give you some practice with the process of
designing and executing a substantial research project. In October, you will submit a proposal for your
final paper, which will allow me to check with you about your progress. More specific information
about the final paper, including the additional preparatory assignments you will complete during the
semester (such as meeting with me in office hours, editing a peers final paper draft, and presentating
about your paper in progress), will be provided in the first weeks of class. The final paper will be due
at noon on Monday, December 11.

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 3) | Revised 8/17/17

EVALUATION
All assessments in this class will proceed in accordance with the following standards of excellence:1
A-range assignments are excellent, creative, and built on an outstanding understanding of the
course content. They are clearly and concisely written, well-argued, and contain significant original
input from the student. An A-range assignment contains complex, interesting, and interpretive ideas.
Overall, the interpretation and analysis in A-range assignments foreground the original critical voice of
the writer. All parts of an A-range assignment work together to support the overall argument.
Assignments in this range are virtually free of mechanical errors, and include all required components.
B-range assignments have a solid logical and technical foundation, but make points of average
quality using a fairly broad understanding of the course content. B-range assignments are well-
composed and well-argued, but they are not especially original. Assignments that demonstrate
moderately uneven performance (e.g. insightful points with argumentative flaws) are also B-range.
Indications of original or creative thinking or technical excellence will raise an assignment toward the
top of the B-range. Indications of an unclear connection between evidence and argument, arguments
insufficiently supported with evidence, or factual errors will drop an assignment toward the bottom of
the B-range. Assignments in the B-range may have some mechanical problems or slight omissions in
the required components, but they generally show signs of proofreading, polish, and revision.
C-range assignments are either a competent explanation of course content without a real
attempt at original interpretation (i.e. pure summary source material), OR they demonstrate radically
uneven performance (i.e. signs of talent alongside serious flaws of comprehension or presentation).
The critical analysis in C-range assignments is minimal or lacking in some way, and demonstrates a
simplistic understanding of key concepts such as context, significance, and/or change over time.
Assignments in this range are often unclearly written, and include significant factual errors. C-range
assignments may make unsupported assumptions, and may show signs of hasty construction, such as
typographical errors, lack of clarity, and/or multiple missing required components.
D-range assignments have many serious problems. A D-range assignment might completely
lack an argument, be substantially shorter than the required number of pages, or be so chaotic and
tangential that it has no clear structure. A D-range assignment could also be completely off-topic or not
address the assignment, although off-topic assignments are in the F category if they truly show no
engagement at all with the required material (see below). Assignments in this range might also be so
unclearly written that they are virtually incomprehensible to the reader. A D-range assignment includes
serious factual errors that bely a fundamental misunderstanding of the course content. Students who
receive a D-range grade on an assignment should meet with the instructor in office hours to discuss
what went wrong and how to avoid it happening again.
F-range assignments are failing. Assignments in this range are either not submitted at all,
plagiarized, or show no sign of having completed the required reading or attending lecture.

1
This rubric is adapted from a rubric created by Catherine Cronquist Browning, and is also indebted to other rubrics
developed with assistance from the UC Berkeley Graduate Student Instructor Teaching and Resource Center.

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 4) | Revised 8/17/17

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
I have zero tolerance for plagiarism or cheating of any kind. Any student who submits an assignment
written in whole or in part by someone other than that student (except for attributed quotations), or
who cheats on an assignment in any way, will receive an F in this course and be reported to student
judicial affairs. The consequences of academic dishonestyincluding possible loss of future
scholarships, internships, or employment opportunitiesare not worth it.
In this class, I will provide you with all the necessary tools you will need to properly cite sources when
completing your assignments, so you will have no reason to commit academic dishonesty. If, at any
point, you are not clear about the expectations for completing an assignment, please speak to me in
office hours or send me an email.

ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES

COURSE CONTENT
In this class, we will discuss content that some students may find emotionally difficult or disturbing.
Please look through the assigned topics and readings in the schedule below. If you have any questions
or concerns about any of the material, or if you suspect that some of the material will likely be difficult
for you, please contact me before that class session so that we can make appropriate arrangements. I
am also always happy to discuss any of the course material with you after class or in my office hours.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Because active participation is so central to this class, I require that any student who uses a laptop or
tablet to take notes or read a text must turn off the WiFi on the device while in section, and must
agree to use the device for note taking (or text reference) only. I trust my students to respect this
rule. However, if the use of laptops and tablets has a negative impact on the quality of our discussions,
I reserve the right to revoke students permission to use these devices in my class. Cell phone use is
not permitted in my classroom for any purpose.
Although many students enjoy using electronic devices to take notes in class, research has shown that
people learn more and retain more information if they handwrite their notes. (You can read more about
this research at http://tinyurl.com/jbopfk9.)

ACCOMMODATIONS
If you need disability-related accommodations for this class, or if you require schedule
accommodations due to religious observance or athletic activities, please inform me as early as
possible. Please see me privately after class or in office hours, or send me an email.

