History and Environment of Davis: The College Town Context of UCD at 100
Instructor: Dennis Dingemans, Social Sciences Program, College of Letters & Science
Description: This course will examine the historical evolution and contemporary character of of Davis as California's premiere college town. Class meetings will involve a chapter-by-chapter discussion of an excellent short book by John Lofland, retired UCD professor of sociology: Davis -- Radical Changes, Deep Constants (Arcadia: 2004). The first day will review and later days will elaborate on four interpretive themes in the evolution of Davis: (1) as an agricultural village and railroad town since 1868 that reflects the Central Valley's environment and character, (2) as a college town since 1906 and university-centered community that has commonalities with other college towns as creative places; (3) as a residential suburb since the 1960s serving employment centers from Sacramento to San Francisco; and (4) as a distinctive progressive community that since 1972 has fostered innovative environmental and social policies. The course will ask students to think about the types of scholarship that examine a particular place. Lofland's book will be put in the context of a tradition of writing, preserving, and celebrating local history. Gumprecht's recent (2003 article and 2007 book) model of the character of American College Towns will be examined for its fit with Davis (and particularly our town's politics). Fitch's on-line book will be noted as a review of the political events and social movements associated with the rise (and fall?) of growth control measures designed to prevent the expansion of traditional suburban patterns in Davis. The instructor will draw upon his decades of service on the Planning Commission and other local organizations to convey the complexity of decision-making that has shaped the growth and non-growth of UCD's surrounding community.
Format: During the month of April we will hold class discussions at the regular scheduled time as we concentrate on the 120 pages of the Lofland book. After April 24 there will be no more class meetings but the several Saturday field trip opportunities will be offered in both April and May. Grading: Students will be expected to contribute during the five days of lecture/discussion (April 3, 10, 17, 24, and May 29) on the Lofland book and its goal of summarizing and interpreting Davis history. Students will be expected to attend at least two of the Saturday morning bicycle/walking field trips (two hours each) to observe local landmarks: (1) to central Davis; (2) to Village Homes in West Davis; (3) to the Cemetery in East Davis; (4) to Putah Creek in South Davis; (5) to the UCD campus architectural and landscape highlights; (6) to Picnic Day and/or Whole Earth Festival Day. Students will be required to write two two-page commentaries on the ways in which the Lofland book's themes are seen during the class field trips; these essays (50%) and class discussion contributions (50%) will be the basis for assigning a pass/no-pass grade.
About the Instructor: Professor Emeritus Dingemans received his undergraduate degree (BA in Modern European History) at the University of Chicago in 1968 and then his graduate degrees (MA & PhD in Geography) at the University of California at Berkeley where his coursework and dissertation focused on the densification of California’s suburban housing since 1960. He has traveled widely and taught regional geography courses at UCD from 1972 to 2006. During recent (2000 to 2007) years he completed his 7th year on the Davis (city) Planning Commission and has continued to be a frequent contributor to local history organizations, local politics, and local planning debates.