Introduction:
Welcome
to History 152. The most obvious purpose of this course is to familiarize
you with major themes and events of the United States in the modern era.
Other purposes of this course are to improve your ability to think and
write logically, and to use data from multiple sources effectively. This
syllabus will outline the requirements for the course and my approach to
teaching.
In 1877, the federal reconstruction of the Union following the Civil War ended. By putting the slavery question behind us after the war, we gained a more focused national direction. Since 1877, the U.S. has exploded forward; conquering the continent, becoming an industrial giant, acquiring a colonial empire, producing the most powerful military force ever seen, and transforming into a largely urban population. But that "progress" has not meant that American ideals of freedom and equality have been enjoyed by all of its citizens. Along the way, major segments of our population have demanded a more direct participation in society, and some have made gains towards achieving their goals. This amazing process is our national story, yours and mine, which makes the material in History 152 important, relevant, and exciting. I love teaching this course because I love this material, but because you are probably here to fill a general education requirement, it is my hope that you find the experience at least not painful.
There is no history prerequisite for History 152. If you have mastered all the significant dates and names of the period, you have one up on me, and I suppose you might find this course easier, but not by much. Doing well in my courses is more a matter of time and attention paid to the material than it is background. To all of you who have hated taking history in the past, and have done your best to forget every bit of it, this is very good news.
I post 5 hours of office time every week, and I want it clear that I welcome you to use them! During my office hours we can prepare for exams, edit drafts, talk about why you may want to consider taking a history major or minor, whatever. Don't forget folks, you are shelling out the big money to be here at Northern, so put me to work.
Readings:
The
following books are required reading. They will appear on the exams, plus
you will be writing a brief paper on Coming of Age by Moody. A
People and a Nation will not give you goose bumps, but a small amount
of reading will be helpful in passing, and essential in doing well
in the class. Thankfully,
Coming of Age is highly enjoyable. Both
books are both available at the University Bookstore.
Moody, Anne,
Coming of
Age in Mississippi (Dell, 1968; reprint, 1976)
Norton, et al.,
A People
and a Nation (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)
Grading:
Your grade in the course will be determined
by your performance on the following:
Midterm 33%
Paper 33%
Final 33%
PLEASE NOTE: I have provided dates for the two exams and when the paper is due. If you will not be here for an exam because of an outside obligation like National Guard duty or a sporting event, just let me know beforehand and we can work out an alternate date. If you are ill and cannot make an exam, let me know, then please present a doctor's note. An unexcused absence from an exam will mean failing it without possibility to retake. It's a good idea not to depend on someone else getting me word that you will be gone either. I will accept your paper late, but it will be penalized one full letter grade for each day after the due date. There is no extra credit offered in the course. Roll will be taken daily, and I strongly encourage regular attendance! If you have more than four unexcused absences during the term, I will lower your course grade one full letter grade. To protect your grade, just let me know if you will miss class.
Folks like to know this up-front, so here goes . . . yes, I assign essay exams and a paper. I certainly don't do this to be popular with students or to free up more time for my cross-country skiing. To be blunt, there is only one way to learn history and to do history, and that is my way. The only way that I know you are making some sense of this stuff is if I can see how you assemble ideas, people, movements, dates, and the other bits you are exposed to here. You need to express your ideas and opinions in complete sentences, and friends, that means you need to write, hence the assigned essay exams and term paper. So all of you will benefit from how this course is constructed, no matter your major. Another positive side of this strategy is that our class will not be reduced to some silly memorization exercise. There, nuff said.
Schedule:
Week 1 - September 5 & 7
The Civil War and Reconstruction
Readings: Norton, pp. 427-445
Week 2 - September 10-14
Reconstruction and the
Emergence of the "New Order"
Readings: Norton, pp. 427-445
Week 3 - September 17-21
The New Order and its Discontents
Readings: Norton, Ch. 18
Week 4 - September 24-28
Rural Revolt Against the
"New Order"
Readings: Norton, pp. 557;
561-574
Week 5 - February 8-12
Taming the New Order: Progressive
Reform
Readings: Faragher, Ch.
21 selectively
Week 6 - February 17-19
The 1920's: The Party and
the Hangover
Readings: Faragher, pp.
726-739
NO CLASS MONDAY FEBRUARY 15 - PRESIDENT'S DAY!
Week 7 - February 22-26
America in the 1930s
Readings: Faragher, pp.
757-766, 771-774
MIDTERM EXAMINATION - FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26
Week 8 - March 3-5
World War II
Readings: Faragher, pp.
791-806, 815-826
NO CLASS MONDAY MARCH 1!
NO CLASSES MAY 8-12 - SPRING BREAK!
Week 9 - March 15-19
The Early Cold War
Readings: Faragher, pp.
836-840, 845-850, 854-856
Week 10 - March 22-26
Postwar America
Readings: Faragher, pp.
875-878, 899-906
Week 11 - March 29-31
The 1960s: A Decade of
Change
Readings: Faragher, pp.
936-941
NO CLASS FRIDAY APRIL 2 - EASTER BREAK!
Week 12 - April 7-9
The 1960s: A Decade of
Change - Vietnam
Readings: Faragher, pp.
934-947, 956-957
NO CLASS MONDAY APRIL 5 - EASTER BREAK!
Week 13 - April 12-16
The 1960's: A Decade of
Change - Civil Rights
Readings: Faragher, pp.
948-949
PAPER ON COMING OF AGE
DUE FRIDAY APRIL 16
Week 14 - April 21-23
The 1960's: A Decade of
Change
Readings: Faragher, pp.
924, 948-950, 953
NO CLASS MONDAY APRIL 19!
Week 15 - April 26-30
The Rise of the GOP and
Fall of World Communism
Readings: Faragher, pp.
959-960, 1002-1004, 1009-1012
FINAL EXAMINATION: WEDNESDAY MAY 5, 4:30 pm,
JFAC THEATER
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