History H106                                                                                       Prof. Jack McKivigan

Fall 2001                                                                                              Cavanaugh 531

Cavanaugh 217                                                                                    Off. Hrs. T&Th 2:30-3:15

T&Th 1:00-2:15PM                                                                             Off. Ph. 294-5860

                                                                                                            Email jmckivig@iupui.edu

 

 

       UNITED STATED HISTORY FROM 1865 TO THE PRESENT

                                               

            Course Description: History H106 is designed as an introduction to the study of history in general, and to the study of American history in particular.  History H106 examines the transformation of the United States into an industrialized, urban nation and world power during the past century, focusing on the resulting problems and social tensions and on the attempts at adaptation by the American people.  Special attention will be paid to those events in the years since 1865 that have had great impact in the shaping of modern American society.

 

            Nature and Amount of Student Responsibility: The success of this course depends upon the completion of the reading assignments and participation in class discussion by the students.  If a student falls behind in his/her readings she/he will soon find it difficult to follow the subject matter of class discussion or join in it.  Students should feel free to ask questions about unclear material at any time during the class.  Students also should feel free to talk to the instructor about any course-related problems especially in cases when a student believes that his/her assignment grades do not accurately reflect her/his performance in the course.

 

            There will be three one and-a-quarter hour examinations for this course.  These examinations will be a mixture of essay and objective questions.  The instructor will provide review materials to students prior to each examination and has scheduled a review session before each test.  The first two examinations are tentatively scheduled for October 2nd and November 6th, each will count 30% of the final course grade.  The final examination, which will focus on materials covered in the last third of the semester and not be cumulative It is scheduled for December 11th, and will also count 30% of the final grade.

                                                                                   

            The other 10% of the final grade will be derived from performance in quizzes and class participation.  Five quizzes, normally concentrating on the assigned reading materials, will be given during the term. Each quiz will consist of ten Multiple Choice and True-False questions. There will be no make-ups on quizzes for any reason, but the instructor will count only the four best quiz grades for this portion of your final grade.  A student’s improvement on examinations during the course of the semester will be given favorable consideration in assigning a final grade.

 

            Nature and Amount of Instructor’s Responsibilities: The instructor’s goal is to have the atmosphere of each class be kept informal to encourage students to ask questions and make observations.  He desires general participation and a full variety of viewpoints in discussion sessions.  The instructor will make himself available during office hours to offer students additional advice on preparing for examinations.  Students are encouraged to take advantage of such assistance.  Grading is a necessary evil of the academic system but the instructor has an obligation to explain the reason for giving a grade to a student and to suggest possible ways for improving performance on later examinations.                                     

 

            Reading List for History H106: The following three books are the assigned readings for this course:

 

Text:                 John Mack Faragher, Out of Many: A History of the American People (1999 ed.)

 

Reader:            Binder and Reimers, eds., The Way We Lived, Volume Two (4th; 2000 ed.)

 

Documents:      Unger and Tomes, ed., American Issues , Volume Two (2^nd; 1999 ed.)

           

 

Tentative Schedule of Lecture Topics and Reading Assignments for Part One:

 

Aug      23        Introduction   

 

Aug      28        Life in the 1870s

 

Aug      30        Reconstruction and the New South              Faragher, Chapter 17

                                                                                                Binder & Reimers, Chapter 1

                                                                                                Unger and Tomes, Chapter 1

 

Sep      04        The Industrial Revolution                             Faragher, Chapter 19              

 

Sep      06        The Rise of Big Business                              Unger and Tomes, Chapter 2

 

Sep      11        Toil and Trouble                                             Binder & Reimers, Chapters 4 & 5

 

Sep      13        The Outsiders                                                Faragher, Chapter 21

                                                                                                Binder & Reimers, Chapters 2 & 6

 

Sep      18        The Urban Frontier

 

Sep      20        The Wild West & The Farm Revolt             Faragher, Chapter 18 & 20

                                                                                                Binder & Reimers, Chapter 3

                                                                                                Unger and Tomes, Chapter 3   

 

Sep      25        The Populist Crusade

 

Sep      27        Review for First Examination

 

Oct      02        First Examination