syllabus

Syllabus

PURPOSE:

To introduce students to the methods of historiography, including: bibliographical research, oral history, Internet-based research; to explore the relationships between geography, economics, culture, architecture and politics in the development of historical reality; to instill a life-long desire to explore history; to increase appreciation for local history; to help students discover their own particular learning styles; and to enable students to explore a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning modes.

SCOPE:

1. Early history of native American migration
2. Spanish occupation
3. Early settlements
4. Founding of the city
5. The railroad and its impact
6. City planning and the environment; tourism; the era of the "boom" hotels
7. Racial and religious diversity
8. Important and influential persons in the city's political, economic and cultural life
9. Influence of the city's past upon its future

TEXTS:

Arsenault, Raymond, "St Petersburg and the Florida Dream: 1888 - 1950", The Donning Company, Norfolk, Virginia, 1988.

Baker, Rick, "Mangroves to Major League: A Timeline of St. Petersburg, FL., (Prehistory to 2000 A.D.)", Southern Heritage Press, St. Petersburg, FL., 2000.

HISTORICAL PERIODS:

The course can be divided into the following periods for reading and research:.

Prehistory to 1848 Early civilizations and the Spanish explorers
Arsenault, pp. 11-35
Baker, pp. 1-22
1849- 1885 Frontier Life in "Pinellas" County and the Civil War and Reconstruction
Arsenault, pp. 37-49
Baker, pp. 23-38
1886- 1896 The Orange Belt, Demens and the Era of the Railroads
Arsenault, pp. 50-75
Baker, pp. 39-56
1897- 1906 A New Kind of City is Born
Arsenault, pp. 76-117
Baker, pp. 57-87
1907 - 1918 Early Adolescence
Arsenault, pp. 119-183
Baker, pp. 88-123
1919 - 1926 The Boom: Hotels, Sunshine and Tourism as a "Product"
Arsenault, pp. 184-249
Baker, pp. 125-161
1927- 1940 Surviving the Depression
Arsenault, pp. 250-295
Baker, pp. 163-185
1941 - 1945 The Second World War and Its Legacies
Arsenault, pp. 296-337
Baker, pp. 187-199
1946 - 1959 Post World War II Rebirth
Baker, pp. 201-220
1960 - 1977 A City in Search of Its Soul
Baker, pp. 221-268
1978 - 2003 A New Era of Prosperity
Baker, pp. 269-316
The Future?

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Development of a "learning plan" by week 4
2. Bi weekly Learning Reports
3. Three book reviews
4. Two Internet search reviews
5. One bibliographical review
6. Term project designed to explore one or more areas of St. Petersburg history in depth

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Three primary texts are basic for the course, all of which are available at Amazon
1. Arsenault, Raymond, "St Petersburg and the Florida Dream: 1888 - 1950", The Donning Company, Norfolk, Virginia, 1988.
2. Baker, Rick, "Mangroves to Major League: A Timeline of St. Petersburg, FL., (Prehistory to 2000 A.D.)", Southern Heritage Press, St. Petersburg, FL., 2000.
3. Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern
Florida" by Gary R. Mormino, University Press of Florida, 2005
For a fuller, but only partial bibliography, see "St. Petersburg Bibliography"
Additional bibliographies can be found in:
Arsenault, Raymond, "St Petersburg and the Florida Dream: 1888 - 1950", The Donning Company, Norfolk, Virginia, 1988, pp. 342-350.
Baker, Rick, "Mangroves to Major League: A Timeline of St. Petersburg, FL., (Prehistory to 2000 A.D.)", Southern Heritage Press, St. Petersburg, FL., 2000, pp. 318-325.
Gould, Rita Slaght, "Pioneer St. Petersburg: Life In and Around 1888", Page Creations, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1987. pp. 215-219.

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