UNC in Washington Seminar
Dr. Karen L. Cox
Washington, DC—A City of Landscapes
Blog
Email Dr. Cox
Office Hours: Tuesday evenings, 5-7 p.m.

Washington, DC, is one of the most dynamic cities in the world. It is at once the capital of the United States, a tourist destination, and a center of government on the world stage. As interns, you will learn a tremendous amount about the way the national government functions. As residents, you have the opportunity to learn about the nation’s capital as a repository of the nation’s historical and cultural resources.
This course asks that you engage the city and its resources by exploring its many landscapes—geographical, historical, political, and cultural. You will do so through selected readings, exploring the city and writing about what you see, as well as through on-site tutorials and workshops with leading cultural organizations institutions. Along the way, you should consider the significance of all of Washington’s institutions—cultural as well as political—as symbols of American history and democracy. In a city visited by citizens from countries around the world, and in a post-9/11 world, has the meaning of these symbols changed? How so?

Readings (with prices from Amazon.com)
William Gienapp, Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America (2002) - $8.50
Zachary Schrag, The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (2006) - $18.90
Lucy Barber, Marching on Washington: The Making of a Political Tradition (2004) - $12.97
Langston Hughes, The Ways of White Folks ($9.24)
Book you choose from Second Story Books
Additional articles (photocopied packet)

On-line Reading
The Washington Post (free subscription)

On-line Resources
H-DC
Note the links in each unit listed below.

Course Requirements
(20%) Individual Blog
This is your online weekly journal of your experience in Washington, DC, exploring the city and its connections to your readings, or simply responding to the readings. Forward the link to your blog to Dr. Cox.
(20%) Weekly Discussion Question (DQ): 2-page paper turned in for grade
There will be a total of five discussion question response papers. These will be based on a question posed by the instructor and will relate to the reading and/or a class field trip.
(10%) Class Participation
You are expected to read the material under discussion for class that week. We will not sit in silence or rely on a few students who have read the material to carry the class. If it is evident that you have not read the material for class that week, you will be dismissed and receive a “zero” for class participation.
(10%) Professionalism
You are in this program to jumpstart your careers as professionals. In your internship you are expected to be professional by showing up ON TIME and being ready to do the work at hand. Similarly, you are expected to be in class ON TIME and ready to participate. You are also expected to SHOW UP for field trips and selected class activities. Not doing so shows lack of commitment to professionalism and will be reflected in your grade.
(10%) Short paper on the book you choose from Second Story Books
Guidelines will be provided
(30%) Final Paper and Presentation (In website or PowerPoint form)
Your final paper will be an expository paper on the theme of the course “Washington, A City of Landscapes.” What is the relationship of the physical, historical, political, and cultural landscape of Washington, DC, to the rest of the nation? How do these landscapes reflect national values, trends, etc.? How have these landscapes (one or more) fit into your understanding of your internship and life in the city? [7-10 pages]

Class Schedule
Important: Individual class meetings and site visits will be provided as the semester progresses, and students need to remain flexible for any unforeseen changes as well as opportunities that arise.
Move-in: Saturday, May 27th, 10am-3pm; 4pm Housing Orientation
Program Orientation: Sunday, May 28th, 9am-12pm
Bus Tour: Monday, May 29th, 9am-1pm; meet in front of Congressional 8:50a.m.

Unit I: Washington, DC—The City and its Landscape
June 2
Tour: Arlington National Cemetery
Read: “The Confederate Monument at Arlington” (in packet)
Group #1 (9-10:15 a.m.) and Group 2 (10:30-11:45) meet at the Congressional Classroom for introduction; Meet at Capitol South Metro at 1pm.
June 3
4p.m. Meet in front of the Congressional
Saturday visit to Second Story Books (Required)
Take Red Line to Dupont Circle. Exit at Q Street.

June 9
Dr. Joel Clark’s First Internship Workshop
First DQ response due

June 16
9:30 and 2:00 Seminar on the Washington Metro
Read: Schrag, The Great Society Subway
Second DQ response due

Unit II: The Historical Landscape
June 23
Seminar: Group 2 (9-10:15 a.m) and Group 1(10:30 - 11:45am) at the Congressional
Tour: Frederick Douglass Home (1pm departure)
Read: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Era; postwar readings of Douglass (in packet)

June 30
Seminar: Group 1 (9-10:15am) and Group 2 (10:30-11:45 am) meet at the Congressional
Tour: Washington Monument/NPS Talk (1pm departue)
Read: Articles about the Mall on Washington (in packet)
Third DQ Due

July 7
Class Presentations on a monument/memorial of your choosing. Guidelines provided. Group 2 (9:30am) and Group 1 (2:00pm)

Unit III: The Political Landscape
July 14
Marching on Washington Book Discussion; Group 1 (9-10:15am) and Group 2 (10:30-11:45) at the Congressional
Tour: U.S. Capitol (Visit U.S. Capitol website) 1:00pm departure
Fourth DQ due

July 21
Tour: U.S. Holocaust Museum (Holocaust in a Global Perspective) OR Curator's Tour of the NMAH
Read: TBA
Week of 21st: Studio Theatre “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead”; Cost: $10

Unit IV: The Cultural Landscape
July 28
Tour: U Street Corridor (TBA)
Read: Langston Hughes, The Ways of White Folks and Pauli Murray
Seminar: Group 2 (9-10:15 am) and Group 1 (10:30-11:45am) at Congressional
Fifth DQ due
Week of July 28th: Evening at Twins Jazz; Cost: $15 (or less)

August 4
Evening at the Kennedy Center (free) (More info TBA)

August 11 Final Paper Due and Wrap Up

Unit I: Washington, DC—The City and its Landscape
a. Arlington National Cemetery—Best View of the City (Tour)
b. Second Story Books on P Street in Dupont Circle
c. The National Mall
d. The Metro: History and Tour with Zachary Schrag, George Mason University
e. National Building Museum
f. Optional: Weekend walk in Rock Creek Park

Unit II: The Historical Landscape
a. Monuments and Memorials
b. Smithsonian Institution—The Castle; National Museum of American History (tutorial with curators)
c. African-American History Trail
d. National Archives—Behind the Scenes

Unit III: The Political Landscape
a. U.S. Capitol—Tour and attend a session of Congress
b. Supreme Court --Tour
c. Meetings with N.C. Senators and/or State Representatives
d. Embassy Row

Unit IV: The Cultural Landscape
a. Jazz and the U Street Corridor—Visit a Jazz Club
b. National Trust for Historic Preservation—Tutorial on initiatives in NC
c. Smithonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery (reopens July 1, 2006)
d. The Kennedy Center: Center for the Nation's Performing Arts