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, ballen@rollins.edu

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 Access@Rollins.edu.

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, (TitleIX@rollins.edu 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.