We study history in order to learn more about society and ourselves. History cannot tell us where we are going, but it is essential for understanding where we are today. Since 1865 American peoples have struggled over issues including racial equality, poverty, immigration, the role of the U.S. government at home and abroad, as well as questions of personal identity. This course offers a survey of America’s history since 1865 through such themes as America’s role as a world power, the economic and social role of the government, race relations, labor, gender, and the rise of popular culture. We will shift back and forth between the general and the particular, the "big picture" and specific historical actors. Classes will consist of lectures twice a week as well as a weekly discussion section. They will incorporate a variety of primary sources including two memoirs, music, and the occasional film as well as a standard textbook.

Survey courses are notoriously difficult because they cover so much material. Don’t let the amount of history we cover get you down; you will have to study hard but if you keep up with the work you should succeed. My goals are to: 1) introduce students to the main issues, events, and people that have shaped America and Americans since 1865; 2) show how historians analyze primary sources and how that skill is relevant to us all; and 3) help students communicate effectively orally and on paper. The point of this class is to give you a working familiarity with the period, to engage you in the process of historical and critical analysis, and to get you thinking and writing clearly.

Books – you should own a copy of the following:

• Faragher, et al, Out of Many: A History of the American People, brief third edition, volume II (hereafter referred to as "text")
• Wheeler and Becker, Discovering the American Past, 4^th edition, volume II (hereafter referred to as "W&B")
• John G. Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks (1932)
• Hettie Jones, How I Became Hettie Jones (1990)

Three written exams, each of which will include IDs from class and the reading, and an essay asking you to incorporate course material into larger themes. We will discuss the exams in more depth as they approach. (20% each)

Three short answer/multiple choice reading quizzes, administered in discussion section, that will cover both text, W&B, and outside readings. Your two best scores will count. (10% each, 20% total) Note: there will be no make-up quizzes.

Active participation in discussion sections and general signs of life. This is an integral part of this course as well as the process of learning, and will be weighted accordingly. It will include discussion of the W&B text and outside readings, as well as any other short miscellaneous assignments the TA or I require for section. Your grade for participation will depend more on the quality and consistency of your contributions to our discussion than on their mere frequency. If you are painfully shy, come see me and I can give you some helpful hints. (20%)

Attendance. Faithful attendance is vital to your success in this course and is required for discussion sections as well as lectures. An attendance list will be circulated at some point during each class, and if you miss signing in due to lateness or an early departure, you will be counted as absent for the day. Since emergencies plague even the most diligent, however, you may miss up to four classes (total) without penalty, no questions asked or excuses required. *For each and every class missed past four, your final course grade will be dropped by half a letter grade, or five points. If you maintain an excellent attendance record for the semester, you can count on good karma when we compute final grades, which often demand rounding up or down according to how much it seems the student has invested in the course.

The success of our class discussions depends upon students keeping up with the reading. If you choose not to attend class regularly or keep up with the reading, classes will be less interesting and your own grades will reflect your behavior. I expect you to meet deadlines and due dates. There will be no make up reading quizzes. If you have an unresolvable conflict with an exam, you must come talk to me or your TA BEFORE the exam, otherwise I will need documentation of illness or other emergency. Avoid intellectual dishonesty at all costs—plagiarism, cheating, and the like will result in a grade of zero on the work in question and perhaps disciplinary action from the university. (See the Indiana University Academic Handbook, p. 123 or come see me if you have questions.) Do come see or email either me or your TA if you have questions, need help, or want to talk about the class.

*Note: bring your Wheeler and Becker (W&B) text or whatever outside reading is due with you to discussion section, along with your notes and ideas on it, of course.