HST 344 -- Science, Technology
and the Modern Corporation: The Automobile, American and European Life
Instructor: John A. Heitmann
Office Hours: whenever
E-Mail:
Jheitmann1@udayton.edu
Blog: http://automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com
Texts: John Heitmann, The Automobile and American Life.
Grades: The final grade for this
course will be based upon one Mid-Term Exam, (30%), occasional short essay
assignments (20%), and a Final Exam (50%). The grade scale is as follows: A 94 to 100; A-
90 to 93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86;
B- 80 - 83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C-
70-73. A similar pattern applies to
lower grades. Letter grades are assigned
a mid-point numerical grade. Additionally, attendance can influence your final
grade at my discretion: if you miss more than 1 class, one letter grade will be
deducted from your grade; if you miss more than 2 classes, a two letter grade
reduction will take place. Grade
averages may be influenced by such factors as trends over the time of the
course; for example, how you finish is far more important than how you start.
Policies for exams strictly follows History Department Guidelines, and make-ups
will only be offered with a valid, documented excuse.
Cheating and plagiarism will
not be tolerated and offenses will be punished accordingly. A first offense
will result in a failing grade for the exam or paper in question; a second
offense will result in a failing grade for the course.
Course Purpose: It has been said that the
automobile is the perfect technological symbol of American culture, a tangible
expression of our quest to level space, time and class, and a reflection of our
restless mobility, social and otherwise. But what of cars and European
culture? Far less has been said about
this second aspect, particularly in English. In this course we will explore
together the place of the automobile in American and European (especially
German) life, and how it transformed business, life on the farm and in the
city, the nature and organization of work, leisure time, and the arts. This is
a most complex transition that we will study, as the automobile transformed
everyday life and the environment in which we operate. It influenced the foods we eat; music we
listen to; risks we take; places we visit; errands we run; emotions we feel;
movies we watch; stress we endure; and, the air we breathe.
SCHEDULE OF
LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENTS
May
18 Introduction; What our cars tell us about ourselves. The car in everyday
life: the automobile age and its contradictions. Automotive
Pioneers – “European by Birth, American by Adoption.” WWI.
Reading: Heitmann, Introduction, Chapter 1.
Film Clip from “Horatio’s Drive”
Powerpoint: European Auto Industry Lecture 1
May 19-21 Henry Ford and the Volkswagen;
The European Auto Industry during the
1920s; Opel, General Motors, and Sloanism
Reading: Heitmann, Chapters 2-3.
Powerpoints: WWI Trucks and Ambulance; German Auto
Industry 1920s: VW
May 22 –VW Golf in Zwickau; afternoon at the Horch
Museum Zwickau
May 23-25 – Long Weekend, Monday holiday – Pentecost
May 26-28 Highways
and Autobahnen; The Remarkable European (and especially German) Auto Industry
during the 1930s; Distinctive Trends in the American Automobile Industry to
1941
Reading:
Heitmann, Chapters 4-6.
Powerpoints: Audi;
May 29 – Mercedes
Sprinter plant tour, Ludwigsfelde Berlin; BMW Motorcycle Plant Berlin
June 1-5 at
BMW
June 8- 11 WWII
Reading:
Heitmann Chapter 7
June 9
– Mid-Term exam
June
10-11 -- The 1950s and 1960s
Reading:
Heitmann Chapter 8
June 12
– Stuttgart, Mercedes Benz and Porsche
Powerpoints:
Porsche; BMW Eisenach; The Great European Automobile Boom, 1950-1973
June 15
Oil Shock I and II, and the decline of American Hegemony: Global Competition
Reading:
Chapter 9
Powerpoint:
June 16
– Opel in Eisenach BMW Machine tool Factory Eisenach
June 17
The Rise of China as Automobile Consumers and Producers
Powerpoint:
Contemporary Automobile Industry Economics
Reading:
Heitmann, Chapter 10
June 18
Final exam
June 19
Departure Day
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