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John
HST 344 -- Science, Technology
and the Modern Corporation: The Automobile and American Life
Class Meeting: MWF 11:15 a.m.-12:05
p.m., HM 125
Instructor: John A. Heitmann
Office: 435HM (x92803).
Office Hours: 10:00-10:50 a.m. MWF or
by appointment
E-Mail:
Jheitmann1@udayton.edu
Blog
page: http://www.automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com
Texts: John Heitmann, The Automobile and American Life.
Ben Hamper, Rivethead.
Jason Vuic, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car
in History
And materials on Isidore.
Grades: The final grade for this course
will be based on two hour exams, (60%), occasional quizzes, and final exam (30%).
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: if you miss more than 3 classes, one letter grade will be deducted from
your grade; if you miss more than 6 classes, a two letter grade reduction will
take place. A good grade for this course
is a C+. 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.
Attendance at lectures is crucial if
you are to expect a good grade in the course, and I want you to be at every
class if that is at all possible. On many occasions material presented is not
covered in the readings, and so many of the ideas discussed central to the
development of modern science are complex and often confusing. Your attitude
and what you bring in to the classroom can make the difference between a
mediocre offering and a most positive educational experience.
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. In this course we will explore together the
place of the automobile in American 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
The
week of:
Week 1/August
24 Introduction;
What our cars tell us about ourselves.
The car in everyday life: the automobile age and its contradictions. Automotive Pioneers
Reading:
Heitmann, Introduction, Chapter 1.
Films: “Wild Wheels”; “Horatio’s
Drive.”
Week 2/August 29 Putting America on the Road; Henry Ford and the Model T
Reading:
Heitmann, Chapter 2. James Flink, "Three
Stages of Automotive Consciousness" (Isidore).
Film:
“Automobile Parade;” “Gussle’s Day of Rest.”
September 5 –
Labor Day -- No Class
Week
3/September 7 Stealing
Cars; The Rise of General Motors
Readings:
Heitmann, pp. 54-63; Stuart W. Leslie, “Charles F. Kettering and the
cCpper-Cooled Engine.” (Isidore). Film: “Master
Hands.”
Week 4/September 12 Advertising, Styling, Design and the Art of the Automobile
Reading:
Heitmann, pp. 64-71; Clarke, "Managing Design.” (Isidore)
Week 5/September 19 On the Road
Reading:
Heitmann, Chapter 4. Peter D. Norton,
“Street Rivals: Jaywalking and the Invention of the Motor Age Street.”
(Isidore].
Films:
“Grapes of Wrath;” “Route 66;"
“Detour;” ‘Keroauc: On the Road"
Week
6/ September 26 Religion,
Courtship and Sex
Readings:
Heitmann, Chapter 5.
Films:
“Thelma and Louise”; “Motorcycle Diaries”
October
3 – Exam 1
October
5-9 Mid-Term Break
Week
7/ October 10 The Interwar Years: The
Great Depression, Aerodynamics, and Cars of the Olympian Age
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 6.
Films:
“The Crowd Roars;” “Burn Em’Up Barnes.”
Week 8/October 17 World War II: Detroit, the Arsenal of Democracy
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 7
Film:
“Jitterbugs.”
Week 9/ October 24 The Post War Industry and
Technological Suppression
Readings:
Heitmann, pp. 133-154: Robert C. Post. “Henry Kaiser, Troy Ruttman, and Madman
Muntz: Three Originals.” (Isidore).
Film:
“Tucker”
Week 10/October 31 Chrome Dreams
of the 1950s
Jan
& Dean and the Beach Boys
Readings:
Heitmann, pp.154-163; Jeremy R. Kinney, “Racing on Runways: The Strategic Air
Command and Sports Car Racing in the 1950s.” (Isidore).
Film: “American Graffiti”
November 7 Exam #2 -- you will be
tested on the Vuic book at this time
Week 11/ November 9 The Rise of the American Muscle Car
Readings: Heitmann,
pp.164-178.
Films:
“Goldfinger;” “Thunderball” “Bullitt.”
Week 12/ November 14 Oil Shock I:
Japan, James Bond, and Mobile Lovemaking
Readings:
Heitmann, pp. 178-184; Gary T. Schwartz, “The Myth of the Ford Pinto Case.”
(Isidore)
Film:
“Easy Rider;” Toby Halicki's "Gone in Sixty Seconds"
Week 13/ November 21 and November 28 The Automobile World Upside Down,
1980s to the Present.
Readings:
Heitmann, pp.185-194, "The
Filming
of Bullit"(Isidore); Luscombe, Belinda. “The Tao of Vin Diesel: Millions
of Fans are Inspride by his Oddest Role Yet: Philosopher.” (Isidore). Film: “Fast
and Furious; Tokyo Drift;” "The
Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
Week
14/ December 5 The Automobile Industry and the Future; Sum Up
Reading: Heitmann, pp.194-206; Shladover, Steven E.
“The Truth About Self-Driving Cars.” (Isidore).
Film: “The Revenge of the Electric Car”
Week
15/December 9 Last Day of Classes
Heitmann,
Epilogue.
FINAL EXAM, Tuesday, December 13, 12:20 --2:10
p.m. On this exam you will be tested on the Ben Hamper Book.
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