{"id":8,"date":"2021-08-22T16:04:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T16:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.mcclurken.org\/HistoryOfMentalHealth\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2023-08-28T01:56:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T01:56:57","slug":"syllabus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.mcclurken.org\/HistoryOfMentalHealth\/syllabus\/","title":{"rendered":"Syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

HIST 471G4: History of Mental Health in the US<\/b><\/p>\n

TR, 9:30-10:45
\nFall 2023
\nMonroe 233<\/p>\n

Jeffrey McClurken
\nOffice:\u00a0 GW 105
\nE-mail:\u00a0 jmcclurk at umw.edu
\n<\/a>Zoom Phone:\u00a0 540-654-1475
\n<\/a>Office Hours: \u00a0by appt (contact me through any of these or Canvas)
\nTwitter, IG, BlueSky (@jmcclurken)<\/p>\n

Course Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

This readings seminar will explore the history of mental health in the US from the 1600s to the present.\u00a0 More broadly, this course is also a history of mental illness and mental institutions, of social constructions of mental illness and health, of treatment of those perceived to be mentally ill, and of the perceptions of mental illness and health in popular, legal, medical, and academic contexts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Departmental Course Goals and Objectives<\/b><\/p>\n

This course will help students build upon a range of skills, including the ability to make discipline-specific oral presentations to groups; the ability to utilize technological resources in research, data analysis, and presentation; the ability to communicate in a group setting; and the ability to read critically primary sources and modern authorities.\u00a0 This course counts in the History major as a 400-level course.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Course Requirements<\/b><\/p>\n

This class requires a research-based digital project, online writing, and a short presentation, but will largely be structured around class discussions of readings. Students are expected to attend all classes, read all assigned texts, post regularly to their blog and the class wiki, participate in class, and help lead two weeks of class discussions. Projects and other assignments are due at the start of class on the day they are due.\u00a0 [There may be times when you are feeling ill.\u00a0 Stay away from class on those days and let me know what is going on so we can talk through options.]<\/p>\n

A note about this semester and this class<\/strong><\/p>\n

This class is not the most important thing in your life.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the most important thing in mine. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there\u2019s much to learn here and I love and have so much fun exploring these topics with you and your classmates.\u00a0 But take care of yourself.\u00a0 Reach out to me if there are things in your life that end up taking precedence over this class.\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about them.<\/p>\n

Texts<\/b><\/p>\n

In the Bookstore<\/p>\n

Earley, Pete. Crazy: A Father\u2019s Search through America\u2019s Mental Health Madness<\/i>. New York: Berkley Books, 2007.<\/p>\n

Gonaver, Wendy.\u00a0The Peculiar Institution and the Making of Modern Psychiatry, 1840-1880<\/em>. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2018.<\/p>\n

Grob, Gerald N. Mad Among Us<\/i>. New York: Free Press, 1994.<\/p>\n

Kaysen, Susanna. Girl, Interrupted<\/i>. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.<\/p>\n

Metzl, Jonathan. The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease<\/i>. Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.<\/p>\n

Other readings on Course WordPress<\/a> site.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Discussions and Reading Questions <\/b><\/p>\n

Students are expected to attend all classes having read the material and having prepared 2-3 questions or debate topics.\u00a0 The questions\u2014posted to LINK<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by 12:01 AM (at the latest) on class days\u2014should be aimed at provoking class discussions on the reading.\u00a0 [Since these are intended to help prepare you for class discussion, late questions will not be accepted.]<\/p>\n

Class participation includes posting these questions and then actively <\/b>participating in these daily discussions.[1]\u00a0 Each of you will also be expected to co-lead group discussion with another person (or persons) during two weeks. \u00a0Discussion leaders need to meet with me ahead of time to talk about how to facilitate discussion.<\/p>\n

Having trouble keeping up with the reading or adding to the discussion? The following blog posts by Dr. Caleb McDaniel of Rice University may be helpful in reading<\/a> and in contributing to our discussions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Weekly Resource Blog Posts<\/b><\/p>\n

Create a new (or use a preexisting) WordPress site on Domain of One\u2019s Own<\/a> or Sites@UMW<\/a> by Thursday, August 31<\/b>. \u00a0Send me your blog URL. All semester, once a week (by Thursday), post a link to a digital resource, image, podcast, clip, article, document, Reels, Thread, meme, blog post, etc., and write a brief (2-4 sentence) post summarizing it and its relevance to the course or your project.\u00a0 These resources should be either on the theme of the week\u2019s class discussion or about your paper topic.\u00a0 In addition to helping you do research on your project, this work will also create a set of resources related to the history and current thoughts about mental institutions that we\u2019ll use later in the semester.\u00a0 Tag each of those posts with histmental2023<\/b>.\u00a0 \u00a0[Don\u2019t have a Domain of One\u2019s Own account or a Sites@UMW account or need a refresher? See here<\/a>.\u00a0 Or the\u00a0Digital Knowledge Center<\/a>\u00a0can help you get started.]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mental Health Related Movie or Show Review <\/b><\/p>\n

