Dr. Samuel Finesurrey: [email protected]
Spring 2025
Class: Monday & Wednesday 8 AM-9:30AM Room 410
Office Hours: Mondays 1-2
Open Educational Resource & Zero Textbook Cost Course
Dr. Samuel Finesurrey: [email protected]
Student Learning Outcomes:
This course examines the development of urban communities across the United States and beyond both temporally and geographically. It examines the patterns of cleavage, conflict, convergence of interests, and consensus that have structured urban life. Social, cultural, and economic forces will be analyzed for the roles they have played in shaping the diverse communities of America’s cities.
Students will analyze the history of diverse groups who helped create U.S. cities and evaluate their accomplishments and the structures that framed their respective experiences.
Students will learn to identify historical patterns that shape and reshape hierarchies, struggles, challenges and triumphs for diverse groups of urban dwellers.
Students will be able to illustrate both the evolution of U.S. cities overtime and explain the development of a myth-making by urban elites often whitewashing the more shameful elements of that history.
Students will build their academic writing skills by proposing a research question, creating an outline to organize an essay around a thesis, topic sentences and quotes from the interviews of their peers, before writing a final research paper based on the knowledge produced by themselves and their classmates.
Students will acquire professional communications skills by participating as an interviewer for the oral history project.
Diversity Statement
Diversity at Guttman spans an incredible range of racial, national, ethnic, sexual, gender, linguistic, socioeconomic, and disability dynamics. In this course, from conversations about black and immigrant struggles for liberation, to examinations of movements for women’s, workers’ and gay rights, and with an oral history project that looks to uplift voices too often silenced by exploitative structures, we are deeply dependent on the rich range of backgrounds at Guttman. In this classroom I will ask you to think about your own experience and those of your elders and classmates to challenge and complicate dominant discourses and contribute to understandings of our collective history.
Accessibility Statement
I know people learn in all different types of way. I still struggle with ADD today, but have created structures — ways of staying organized and on task — to accommodate the way my brain is wired. If you need any accommodations please utilize the office of accessibility and let me know how I can help. The primary goal for me is that you’re able to achieve the course learning outcomes. I’m willing to work with you in whatever ways its takes to attain that.
NOTE: The syllabus may change if the instructor feels it will improve how the class operates.
Weekly Schedule – All work will be due Sundays at 11:59 PM
| Sunday March 9 | Oral History Part One Due |
| Monday March 10 | Introductions, Evaluate Grading System, Syllabus, Oral History Part One. |
| Wednesday March 12 | Oral History Training |
| Sunday March 16 | Assignment One – Native Cities and European Contact Native Cities |
| Monday March 17 | Quiz 1 + Native Cities and European Contact |
| Wednesday March 19 | Creation of Oral History Scripts |
| Sunday March 23 | Assignment Two – Race and Slavery in the American Colonies |
| Monday March 24 | Quiz 2 + Race and Slavery in the American Colonies |
| Wednesday March 26 | NBL Experiance — Mid-Town Statue Hunt |
| Sunday March 30 | Assignment Three – Urban Slavery Through the Civil War & Early Semester Checkin Form |
| Monday March 31 | No Class |
| Wednesday April 2 | Quiz 3 + Urban Slavery Through the Civil War |
| Friday April 4 | Monday Schedule: No Class — Complete a Statue/Mural/Representation Hunt in Your Community or one you know very well. |
| Sunday April 6 |
Assignment Four: Early Immigrants Alter Urban Landscapes |
| Monday April 7 | Quiz 4 + Early Immigrants Alter Urban Landscapes |
| Wednesday April 9 | Digital One-on-Ones on Walking Tour Plan |
| Sunday April 13 | Oral History Part II Due |
| Monday April 14 | Spring Break |
| Wednesday April 16 | Spring Break |
| Sunday April 20 | Assignment Five: New Others to American Cities |
| Monday April 21 | Quiz 5 + New Other to American Cities |
| Wednesday April 23 | Introduce Transcript Assignment |
| Sunday April 27 | Assignment Six – The Great Migration and Great Depression |
| Monday April 28 | Quiz 6 + The Great Migration and Great Depression |
| Wednesday April 30 | W0rk on Transcripts — One-on-Ones — Intro to Oral History Part IV |
| Sunday May 4 | Assignment Seven – WWII on the Urban Home Front and the Civil Rights Movement & Oral History Part III Due |
| Monday May 5 | Quiz 7 + WWII on the Urban Home Front and the Civil Rights Movement |
| Wednesday May 7 | Work on Oral History Part IV: The Outline + One-on-Ones |
| Sunday May 11 | Assignment Eight – The Revolution and Repression of the 1960s |
| Monday May 12 | Quiz 8 — The Radical 60s and Beyond |
| Wednesday May 14 | Work on Oral History IV |
| Sunday May 18 | Oral History Part IV: Outlines |
| Monday May 19 | Introduction Oral History Part V: The Essay/Presentation |
| Wednesday May 21 | No Class |
| Sunday May 25 | Look up the mayorial candidates runing for election in NYC. Pick two that you want to evaluate further. |
| Monday May 26 | Memorial Day |
| Wednesday May 28 |
Work on Mayorial Candidates Projects One-on/Ones |
| Sunday June 1 | Work on Final Projects |
| Monday June 2 | Mayorial Candidate Presentations |
