HISTORY 106
United States History, 1865 to the Present
Spring 2002
Section C316
Dr. Robin Balthrope
Office: Cavanaugh 503M
Hours: TW 3:30-5:30 and by appt
Phone: 274-2041
E-mail: rbalthro@iupui.edu
This course is an introduction to American History from Reconstruction to the recent past. The course seeks to have students gain perspective on the position of the United States among the nations of the world and on the controversies and agreements among Americans concerning the desired attributes of their own culture and government. The course focuses on central themes and issues in the development of American society and institutions by raising questions about human values, economic growth, institutional change, cultural development, and political democracy as Americans faced them since 1865.
The objectives of this course, largely based on the Principles of Undergraduate Learning, are:
1. To teach students to analyze complex issues and make informed decisions
2. To teach students to synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions
3. To help students gain a basic knowledge of this historical period
4. To teach students to express ideas and facts to others effectively in a variety of written formats
5. To teach students to compare and contrast the range of diversity and universality in human history, societies, and ways of life
The required readings are:
Textbook: Divine, Breen, Frederickson, and Williams, America Past and Present, Vol. II: From
1865. 6th Ed.
Supplementary:
Livesay and Handlin, Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business, 2nd Ed.
Riordan and Plunkitt, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
Caputo, A Rumor of War
The readings both from the text and supplements are to be read by the assigned date. You will be responsible for all readings whether or not they are covered in class.
The examinations will be as follows:
There will be one midterm and a take home final exam. The midterm will combine short answer terms and long essays, while the take home final will be similar to the midterm and also include a comprehensive essay. Exam materials will be drawn from all materials presented during class. Please observe the exam dates as stated further in the syllabus.
In terms of makeup exams, they will be given when a valid reason – medical, family, job – is presented to the instructor prior to the exam. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange the makeup’s time and date with the instructor.
Paper assignment:
There will be an out-of-class writing assignment based on the supplementary materials utilized in this course. The paper will be graded according to: (1) the content and aptness of your ideas, and (2) the quality and accuracy of your prose. The due date for the paper is noted later in the syllabus. Unless agreement has been reached with the instructor prior to the due date, late papers will be marked down one letter grade.
Papers are to be typed, double-spaced, and written in clear, correct prose. There should be no spelling errors. When you use the ideas of others, you must so indicate in a footnote or by some other method acceptable to the instructor. If one borrows the ideas or words of others without acknowledgment one is guilty of plagiarism. More details on this assignment will be provided at the midterm.
The attendance policy is:
Attendance is mandatory. Grades will be lowered after two (2) unexcused absences. One point will be deducted from the final grade for each such subsequent absence.
The grading policy is as follows:
Midterm 30%
Paper 30%
Final 40%
The grading scale is:
90-100 A 80-89 B
70-79 C 63-69 D
The schedule of the assignments is:
Midterm Feb 13
Paper Mar 27
Final May 1
Here are a few suggestions to help you in the course:
If you do not understand a course requirement or course material, ask about it at the earliest possible moment. Come by during office hours or make an appointment, utilize a study group – in short, seek assistance from others.
Course Outline:
January 9 Introduction, Reconstruction, Westward Expansion
Divine, Ch 16-17
January 16 Indians, Railroad Expansion, Industrialism
Divine, Ch 18
Livesay
January 23 Excesses of Industrialism, Urban Growth and Its Problems
Divine, Ch 19
January 30 Late 19th Century Politics, Populism
Divine, Ch 20
February 6 Progressivism, Forgotten Americans
Divine, Ch. 22
Riordan
February 13 TR/Taft/Wilson
Divine, Ch 23
Midterm, 7:25-8:25
February 20 Expansion/Imperialism, Early 20th Century Foreign Policy, World War I
Divine, Ch 21, 24
February 27 Postwar Reaction, Roaring 20s, Hoover and the Depression
Divine, Ch 25
March 6 FDR and the New Deal
Divine, Ch 26
March 13 SPRING BREAK
March 20 Foreign Policy, 1920-1941
Divine, Ch 27
March 27 World War II Abroad, The Cold War
Divine, Ch 28
Papers Due at the Start of Class
April 3 World War II At Home, Postwar America and the Good Life
Divine, Ch 29
April 10 The Modern Civil Rights Movement, JFK’s Presidency and LBJ Takes Up
the Mantle
Divine, Ch 30
April 17 Vietnam, Turmoil at Home and the Nixon Years
Divine, Ch 31
Caputo
April 24 Watergate Through Jimmy Carter, Reagan/Bush Years, Bill Clinton & Co
Divine, Ch 32-33
Take Home Final Passed Out in Class
May 1 Take Home Final Due, 5:45-7:45