During week 12, we\u2019ll be discussing movies\/shows\/popular culture depictions of US Mental Health.\u00a0 By the start of Fall Break, pick a movie or show (these lists might be helpful if you get stuck:\u00a0http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Category:Films_set_in_psychiatric_hospitals<\/a> and https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mental_illness_in_fiction#Motion_pictures<\/a>\u00a0and https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_mental_disorders_in_film<\/a>), keeping in mind that you need to be able to find a copy of it to watch on your own.\u00a0 [Everyone will need to have a different film or show, so you may want to pick yours earlier than Fall Break.]\u00a0 Before class on November 14<\/b>, post a 300-500 word digitally-enhanced (use images\/clips\/GIFs) essay on your blog summarizing your film or show and explaining how it fits into our understanding of the history and memory of US Mental Health. When posted, submit link on Canvas.\u00a0 [This assignment is worth 10% of your overall grade.]<\/p>\n

Research-Based Digital Project
\n<\/strong>You must create a research-based digital project on a particular aspect or topic of the history or memory of mental health in the US.\u00a0 Your project should be based in primary sources, but should appropriately contextualize your topic within the historiography of the scholarly literature and within ideas and themes of the history and memory of US mental health as discussed in this seminar. You must cite all images, clips, facts, ideas, paraphrasing, and quotes, in footnotes and bibliography, using either Turabian (9th<\/sup>\u00a0edition) or the\u00a0Chicago Manual of Style\u00a0<\/em>(17th<\/sup> edition).\u00a0 [For more details on citations, see the\u00a0resource page on the library site<\/a>. Or you could just use\u00a0Zotero<\/a>.]\u00a0 At all stages, you must also cite any uses of Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) in any stage of the process, including prompts used.<\/p>\n

\n

Digital Project Options — <\/b>There are multiple modalities you can explore for the digital project.\u00a0 One would be to create a digitally enhanced research essay (1500-3000 words<\/span>) on your class WordPress site that takes advantage of the digital medium.\u00a0 Another option would be to extensively annotate a set of web-based digital sources using a tool like hypothes.is<\/a>. A third would be to create a video documentary (10-15 minutes in length<\/span>) on your topic.\u00a0 If you have another idea for a digital project, set up a time to meet with me and discuss it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1) A broad project topic (with tentative digital project option) and citations of ten significant primary and secondary sources are due by the start of class on Tuesday, September 12 <\/b>for my approval. Submit in Canvas.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Note: this bibliography of narratives might be helpful in finding sources (though it is a bit dated and you will want to make sure you\u2019re using US-based accounts): https:\/\/www.gailhornstein.com\/attachments\/Bibliography_of_First_Person_Narratives_of_Madness_5th_edition.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

2) A 250-300 word proposal plus annotated bibliography is due Tuesday, September 26 <\/b>at the start of class and should be posted to your blog (with the link submitted to me on Canvas as well).\u00a0 It should briefly outline a preliminary approach to your project and the topics likely to be explored, and should detail sources sufficient to write a major research project.\u00a0 The annotated bibliography should include at least twenty sources. [Worth 5% of overall class grade.]<\/p>\n

3) Finally, the digital projectis due before the start of class on Tuesday, October 31<\/strong>. <\/b>Again, create a blog post introducing it and submit the link to that post on Canvas. [Worth 25% of overall class grade.]<\/p>\n

Digital projects will be assessed on content (including originality and quality and use of evidence, analysis, and sources), grammar, usability, presentation, citations, and overall effectiveness.\u00a0 [Regardless of modality, these should all include the use of primary sources about the history\/memory of mental health in US, analysis that makes an argument or arguments that fits within (or responds to) the secondary scholarly literature, and use of the digital medium.]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Oral Presentation<\/b><\/p>\n

At the end of the semester (either in the last week of class or during the exam period) everyone will make a 7-8-minute presentation summarizing her or his project and findings. [Worth 10% of final grade.]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Final Grades<\/b><\/p>\n

Final grades will be determined based on class participation (including two weeks of co-leading discussion) (40%), on performance on the proposal & annotated bibliography (5%) and digital research project (25%), on performance on the resource blog posts (10%), on the movie\/show review (10%), and on the quality of the oral presentation on research (10%).\u00a0 [Unsatisfactory mid-semester reports will be reported for anyone with a grade of D+ or below at that time.]\u00a0 Completion of all assignments is required to pass the class.<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Grading Scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
A<\/b><\/td>\nUnusual Excellence<\/td>\n93 or higher=A; 90-92=A-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B<\/b><\/td>\nDistinctly Above Average<\/td>\n87-89=B+; 83-86=B; 80-82=B-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/b><\/td>\nAverage Quality<\/td>\n77-79=C+; 73-76=C; 70-72=C-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D<\/b><\/td>\nBelow Average Quality<\/td>\n67-69=D+; 60-66=D<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
F<\/b><\/td>\nFailure, No Credit<\/td>\n0-59=F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Honor Code<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe in the Honor Code as an essential, positive component of the Mary Washington experience.\u00a0 You should know that if you cheat or plagiarize in this class, you will fail, and I will take you to the Honor Council.\u00a0 So, do not do it.\u00a0 On the other hand, I also believe that having friends or family read and comment on your writing and projects can be extremely helpful and falls within the bounds of the Honor Code (assuming the writing and work itself remains yours).\u00a0 If you have questions about these issues, including about the use of Generative AI tools, then you should talk to me sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Generative AI Policy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Use of AI is approved and encouraged in this course<\/strong>; however, students should refer to individual course assignments for instructions regarding how to use and\/or document use of AI, if applicable to the assignment.\u00a0 Or ask me.\u00a0 We are all learning how these tools can, and ethically, how should be used.\u00a0 It will take us some trial and error to figure all of that out.\u00a0 But in this class that should always take place in conversation with me.<\/p>\n

Although AI use is permitted in this course, you should keep the following points in mind:<\/p>\n