Joyce Mao
Assistant Professor of History
Email: jmao@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5359
Office Hours: on leave academic year 2012-13
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Joyce Mao has taught at Middlebury since 2008. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, she received her B.A., M.A., and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. She specializes in recent American history, offering courses on the U.S. and the World since 1898, Pacific Rim relations, and Cold War topics. Her research interests lie at the intersection of foreign affairs and national politics, and she is currently revising a book manuscript titled Asia First: China and the Making of Modern American Conservatism. She has been the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Truman Library Institute, the Huntington Library, the Bancroft Library, and UC Berkeley's Graduate Division.
Her article, "The Specter of Yalta: Asia Firsters and the Development of Conservative Internationalism," was recently published in the Journal of American-East Asian Relations.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FYSE 1277 - Mid-Century American Culture
In the years immediately following World War II, the United States transitioned from backwater to a frontrunner in the fields of design, technology, arts, and letters. In this seminar we will explore how the concept of American "cool" was the product of postwar prosperity as well as cold war conflict. We will use cultural analysis of the 1950s and 1960s to examine issues such as internal migration, foreign policy, gender, race relations, and presidential politics. Students will engage a wide variety of textual and visual sources, from novels like Sloan Wilson's The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit and films such as Rebel Without A Cause to scholarly works on the period. 3 hrs. sem.
CW HIS NORFall 2009
HIST 0206 - The United States & the World
The United States and the World Since 1898
This course serves as an introduction to the history of American foreign relations from the Spanish-American War of 1898 to the turn of the 21st century. Through lectures, discussions, and a variety of readings, we will explore the multi-dimensional nature of the nation's rise to power within the global community, as well as the impact of international affairs upon American society. In addition to formal diplomacy and foreign policy, this course addresses topics such as immigration, cultural exchange, transnationalism, and globalization. 2 hrs. lect, 1 hr. disc.
Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2012
HIST 0215 / HIST 0368 - America, 1960-2000
Twentieth-Century America, 1960-2000
This course concentrates on the history of the United States from the emergence of JFK's New Frontier until the eve of September 11, 2001. In particular, we will focus on the ways in which domestic development shaped America's place within the international community, and vice versa. Topics to be considered include: the rise and fall of the post-1945 social welfare state, decolonization and the Vietnam War, increasing American investment in the Middle East, the emergence of the "New Right," the end of the Cold War, and globalization and its contexts. (formerly HIST 0368) 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Spring 2009, Spring 2011, Fall 2011
HIST 0397 - America and the Pacific
America and the Pacific
If the 20th century was "America's Century," then it could also be deemed "America's Pacific Century" as interaction with Asia fundamentally shaped the United States' political, social, and diplomatic development. In this course we will examine American foreign relations on the Pacific Rim from the Philippine-American War to the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Topics to be covered include: America's imperial project in Asia, the annexation of Hawaii, Wilsonian diplomacy, the reconstruction of Japan after World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Richard Nixon's visit to Communist China, and the immigrant experience. 3 hrs sem.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2012
HIST 0409 / HIST 0414 - Rdgs in Russian History
Readings in Modern European History: Scottish and Irish Identities
This seminar studies the development of Scottish and Irish national identities, from 1603 to 1922. Scotland and Ireland have had complicated and often tempestuous relationships with each other and with England, the long-dominant power in the British Isles. We will examine the social, political and cultural consequences, from the union of crowns under James I, to creation of the Irish Free State after World War I. Particular attention will be paid to rebellions, civil wars, religious changes, population shifts, literary movements and mass political organizations that have helped to shape national identities on both sides of the Irish Sea. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2011
HIST 0500 - Special Research Projects ▲ ▹
Special research projects during the junior year may be used to fulfill the research seminar requirements in some cases. Approval of department chair and project advisor is required.
Spring 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HIST 0700 - Senior Independent Study ▲ ▹
The History Senior Thesis is required of all majors. It is written over two terms, with the final grade applying to both terms. The project is generally begun in the fall and completed during winter or spring. Approval is required to begin the thesis in winter or spring, and such students must still attend the Thesis Writer's Workshops that take place in fall and winter.
Spring 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
HIST 1017 - Mad Men and Mad Women
Mad Men/ and Mad Women*
Are you a Don, a Roger, or a Pete? A Betty, a Peggy or a Joan? Using AMC’s Mad Men as a visual and narrative foundation, this course examines masculinity and femininity in mid-20th century America. We will focus specifically on the connections between postwar mass communication and formation of gender roles, consumption and cultural expectations. Our inquiry will then extend to recent discussions regarding the politics of historical representation. In addition to the television series we will use a variety of both primary and secondary sources -- including novels, magazines, sociological studies, and scholarly monographs – to achieve a multi-dimensional perspective.
Winter 2012
INTL 0479 / HIST 0479 - Chinese-American Relations
Pacific Century: Chinese-American Relations 1898-2008
In this course we will examine Chinese-American relations from the Boxer Uprising through the Beijing Olympics. We will explore the multi-dimensional nature of the bond between these two nations, looking at socio-economic, political, and cultural elements of their "special relationship." Course themes will include westward empire and the scramble for territory in China; the formation and mutation of American orientalism; and ways in which Chinese politicians and intellectuals have strategically mobilized with and against the expansion of U.S. power in the Pacific. Texts will include scholarly monographs, Hollywood films, and writings by figures such as Soong May-ling, Mao Zedong, and W.E.B DuBois.
Spring 2011