REQUIRED READINGS
The following six books are available for purchase at the Student Store or online (any edition is fine,
and used copies are great), or on reserve in the library:

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 5) | Revised 8/17/17

 Robert Bogdan, Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit (1998)
James Cook, The Arts of Deception: Playing with Fraud in the Age of Barnum (2001)
Janet M. Davis, The Circus Age: Culture and Society Under the American Big Top (2002)
Kathy Peiss, Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York
(1986)
Allison Perlman, Public Interests: Media Advocacy and Struggles Over U.S. Television (2016)
Robert C. Toll, Blacking Up: The Minstrel Show in Nineteenth-Century America (1974)

The following articles, essays, and book chapters will be posted on bCourses:
LeRoy Ashby, The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiography, OAH Magazine of History
(Apr. 2010): 1114
David Brigham, introduction (pp. 112) and Contemporary Institutions of Education and
Entertainment and Their Audiences (pp. 13-33), in Public Culture in the Early Republic: Peales
Museum and its Audience (1995)
Fanny Fern, Barnums Museum (pp. 373376), in Fern Leaves from Fannys Port-Folio (1854)
Sidney Hart and David C. Ward, The Waning of an Enlightenment Ideal: Charles Willson Peales
Philadelphia Museum, 17901820, Journal of the Early Republic (Winter 1988): 396418
James Kennard Jr., Who Are Our National Poets? (pp. 105126), in Selections from the Writings
of James Kennard, Jr., with A Sketch of His Life and Character (1845)
Catelyn Kindred, Getting Over the Weaker Sex: How America Grappled with the Rise of
Female Professional Wrestling in the Early Twentieth Century, BA thesis, University of
California, Berkeley, 2015.
Gimme Shelter, directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, DVD (1970).
Lawrence Levine, William Shakespeare and the American People: A Study in Cultural
Transformation, The American Historical Review (Feb. 1984): 3466
Scott C. Martin, Interpreting Metamora: Nationalism, Theater, and Jacksonian Indian Policy,
Journal of the Early Republic (Spring 1999): 73101
Krystyn R. Moon, Toward Exclusion and Chinese and Chinese Immigrant Performers on the
American Stage, 1830s1920s (pp. 3085), in Yellowface: Creating the Chinese in American
Popular Music and Performance, 1850s1920s (2005)
Elaine Frantz Parsons, Midnight Rangers: Costume and Performance in the Reconstruction-Era
Ku Klux Klan, Journal of American History (Dec. 2005): 811836
Steven Watts, Walt Disney: Art and Politics in the American Century, Journal of American
History (June 1995): 84110
Additional primary sources (as announced in class and via email)

***

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 6) | Revised 8/17/17

 WEEKLY SCHEDULE
(Note: Listed below each weeks class date are the reading(s) you are responsible for completing
before coming to class that day. The details of this schedule are subject to change.)

Aug. 28 Introduction to Popular Entertainment and Historical Thinking

Ashby, The Rising of Popular Culture [on bCourses]
Watts, Walt Disney [on bCourses]
Fern, Barnums Museum [on bCourses]

Sept. 4 Labor Day holiday

Sept. 11 18th Century Foundations: The Museum in Early America

Brigham, Intro and Contemporary in Public Culture [on bCourses]
Hart and Ward, The Waning of an Enlightenment Ideal [on bCourses]

Sept. 18 19th Century Foundations: Highbrow and Lowbrow

Levine, William Shakespeare and the American People [on bCourses]
Cook, The Arts of Deception: Introduction; Chapters 1, 2, and 3; and Epilogue

Sept. 25 Blackface Minstrelsy

Toll, Blacking Up
Kennard, Who Are Our National Poets? [on bCourses]

Oct. 2 Freak Shows

Bogdan, Freak Show: Chapters 19
PAPER PROPOSAL DUE (by midnight on bCourses)

Oct. 9 No class Individual meetings with Dr. Gold McBride, times TBD

Oct. 16 The Circus

Davis, The Circus Age

Oct. 23 Theatre, Performance, and American Identity

Parsons, Midnight Rangers [on bCourses]
Martin, Interpreting Metamora [on bCourses]

Oct. 30 Work, Leisure, and Class

Peiss, Cheap Amusements

Nov. 6 Professional Wrestling

Kindred, Getting Over the Weaker Sex [on bCourses]

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 7) | Revised 8/17/17

Nov. 13 Research Presentations and Check-In
No reading assignments
Peer Editing Check-In: Each student will meet with their editor and talk about their
progress on their final paper. Time permitting, students will make a brief informal
presentation about their research, followed by questions and comments from the class.

Nov. 20 Live Music

Moon, Toward Exclusion and Chinese and Chinese Immigrant Performers [on
bCourses]
Gimme Shelter (DVD) stream via bCourses, or watch in the Media Resource
Center in Moffitt Library.

Nov. 27 Television (and Final Reflections)

Perlman, Public Interests

Dec. 11 FINAL PAPERS DUE (by noon on bCourses)

Gold McBride | History 103D, Fall 2017 (p. 8) | Revised 8/17/17