Fall 2004 T/R
Professor Coleman
CA 503N office hours: Tues
email: acolema2@iupui.edu Thurs
office/voice
mail: 274-5817 and
by appointment
Introduction
Since
the Second World War Americans have struggled with the domestic and foreign
implications of the nation's emergence as a military and economic
superpower. While this dilemma will
unite our survey of U.S. History since 1945, we will look more specifically at
three trends: the changing role of and confidence in the presidency, the
ongoing cultural and political struggle between those who have power and those
who do not, and fluctuating assumptions about the
Beyond delving into the main events, controversies, and personalities of the time period, students will learn to analyze primary sources from a critical standpoint and use them to 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.
Studying
these historical themes and learning these skills is an important part of a liberal
arts education and will give you life skills that will serve you well. It is to this end that
I have designed lectures, writing assignments, exams, and the general structure
of the course. Beyond adding to an
understanding of American society and culture and helping you to become good
citizens, this course speaks to a number of IUPUI’s
other Principles of Undergraduate Learning: it refines communication skills
through class discussion, exams, and papers, it demands that students analyze,
synthesize, evaluate, and apply a range of ideas and information both in class
and in assignments, it teaches information and skills useful in a variety of
real life situations, and in training students how to be good historians, it
strengthens students’ intellectual depth and breadth.
Books
William Chafe, The
Unfinished Journey:
Robert Griffith, ed., Major Problems in
American History Since 1945 (2nd ed,
2001)
Alex Haley and Malcolm X, The
Autobiography of Malcolm X (1964)
Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation (19??)
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. (Exams are worth 25% each
towards your final course grade.)
2) Two papers: one of about 3-5 pages analyzing
either Malcolm X’s autobiography or Fast
Food Nation in light of your secondary reading (more on this later); and
another 5-7 pages that will incorporate a range of sources to discuss the
relationship between Vietnam and our involvement in the Middle East. The shorter papers are due the day we discuss
that particular book in class; see syllabus for other due date. (15% and 25% each, respectively)
3) Participation in class discussions, small
miscellaneous assignments, 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. Sometimes I will ask you to write a paragraph
in response to the readings or some similar short assignment. I recommend writing notes in or on the
reading consistently—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. Quality class participation means asking good
questions more than answering them. If
you are painfully shy, you can always email me your comments or come visit during office hours. (10%)
4) Attendance. Faithful attendance is vital to
your success in this course and is required. Since emergencies plague even the
most diligent, however, you may miss up to four classes without penalty, no
questions asked or excuses required.
*For each and every class missed past four, I will deduct two points
from your final grade average.
Avoid this at all costs since it can do significant damage to an
otherwise hard-earned grade. Save your
free misses for emergencies! Perfect and
almost perfect attendance will bump up your participation grade.
I expect you to meet deadlines and due dates. Print out your papers well ahead of time, and always save a copy on disk. Late papers will have their grade reduced 1/3 a letter for each day they are late. Having said that, it is much better to turn in a very late paper than none at all; even an F, 55%, is better than zero. If you have a serious conflict with an exam, you must come talk to me well before, otherwise I will need documentation of illness or other emergency. If you miss an exam with no explanation you will receive a zero for the exam, which usually results in failure of the course. Avoid intellectual dishonesty at all costs—representing someone else’s words or ideas as your own counts as plagiarism, and if I catch you doing this or cheating on exams you will face anything from failure of the work in question to failure of the course and disciplinary action from the university. (See the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, p. 36 in the latest IUPUI Bulletin, or visit http://www.hoosiers.iupui.edu/studcode/stucode.htm#part%203, or come see me if you have questions.) Please take advantage of my office hours and email account if you have questions, need help, or just want to talk about the class.
Schedule of Assignments:
Aug. 26 Introduction, Impact of World War II
Aug. 31 World War II and the Bomb Chafe 2; MP 2 docs
Sept.2 The
Early Cold War Chafe
3; MP 3 docs
Be prepared to
discuss: 1) why the
and
why Cold War began.
Sept. 7 Postwar Politics and Labor Chafe 4
Sept. 9 Salt of the Earth ERROL
doc
Think about: how did
the Cold War transform American politics, labor,
and
ideas of reform? How was Salt of the
Earth a reflection of contemporary
politics?
Sept. 14 Containment Culture Chafe 5; MP
4 docs 4, 5
Sept. 16 Its Critics MP
4 docs 1-3 and essays
Think
about: How did World War II and the Cold War affect society and
culture—according
to Chafe? The
documents? Bailey? Marchand?
Sept. 21 Civil Rights: the Movement Chafe 6; MP 7 docs
Sept 23 The Movement Under Fire Autobiography
of Malcolm X
*papers
due
What
assumptions and strategies supported the Civil Rights movement? Who
came to question those assumptions and strategies and why? See separate
assignment, discussion questions, and paper topic on Malcolm
X
Sept. 28 JFK Chafe
7; MP 5 skim essays
Sept. 30 LBJ Chafe 8; MP
6 docs
Think about: How would you compare JFK’s
and LBJ’s domestic policies and
political strategies?
How did their legacies differ, and why?
Oct. 5 MIDTERM EXAM
Oct. 7
How
did we get into
how were our actions there consistent with the Cold War
context of the time?
Oct. 12 Vietnam II Chafe 10; MP 8 docs 6 and 7
Oct. 14
(no class – work on papers)
How
did this war get so problematic? How
were political and military goals
entwined? What was
the impact of this war on American politics, society, and
culture? What was its
impact on
Oct 19 Radicalism and the New Left Chafe 11; MP 9 doc 1
Why
did students in the 1960s become so disillusioned with the American
political system? How
did the 1960s foster the growth of both the New Left and
the New Right?
Oct. 26 Nixon Chafe
13
Oct. 28 Watergate MP 11
Why
was Watergate so serious? What was its
impact? Should we let it
overshadow our interpretation of Nixon’s presidency?
Nov. 2 The Era of Limits Chafe 14; MP 12
doc 1
Nov. 4 Body
Politics MP
10; “ERA as Catfight” - ERROL
Why were Americans
forced to re-evaluate our position in the world during the
1970s? How did some Americans try to gain power by
gaining control of their
bodies
or by using their bodies in new ways?
Nov. 9 Reagan and 1980s Culture Chafe
15; MP 12 doc 2
Nov. 11 The Business of Consumption Schlosser, Fast Food Nation
*papers
due on Schlosser
Why
were the 1980s characterized by such conspicuous consumption? How did
Reagan
both reflect and influence that trend? See separate questions and
assignment for discussion of Schlosser.
Nov. 16 Reagan and Foreign Policy Chafe 15 review; MP 13 docs
Nov. 18 The Changing Face of War Chafe bits on Gulf War and
Why did the
Iran-Contra scandal happen? What
continuities remain in
foreign policy? What
important things have changed? What are
the differences
and similarities between
Nov. 23 Wars Compared – Papers Due discuss papers
Nov. 25 Thanksgiving
Dec. 2 Implications
of Globalism MP
14
Where
did we stand domestically in the 1990s?
What major trends are visible and
how would you describe our trajectory since 1945? How has globalization
affected the
position in the world changed?
Dec. 7 Race, Gender, and Environment review
Dec. 9 Historians and the Recent Past Chafe 17
Would
you argue for change or continuity along these thematic lines?
How are developments
in these areas linked to political, economic, and foreign
policy
changes? How should historians interpret
the recent past? Do we have a
responsibility
in terms of policy making, or would that taint our interpretations of
the
past?
Dec. 14 FINAL EXAM