Free Textbook

• 1. Go to b-ok.org This will take you to z-library.

• 2. Search “James Rawls California: An Interpretive History”
• 3. Download a pdf file of the textbook.
• 4. Understand that you have no excuses for doing poorly in this class.
Class Policy
• The text for this course is Jim Rawl's California, An Interpretive History. The chapters read pretty quickly, but there are a lot of chapters to read. I
would advise you to keep up with the reading. We will also be reading John Steinbeck’s In Dubious Battle. These books should be available in the
bookstore.
• We will have four quizzes in this class and two papers. The quizzes are worth 15% of your grade each, 60% total. And the papers will be worth
20% each, 40% total. The quizzes will be online. There will be 20 multiple choice questions mostly from lecture, but a few from the text book. Our
Final Quiz will have questions from lecture, the textbook AND In Dubious Battle. The quizzes will post on Wednesday and you will one week to take
the quiz. You will have 25 minutes for each quiz. Paper topics will be posted early and in plenty of time for you to write a 3-5 page paper.
• If you need disability-related accommodations in this class, please see me privately to make arrangements. The Disability Programs and Resource
Center (DPRC) is the campus office responsible for verifying that students have disability-related needs for academic accommodations, and for
planning appropriate accommodations in cooperation with the students themselves and their instructors. You can make an appointment with
SDRC by calling them at 415/338-2472. Or you may send them e-mail at dprc@sfsu.edu. Their office is located in the Student Services Building rm.
110.
• SF State fosters a campus free of sexual violence including sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and/or any form of sex
or gender discrimination. If you disclose a personal experience as an SF State student, the course instructor is required to notify the Dean of
Students. To disclose any such violence confidentially, contact: The SAFE Place - (415) 338-2208; http://www.sfsu.edu/~safe_plc/ Counseling and
Psychological Services Center - (415) 338-2208; http://psyservs.sfsu.edu/ For more information on your rights and available resources:
http://titleix.sfsu.edu”
• Office hour will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 12:00 in Hum. 264.
• My e-mail is msigmon@sfsu.edu
• The complete syllabus is on ilearn
Free Textbook
• 1. Go to b-ok.org This will take you to z-library.
• 2. Search “James Rawls California: An Interpretive History”
• 3. Download a pdf file of the textbook.
• 4. Understand that you have no excuses for doing poorly in this class.
 Major Themes
Race and Cultural interactions
Migration
The image of California
What does California Mean to the Rest of the Country?
California’s Demographics
California Demographics
• 39% Latino
• 37% White
• 15% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 6% African American
• .5% Native American
• 2.5 % Multi-racial
Migration
Image of California:
The Great Exception
Puritans Vs. The Missions
California
Lifestyle
California Image: The
U.S. in Microcosm
Microcosm
Why the Fascination with California?
• Reason #1 Our population base.
• 39.5 million people live in California
• We make up 12% of the U.S. population.
• One out of every eight Americans lives in California.
• (The other seven wish they could!)
Why the Fascination with California?
• Reason #2: Our economy!
• If California was an independent country, we would have the FIFTH
largest economy in the world. (We recently surpassed England.)
• California’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) = $2.7 Trillion
• Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) = $1.6 Trillion
• California is # 1 in Agricultural Economy
• California is #1 in Manufacturing Economy
• California is #1 in Service Economy
Why the
Fascination With
California?
• Reason # 3 Media Centers like
Hollywood and San Francisco tend
to focus on California.
Why the Fascination with California?
• Reason # 4: The Weather and Climate is very appealing.
• Lots of Natural Resources in California
• There’s a sense of Wealth and Richness in California’s Environment.
Rose Bowl
Pac 12 vs Big 10

• Michigan
• Michigan State
• Ohio State
• Wisconsin
• Penn State
• Northwestern
• Iowa
• Minnesota
• Purdue
• Illinois
Why the Fascination with California?
• Reason #5: California has a unique, restless energy that is very
powerful.
• There is a lack of restraint in California. People can be whoever they
want to be.
• California is open and experimental.
• This has led to a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” People come to California
expecting everything to be new and different. So they act in new and
different ways.
• We live in one of the most open and tolerant places on the planet.
Why the Fascination with California
• Reason # 1: Our population Base
• Reason #2: Our economy is the 5th largest in the world.
• Reason #3: Media centers like Hollywood and San Francisco tend to
focus on California.
• Reason #4: Our weather and climate are very appealing.
• Reason #5: California has a unique, restless energy that is very
potent.
California is Different!
• Politically, we’re more liberal.
• Californians are more open about sex and nudity.
• We drive more hybrid and electric cars.
• We eat more natural foods. We exercise more.
• We smoke fewer cigarettes. (Tobacco cigarettes!)
• We are less into traditional religions and more into unorthodox
religions.
• We worry about pollution and Global Warming more.
 Memory Quiz (No Notes!)
• If California was an independent nation it would have the _______ largest
economy in the world.

• While professor Sigmon has great admiration for all races and cultures in
California, which racial group holds a special place in his heart?

• How many people live in California?

• Which two conferences traditionally played in the Rose Bowl?

• What is California’s self-fulfilling prophecy?