Since the Second World War Americans have struggled with the domestic implications of the nation's emergence as a military and economic superpower. Movements from both the right and the left have sought to alter and control American politics, society, and culture, and this struggle has landed us squarely where we are today. With an eye towards this struggle and how it has influenced the world in which we live now, this course covers such topics as America's changing role as a world power, the role of the president and federal government in American society, race relations, economic swings, changing definitions of gender and the family, and popular culture. Classes will consist of both discussions and lectures and we will be studying a variety of sources including works of historical analysis, primary source documents, memoirs, and documentary and feature films.

Beyond delving into the main events, controversies, and personalities of the time period, students will learn to think about primary sources from a critical standpoint and develop their own interpretations of the past. Finally, students will read, analyze, and critique other historians’ arguments throughout the semester. Class discussion, writing assignments, and exams will serve as opportunities to develop skills on all three of these levels.

Books

William Chafe, The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II (4th ed.)

(hereafter referred to as "text")

Robert Griffith, ed., Major Problems in American History Since 1945 (1992) ("MP")

Robert F. Kennedy, Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1968)

Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968)

Al Santoli, Everything We Had: An Oral History of the Vietnam War (1981)

Requirements

1) A midterm and a final exam, each of which will include IDs and essay questions based on lectures and discussion, the reading, occasional films, and larger course themes. We will compile a list of identification terms from lecture as the semester proceeds, and you will have potential essay questions a week in advance of each exam. We will discuss how to prepare and write good exams during class. The final exam will consist of identifications from the second half of the semester; the essay questions may be cumulative. (20% and 30%, respectively)

2) Two 2-3 page papers based on the outside readings. I will provide a short paper topic for Kennedy, Moody, and Santoli, and each will ask you to analyze one aspect of those primary sources. You may write on any two books/topics you like. Papers are due the day we discuss that particular book in class. I will go over guidelines for these papers more specifically in class. (10% each, 20% total)

3) A 6-8 page critical review on a book of your choice. This paper is much more than a book report. Beyond summarizing the content, you will set out the author’s thesis, argument, sources, and method. You will also discuss the book’s strengths, weaknesses, and how it relates to other books on the subject. In the end you will be critiquing the author’s analysis—a skill practiced regularly by historians and valuable to all. In order to do this effectively you will need to find scholarly reviews and approximately three related books. We will walk through this process as a class and there will be short intermediate assignments due throughout the semester (see schedule of assignments). (20%)

4) Participation in class discussions and general signs of intellectual life. These are integral to the learning process and to the success of this course. We will be discussing readings every week, and you must come prepared. Please shoot for quality and consistency in your participation rather than mere quantity. I recommend writing notes in or on the reading—mark passages that confused you, reminded you of something we’ve talked about, seemed especially strange, or otherwise struck a chord with you. Note what the author’s main point is, how they made it, and what you think about it. Taking notes in this fashion is especially helpful since this class meets only once a week and you may have done the reading days before we actually discuss it. If you are painfully shy, you can always email me your comments or come visit during office hours. (10%)

Attendance is mandatory, especially since we meet only once a week. You will miss a significant amount of material if you miss even one class. Since emergencies plague even the most diligent, however, you may miss up to two classes without penalty, no questions asked or excuses required. *For each and every class missed past two, your final course grade will be dropped by one third of a letter grade (from a B+ to a B, for instance). Perfect attendance will reflect well upon you, of course.

I will expect you to meet deadlines and due dates. (If you have a problem, you must come talk to me BEFORE the deadline, otherwise I will need documentation of illness or other emergency.) Save your papers on disk just in case one gets lost. Late papers will be marked down one-third of a letter grade for each day they are late. 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 Bulletin, 1996-98 p. 21 or come see me if you have questions.) Do come see me or email me if you have questions, need help, or want to talk about the class one on one.

Schedule of Assignments: