RFLA 300-01 America's Gifts: Jazz, Baseball, And

RFLA 300-01 America’s Gifts: Jazz, Baseball, and the National Parks Course Theme: Cultural Collision Tues & Thurs 9:30 – 10:45 AM Fall 2020 Barry Allen

Course Description

Few would deny the great impact the United States has had on the world’s culture. The past century saw the penetration of American cultural forms around the globe. Unfortunately, much of what has spread from these shores – fast food, big cars, urban sprawl, and nuclear weapons – has been a dubious contribution at best.

This course will provide an antidote to the dismal list of cheesy and/or destructive American artifacts by exploring the three greatest American contributions to civilization. Of course, these are Jazz, Baseball, and the National Parks ideal.

The great composer, Leonard Bernstein called jazz “the only original American art form.” And, its influence has been broad and deep. Musicologist Robert Hickock argues that “its impact on American society has been enormous and its influence on world culture has been far reaching. Its message has been direct, vital, and immediate, enabling it to hurdle cultural, linguistic, and political barriers.”

Baseball, too, fills a great cultural niche. Walt Whitman realized this relatively early when he mused, “I see great things in baseball; it’s our game, the American game.” It is not for nothing that every American President since William Howard Taft has thrown out the first ball of the season. “Whoever would know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, “wrote Columbia University Professor Jacques Barzun in 1954 in God’s Country and Mine.

And then there are the National Parks. They very well may be, as author Wallace Stegner proclaimed, “the best idea America has ever had.” From the first national park in the world, Yellowstone, the preservation and protection of unique natural heritage is a concept now embraced by virtually every nation on earth. Yet, only America commands the title, “nature’s nation.”

What aspects of American history, values, and cultural heritage have contributed to their respective development? Why are these great achievements uniquely American? These are the questions we will explore in this course.

This course is part of the Rollins Foundations in the Liberal Arts. This curriculum is intended to:  Introduce students to the liberal arts  Expose students to a broad array of disciplines and ways of thinking and understanding  Provide an academic and extracurricular community for the students  Teach students how to integrate knowledge and skills across disciplines and courses

As the 300-level interdisciplinary capstone of the Foundations Seminars, this course: • Examines a complex question or problem that allows students an opportunity to apply concepts/theory to the real world • Reflects on rfla experiences and coursework • Demonstrates how knowledge or methods from multiple disciplines equips people to solve problems

Students must receive a C- or higher to fulfill the above requirements.

Professor Contact info: Beale 110, 407 646 2647, [email protected] Office hours MW 4-5, TR 11-12, F by appt. Foundations Objectives1:  Critical Thinking: Students will be able to perform a “comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.” In addition, they will understand “the historical, ethical, political, cultural, environmental, or circumstantial settings or conditions that influence and complicate the consideration of any issues, ideas, artifacts, and events.”  Information Literacy: This is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information for the problem at hand. - Adapted from the National Forum on Information Literacy.  Written Communication: Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images. Written communication abilities develop through iterative experiences across the curriculum.

Educating Beyond the Classroom At Rollins, part of our mission is to empower graduates to pursue meaningful lives and productive careers. The Foundations curriculum models this goal by taking learning outside the walls of the classroom. Your participation in this course includes experiential learning that often includes attendance at campus events. The schedule might look a little different than other classes, but these events allow you to take advantage of some of the most important opportunities that a liberal arts college affords.

Consistently, when CEOs from top US companies are asked what they look for in applicants, they name a variation of the following skills: strong written communication, critical thinking, independence, teamwork, and problem solving. Employers say that what sets one applicant apart from another are skill sets that transcend one’s major or desired profession and the ability to thoughtfully demonstrate those skills during the application process. Your Foundations curriculum is carefully designed to teach these in- demand skills and to provide moments of reflection that encourage you to translate these classroom- centered activities to the worlds of work and life.

This fall, the Foundations Summit will be held on Thursday, December 10, from 9-10:30am. At this Summit, you will present work that allows you to demonstrate the multiple skills and approaches you’ve learned in the program. Start thinking now: faculty and staff interviewers at the Summit will ask you about how your Foundations coursework has prepared you for life after college and why courses from many disciplines are essential to 21st century citizens—just the kinds of questions you may be asked on a job interview.

Course Objectives:

 To understand the unique historical circumstances that have combined to produce the above- mentioned cultural forms.

 To appreciate the impact of these artifacts on American life.

 To become aware of the importance of these contributions to world culture.

1 Course learning objectives follow the definitions offered under the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ LEAP initiative (Liberal Education and America’s Promise).

Texts: Jules Tygiel, Past Time: Baseball as History (New York: Oxford University Press) 2000. Michael Lewis, Moneyball, (New York: Norton) 2004.

Burton W. Perretti, Jazz in American Culture (Chicago: Ivan R Dee) 1997.

Ted Gioia, How to Listen to Jazz, (New York: Basic Books) 2016.

John Szwed, Jazz 101, (New York: Hyperion) 2000.

Dayton Duncan & Ken Burns, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf), 2009.

Other required readings (excerpts on Canvas):

Robert Keiter, To Conserve Unimpaired (Washington: Island Press) 2013.

William Tweed, Uncertain Path: A Search for the Future of the National Parks (Berkeley: University of California Press), 2000.

Alfred Runte, National Parks: The American Experience (Lanham, MD: Roman and Littlefield) 2010.

Robert Elias, Baseball and the American Dream (Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe) 2001.

Susan Jacoby, Why Baseball Matters (New Haven: Yale University Press) 2018.

Bartlett Giamatti, A Great and Glorious Game (Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books) 1998.

Grading: Midterm Examinations (2@10%) 20% Final Examination 10 Presentations (3@10%) 30 Class Participation* 20 Course Project 20 100%

Presentations: Every student will present a topic related to each of the broader themes of the class. A schedule and evaluation rubric will be distributed in class after drop-add week. All topics must be approved well in advance of the scheduled presentation date.

The presentations should include as basic components: 1) A clear statement of the issues and their importance; 2) Material gathered (and cited) from various reputable sources; 3) A discussion of how the issues discussed relate to or illustrate the various theories and viewpoints covered in the texts and class; 4) The view and conclusions of the presenter.

*Class Participation: All students are expected to actively participate in class discussions and assignments. Both the quality and quantity of contributions will be evaluated. Each day each student will be assessed as being one of the following:

0 - psychologically absent 1 - seemingly interested, but silent 2 - participating effectively 3 - contributing comments that show insight into the material and open new areas for discussion. Students who are silent throughout the term will not score well in this category. Late arrivals to class are disruptive and will lower your class participation score.

Project: All students enrolled in a 300 level rfla are expected to produce an independent project which will be presented at the Foundations Summit on Dec 10th. For this requirement, you may work alone or with another student. The choice of format is yours, and could take the form of a traditional academic poster, video, CE project, art piece, dramatic performance, tech creation… whatever.

In addition to sharing your work with the campus community, you should also prepare to speak with a panel of faculty interviewers who will ask not only about your individual project and rFLA coursework, but also the necessity of interdisciplinary study in solving complex problems and becoming a global citizen. This interview is intended to provide you with professional experience in narrativizing how your liberal arts education has prepared you for the world beyond our campus—a valuable skill as you enter the job market; apply for grad school, internships, and grants; or navigate the family dynamics around a holiday dinner table.

You may take some time in deciding your approach, but please be aware, however, that space and equipment requests are on a first come, first served basis. Drop down screens, rolling poster boards/easels, and wall space are at a premium. Tabletop space is much easier to come by.

Attendance: Your attendance at all class meetings is expected. Any and all unexcused absences will impact your grade. First absence -2 pts. off; second absence - additional 4 pts. off; third absence - additional 8 pts. off; fourth absence - additional 16 pts. off, etc. All missed work will be scored as zero.

Calendar

Course Introduction and Learning Outcomes September 15

Baseball: The National Pastime September 17 – October 20

[B]aseball was a kind of secular church that reached into every class and region of the nation and bound us together in common concerns, loyalties, rituals, enthusiasms, and antagonisms. Baseball made me understand what patriotism was about, at its best….. through baseball I came to understand and experience patriotism in its tender and humane aspects, lyrical rather than martial or righteous in spirit, and without the reek of saintly zeal, a patriotism that could not quite so easily be sloganized, or contained in a high‐sounding formula to which one had to pledge something vague but all‐encompassing called one's “allegiance.” Philip Roth (1933-2018)

September 17 The National Game Tygiel, pp. 3-14 Jacoby, pp. 1-36 (on Canvas) Giamatti, “The Green Fields of the Mind” (on Canvas) Giamatti, “Baseball and the American Character” (on Canvas) Elias, “Fit for a Fractured Society” (on Canvas) September 19 The Mortar of Which Baseball is Held Together Tygiel, pp. 15-34 September 24 Incarnations of Success Tygiel, pp. 35-63 September 29 New Ways of Knowing Tygiel, pp. 64-86 October 1 Adjusting to the New Order Tygiel, pp. 87-115 October 6 Unreconciled Strivings Tygiel, pp. 116-143 Drier, “Jackie Robinson’s Legacy” (on Canvas) October 8 The Shot Heard Round the World Tygiel, pp. 144-164 October 13 The Homes of the Braves Tygiel, pp. 165-197 Howell, “Luring Teams, Building Ballparks” (on Canvas) McGlynn, “Beyond the Dugout” (on Canvas) October 15 Populist Baseball Tygiel, pp. 198-222 Lewis, Moneyball Prestien, “Past [Im]Perfect” (on Canvas) Koppett, “A New Golden Age?” (on Canvas)

October 20 Exam I

Jazz: The Ultimate in Rugged Individualism October 22 – November 12

“A Great Day in Harlem”

Jazz, to me, is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul - the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile. - Langston Hughes

I only hope that one day, America will recognize what the rest of the world already has known, that our indigenous music - gospel, blues, jazz and R&B - is the heart and soul of all popular music; and that we cannot afford to let this legacy slip into obscurity. - Quincy Jones

I think that jazz is a spectacularly accurate model of democracy and the kind of look into our redemptive future possibilities. – Ken Burns

One of the things jazz has always excelled at is translating the reality of the times through its musical prism. - Pat Matheny

“Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival

October 22 Origin and Development of Jazz Peretti pp. 3-30 Gioia pp.73-89 Szwed, pp. 79-115 Essential Listening: Maple Leaf Rag, Scott Joplin The Entertainer, Scott Joplin Livery Stable Blues, Original Dixieland Jazz Band Crazy Blues, Mamie Smith https://the1a.org/segments/red-white-and-the-blues/

October 22 The Jazz Age (cont.) Peretti pp. 31-60 Gioia pp.91-114, 155-159

Essential Listening: Rhapsody in Blue, Paul Whiteman Orchestra; G. Gershwin, composer Charleston, Paul Whiteman Orchestra Happy Feet, Paul Whiteman Orchestra Makin’ Whoopee, Paul Whiteman Orchestra Dead Man Blues, Jelly Roll Morton King Porter Stomp, Jelly Roll Morton St. Louis Blues, Louis Armstrong Black & Blue, Louis Armstrong Love Call, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra The Mooche, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

October 27 The Swing Era Peretti p.61-84 Gioia pp. 115-124, 159-171 Szwed, pp. 126-147

Essential Listening: Creole Rhapsody, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Jeep’s Blues, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Jumpin' At the Woodside, Count Basie & His Orchestra Sent for You Yesterday, Count Basie One O' Clock Jump, Count Basie Body and Soul, Coleman Hawkins Sing, Sing, Sing, Benny Goodman Me and my Chauffeur Blues, Memphis Minnie When the Levee Breaks, Memphis Minnie The Devil Got My Woman, Skip James Caldonia, Louis Jordan Crossroad Blues, Robert Johnson Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday “Let America Be America Again, ” Langston Hughes (on Canvas and read/performed by Marcus Miller here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G93lTqak6Do&index=1&list=RDG93lTqak6Do

October 29 Jazz Goes to War (metaphorically) Peretti pp. 85-108 Gioia pp. 175-185 Szwed, pp. 160-174

Essential Listening: Take The 'A' Train, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Round Midnight, Thelonious Monk Well You Needn't, Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser, Thelonious Monk Epistrophy, Thelonious Monk Groovin' High, Dizzy Gillespie Sextet Salt Peanuts, Dizzy Gillespie Sextet Night in Tunisia, Dizzy Gillespie Sextet Yardbird Suite, Charlie Parker Ornithology, Charlie Parker All the Things You Are, Charlie Parker Lover Man, Charlie Parker

November 3 Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Affluence and Anxiety Peretti pp. 109-133 Gioia pp. 125-151, 185-195 Szwed, pp. 160-198, 209-222

Essential Listening: Comes Love, Billie Holiday So What, Miles Davis Freddie Freeloader, Miles Davis Blue in Green, Miles Davis All Blues, Miles Davis Flamenco Sketches, Miles Davis Blue Monk, Thelonious Monk Misterioso, Thelonious Monk My Funny Valentine, Gerry Mulligan Giant Steps, John Coltrane Blue Train, John Coltrane Every Day I Have the Blues, Count Basie & His Orchestra Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Charles Mingus Blue Rondo A La Turk, The Dave Brubeck Quartet Take Five, The Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond

November 5 Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement Since the music's inception, jazz has served as a rallying cry for Black Americans in the struggle to overcome oppression and injustice. But the 1950s and 60s in particular were an era both of social change in America and of political engagement in jazz. With Black leaders organizing national protests and demonstrations that called for an end to the inequality and the atrocities inflicted upon the Black community, jazz musicians used their art to reflect the turbulent times. Inspired by national headlines, ideologies of Black liberation, and African spirituals, jazz musicians found their place as natural storytellers of the Civil Rights Movement. – Wynton Marsalis

Peretti pp. 134-154

Essential Listening: Fables of Faubus, Charles Mingus The Sidewinder, Lee Morgan Alabama, John Coltrane A Love Supreme, John Coltrane Maiden Voyage, Herbie Hancock I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl, Nina Simone Backlash Blues, Nina Simone Since I Fell for You, Nina Simone Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Nina Simone Mississippi Goddamn, Nina Simone

November 10 Jazz at the End of the American Century Peretti pp. 155-189 Szwed, pp. 260-26 and pp. 283-292 Jefferson, “Ripping Off Black Music,” Harper’s Magazine, January, 1973 (on Canvas)

Essential Listening: Shhh/Peaceful, Miles Davis In A Silent Way/It's About That Time, Miles Davis Bitches Brew, Miles Davis Right Off, Miles Davis Yesternow, Miles Davis Watermelon Man, Herbie Hancock Chameleon, Herbie Hancock Cantaloupe Island, Herbie Hancock, Memphis Underground, Herbie Mann Birdland, Weather Report Black Market, Weather Report Birds of Fire, Mahavishnu Orchestra New Orleans,Wynton Marsalis Flip Fantasia (Cantaloop), Us3 Yukka Yoot’s Riddim, Us3 I Got it Goin’ On, Us3

November 12 Exam II

National Parks: America’s Best Idea November 17– December 17

Great Falls of the Yellowstone

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike. This natural beauty-hunger is made manifest… in our magnificent National Parks - Nature’s sublime wonderlands, the admiration and joy of the world. – John Muir

November 17 The Scripture of Nature Duncan, pp. 1-60 Runte, Prologue, chapters 1 & 2 (on Canvas) Keiter, To Conserve Unimpaired ch. 1(on Canvas) November 19 For the Benefit of the People Duncan, pp. 61-134 November 24 Empire of Grandeur Duncan, pp. 135-198 November 26 Thanksgiving December 1 Going Home Duncan, pp. 199-256 December 3 Great Nature Duncan pp. 257-320 December 8 The Morning of Creation Duncan pp. 321-380 December 10 Summit December 15 An Uncertain Future Runte, chapter 13 & Epilogue (on Canvas) Tweed, Uncertain Path, pp. 183-208 (on Canvas)

December 17 (Thursday) Final Exam 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Accessibility Services (updated 5/20/19) Rollins College is committed to equal access and inclusion for all students, faculty and staff. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 create a foundation of legal obligations to provide an accessible educational environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities. It is the spirit of these laws that guides the college toward expanding access in all courses and programs, utilizing innovative instructional design, and identifying and removing barriers whenever possible.

If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of academic accommodations in order to fully participate in your classes, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services, located on the first floor of the Olin Library, as soon as possible. You are encouraged to schedule a Welcome Meeting by filling out the “First Time Users” form on the website: https://www.rollins.edu/accessibility- services and/or reach out by phone or email: 407-975-6463 or [email protected].

All test-taking accommodations requested for this course must first be approved through the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) and scheduled online through Accommodate at least 72 hours before the exam. Official accommodation letters must be received by and discussed with the faculty in advance. There will be no exceptions given unless previously approved by the OAS with documentation of the emergency situation. We highly recommend making all testing accommodations at the beginning of the semester. OAS staff are available to assist with this process.

Academic Honor Code Reaffirmation (updated 7/18/18) http://www.rollins.edu/honor-code/documents/academic-honor-code-rollins-college.pdf

Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. The student commitment to uphold the values of honor - honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility - particularly manifests itself in two public aspects of student life. First, as part of the admission process to the College, students agree to commit themselves to the Honor Code. Then, as part of the matriculation process during Orientation, students sign a more detailed pledge to uphold the Honor Code and to conduct themselves honorably in all their activities, both academic and social, as a Rollins student. A student signature on the following pledge is a binding commitment by the student that lasts for his or her entire tenure at Rollins College.

The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with others. This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit as his/her own. Students shall add to the paper, quiz, test, lab report, etc., the handwritten signed statement:

"On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work."

Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the pledge.

Citation Expectations As per the Academic Honor Code, plagiarism is defined as “Offering the words, facts, or ideas of another person as your own in any academic exercise.” In order to avoid plagiarism, all students are expected to use proper citation norms. For our course, all assignments will use Chicago citation style.

Absences – religious holidays and/or campus business (catalogue website updated 8/19)

The professor will accommodate a reasonable number of excused absences for religious holidays and official off-campus college business such as academic conference presentations and athletic competitions. However, per the College’s policy on excused absences (https://catalog.rollins.edu/), students must discuss with the professor the dates of the anticipated absences no later than the last day of the drop period. Students must present to their professor written evidence of the anticipated absences and discuss with him/her how and when make-up work should be completed prior to missing the class. Students should not expect to receive allowance for excused absences if they do not meet with the professor beforehand and clarify the dates as necessary. Absences will be addressed by the faculty member in accordance with his/her attendance policy. The professor retains the right to determine what would be considered to be a reasonable number of absences (excused or otherwise) for the course. A student will not fail a course because the number of religious observances and/or college business absences exceed the number of absences allowed, except if excessive absences make it impossible to fulfill the expectations of the course. The student’s class participation grade in the course, though, may still be affected.

Credit Hour Statement for Rollins Courses This course is a four-credit-hour course that meets three hours per week. The value of four credit hours results, in part, from work expected of enrolled students both inside and outside the classroom. Rollins faculty require that students average at least 2 ½ hours of outside work for every hour of scheduled class time In this course, the additional outside‐of‐class expectations include extensive reading, extensive listening to recorded music, and oral presentations with accompanying documentation. (Specific requirements for the presentation will be discussed in class.) Each student will also be responsible for periodically leading the class discussion on the assigned reading. This assignment may necessitate the gathering (and mastering) of additional information to inform and enliven the class discussion. Some of this information could come from The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, The Economist or other reputable sources. (The New York Times offers an inexpensive digital subscription.)

Recording Device Use and Class Recordings (updated July 2020) In order to protect the integrity of the classroom experience, the use of recording devices is limited to either the expressed permission of the faculty member or with proper documentation from the Office of Accessibility Services. Likewise, students may not record virtual class sessions without faculty permission or without proper documentation from the Office of Accessibility Services. Information about accommodations through Accessibility Services can be found at http://www.rollins.edu/accessibility- services/. Recording without the proper authorization is considered a violation of the Rollins Code of Community Standards.

Title IX Statement (updated 5/20/19)

Rollins College is committed to making its campus a safe place for students. If you tell any of your faculty about sexual misconduct involving members of the campus community, your professors are required to report this information to the Title IX Coordinator. Your faculty member can help connect you with the Title IX Coordinator, ([email protected] or 407.691.1773). You will be provided with information, resources and support. If you would prefer to speak to someone on campus confidentially, please call the Wellness Center at 407.628.6340. They are not required to report any information you share with the Title IX Coordinator.

Misconduct under Title IX includes gender-based discrimination and harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence including fondling and assault, sexual coercion/force, sexual-based communication, sexual exploitation, interpersonal violence including dating and domestic violence, stalking, complicity and retaliation. Everyone is protected under the following protected statuses: sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity (including transgender status), gender expression, and sexual orientation. For information, visit https://www.rollins.edu/sexual-misconduct/.

Emergency Management (new, August 2020)

In case of emergency, the Rollins “R-Alert” emergency notification system will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information in the R-Alert portion in Foxlink. In addition, students should become familiar with the Emergency Response Protocols in each classroom, and visit the Rollins Emergency Website for emergency notifications and related resources.