Syllabus was distributed and reviewed.
Perhaps it's worth noting that the 7 (plus a bonus #8 Subject) two-week segments were highlighted and broken down as:
1) Creating California
2) Early California
3) California Gold
4) California Grows Up
5) Hollywood, California.
6) California's War, Rebirth and The 'Burbs
7) California and Californians
8) Beyond the Year 2000
Points that might resonate in discussion:
- California Superlatives - We are the biggest, the best... that there is "something about California," that makes people think in big superlative terms.
- As historians, can we think about the future? If California is an optimistic state, should we be optimistic about the future? If things fall apart should we be less optimistic?
- Using the example of hippies vs field workers in the 60's (The notion that while there were hippies "dying to be in the fields, workers were literally dying in the fields).
- He spoke a lot about historians as a distinct group/class of people (this historians take notes/read/etc in different ways). Talked about the California Dream.
