32402

WiSe 16/17: Cuyahoga River Valley: Watershed in American History, Poltics and Culture

Bryan Van Sweringen

Comments

This undergraduate research seminar will examine significant historical, political and cultural developments taking place within the Cuyahoga River Watershed over the longue durée, from first settlement by Native Americans until the present day. Encompassing only a small part of the total area of the United States, the Cuyahoga River Watershed has historically served as a petri-dish for socio-historical developments with national implications, including: settlement, colonization,expansion, missionary activities, displacement, agriculture,industrialization, immigration, political organization, the women’s equality movement, the organized labor movement, the civil rights movement, evangelism, the environmental movement, the Anti-Vietnam War movement, gender equality, de-industrialization, reclamation and reinvention. Examination of these topics within their Northeastern Ohio context will hopefully provide insight into their larger significance for the United States. Although these developments will be considered as individual layers over the existing geographic watershed: human terrain (Native American, European and American), sociopolitical organization (tribal, village, land company, territory, state, national), economic (agricultural and industrial), transportation (canal, railroad, highway), over the past two hundred and fifty years, interdependency between and friction among these layers has brought about not only historical and political change, but catalyzed cultural development as well. Music, poetry, literature, comics and film making will therefore be considered as integral parts of the Cuyahoga River Watershed. The seminar will develop and refine research skills, through the use primary and secondary sources. The requirement for a Teilnahmeschein is an oral presentation on a topic of approximately twenty minutes. To receive a Leistungsschein, in addition to the presentation an original research paper on one of the topics is also required. While length of the paper will be driven by the subject chosen, for planning purposes approximately 20 pages is considered adequate. Depending upon the quality of the submissions, my intent is to consolidate them into a monograph for submission to a regional press for publication. Regular participation --no more than two (2) unexcused absences -- in the seminar is required for both the Teilnahme- and Leistungsschein. close