College of Charleston
History 214, Dr. Stuart Knee
Office: Maybank 311 (3-5938)
SYLLABUS: American Ethnic and Immigration History from Colonial
Times to the Present
Required Texts
1. Leonard Dinnerstein, Roger Nichols and David M. Reimers, Natives
and Strangers, 2nd ed. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.
2. R. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for
Indian Leadership, Boston, Little, Brown & Co., 1984.
3. Ronald Takaki, Iron Cages: Race and Culture
in 19th Century America, New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.
4. E. Digby Baitzell, The Protestant Establishment
, New Haven, Yale University Press, 1964.
5. Oscar Handlin, Al Smith and His America,
Boston, Northeastern University Press, 1958.
6. Dan T. Carter, Scottsboro , Baton Rouge,
Louisiana State University Press, 1971.
Additional Requirements
A mid-term, a final and a research paper, whose topic
and focus must be decided in conference with me. The research paper may deal with a
specific event, personality, philosophy or phenomenon which shaped American ethnicity
during this period--it may even be about your own family or certain members thereof, as
long as it conforms to the following specifications. If it is not historiographical, the
paper must use primary sources, i.e., personal interviews for oral history
projects, materials which are available in your campus library (Congressional Record,
newspapers, Foreign Relations of the United States, Messages and Papers of the
Presidents, college archival collections, documents, diaries, autobiographies, memoirs
and standard secondary sources [monographs]). The paper should be betweeen 8-12
typewritten pages and should incorporate factual and interpretive material. In brief, when
the paper is concluded, your knowledge of the subject matter should be deep and
penetrating; you should be acquainted with the most important monographs on your subject
and know where to get primary materials. This assignment cannot be done in a week
or two! You ought to make an appointment with me during the first month of classes to
discuss a topic with me. This paper is as important as the exams and a superficial
treatment will not be welcomed. Also, I will not accept late submissions.