| Wednesday June 4 | Final Review |
| Sunday June 8 | Submit Oral History Part V: Final Paper/Presentation |
| Monday June 9 | Optional Virtual One-on-One |
| Sunday June 15 | Submit Final Exam |
GRADING
| A+ | 4.0 | 97-100% |
| A | 4.0 | 93-96.9% |
| A- | 3.7 | 90-92.9% |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87-89.9% |
| B | 3.0 | 83-86.9% |
| B- | 2.7 | 80-82.9% |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77-79.9% |
| C | 2.0 | 73-76.9% |
| C- | 1.7 | 70-72.9% |
| D+ | 1.3 | 67-69.9% |
| D (passing) | 1.0 | 60-66.9% |
| F | 0 | 0-59.9% |
| NC* | Not calculated | 0-59.9% |
Weekly Assignments (250 Points):
Quizzes: 250 Points (50 x 5 Counted Quizzes): Every week there will be a quiz on the assigned materials and the previous week’s lecture. There are open note quizzes so you are expected to bring your notes on both the readings and from the previous week’s lecture. At times there will be map questions and timeline questions, but the vast majority of questions will be standard multiple-choice questions. Only your top five (of eight) quiz performances will count towards your grade. They will almost always taking place on Mondays in the first 10-15 min. of class. If you miss a quiz it will count as a dropped quiz and not hurt you, but you cannot make it up.
Oral History Project: Voices from the Heart of Gotham (350 Points):
You will conduct an oral history with someone in your social network (a family member or friend) on a range of subjects selected by the class. Each student will be required to record and submit an interview on their phone of at least 15 Mins.
Ideally, you would find someone willing to donate their oral history to the Voices from the Heart of Gotham: Undergraduate Scholars Oral History Collection at Guttman Community College. This can be one of your classmates, one of your family members, a community member, or a friend.
IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE DONATING YOUR ORAL HISTORY, PLEASE TELL ME. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ADD YOUR INTERVIEW TO THE PUBLIC COLLECTION.
IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE DOING THE ORAL HISTORY ASSIGNMENT AT ALL PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND WE WILL CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT.
Part One: 25 Points
Part Two: 75 Points
Part Three: 100 Points
Part Four: 50 Points
Part Five: 100 Points
In-Class Final Exam (200 Points):
Open Notes
Mayorial Candidate Presentation (100 Points):
As an individual or a group you are expected to present on the candidacy of a mayorial campaign of your choosing. The presentation should be 5-10 mins and should anwser the following questions.
- What is their background?
- What are their goals?
- Do they have any controversies?
- Who are their funders?
- What are their major policy positions?
- Who will most benefit from their mayorialship?
NBL Assignment (100 Points):
Midtown Walking Tour (50 Points): In groups or as individuals students will embark on a statue tour of midtown that seeks to understand the public celebration of people and things in public spaces including, but not limited to, Bryant Park, Madison Square Park, Union Square, Rockefeller Center and Central Park. Groups or as individuals students are required to look up the history of three-five statues and see who the statue represents and look up the life of that person. Finally, you must evaluate the worthiness of that person receiving a statue.
Home Community Tour (50 Points): You will repeat this exercise in your how community. In your community you will identify three statues, murals or representations of people, events or groups. As an individual you are required to look up the history of these artifacts and evaluate the worthiness of that person receiving a statue.
Additional Information
Office Hours: Office hours can be virtual, but I will be on campus during my office hours so either way works.
Plagiarism: If you have a question about whether something is plagiarism, always err on the side of caution, or come and ask the professor if it is okay. With new technology like ChatGPT, the rules of cheating are in flux, which makes it even more important to check in with your professors about what’s okay and what’s not okay. Getting caught cheating can negatively impact your grade and your academic career dramatically.
Late Assignments: You will lose a letter grade every week that an assignment is late. Everything except the final exam is revisable for a better grade.
Questions: If you ever need clarification or have a question about anything, please do not be afraid to ask me. I will return your text or email within 24 hours. I can almost guarantee that turnaround will be quicker however, there will be times this semester when I may not have access to the internet.
Problems With Course: If you have a problem with the materials, assignments, or the way the course I am teaching the course, please let me know at your earliest convenience. I am good at taking criticism and more than anything want this class to be as enjoyable an experience as possible for you and your classmates.
Mental Health/Personal Issues: If you are feeling overwhelmed by your schoolwork or life outside of Guttman and it is impacting your grades, please inform your professors that you’re facing some challenges and ask about Guttman resources to support you. We have wonderful mental health professionals at the College and the Connect Center in the basement can help out with anything from groceries to emergency housing. The college cannot support you if we do not know you need assistance.
