AMERICAN
HISTORY II:
History H106 - Section
15424 or 15432 (CI) (3 credits)
Fall 2004, Tuesdays
and Thursdays,
Cavanaugh Hall 217
Instructor:
Dr. Nancy M. Robertson Office:
Cavanaugh Hall 503T
Office
Hours: Tuesdays.
Wednesdays,
and by appointment e-mail:
please USE ONCOURSE
In a pinch:
nmrobert@iupui.edu
“The problem with
history is that it’s written by college professors about great men. That’s not what history is. History’s a hell of a lot of little people
getting together and deciding they want a better life for themselves and their
children.”
Bill
Talcott in Studs Terkel, Working
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
II. COURSE OBJECTIVES
III. REQUIRED MATERIALS
IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
V. COURSE POLICIES
VI. CLASSROOM GUIDELINES
VII. A FEW HINTS FOR DOING WELL
VIII.
LOGISTICS
IX. SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS
I.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
History 106 is a survey of American
history from the end of the Civil War (1865) until the present (2004). There are a number of ways that different
historians approach the study of history.
This class relies on a “social history” approach. Social history is sometimes referred to as
“history from the bottom up” because it looks at the daily lives of average
people to understand the larger social forces that shaped their lives. Social historians also look at how those
“average” people worked to change those forces and their society. To understand the history of the United
States, you need to analyze both
individual people and the larger trends they were part of. We will focus on the historical trends of
expansion, economic development, urbanization, changes in legal and civil
rights, immigration and migration, and government intervention.
There are three sets of questions
that we will pay particular attention to:
Classes will include discussion as
well as lectures. Reading assignments
will include a variety of primary sources including several
autobiographies. The material is to be read for
the class that is listed on the syllabus.
You should come prepared to talk about the issues raised by the readings
and lectures.
II.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Lectures, discussions, and written
assignments are designed to help students learn how to analyze documents from
the past, take a position on a historical question, use evidence to support it,
and express their insights to others.
Gaining these abilities helps not only in understanding American
history, but also in improving critical thinking and communication skills
essential to doing well both in school and in the future. A goal of this course is to assist students
in developing their analytical and writing skills. I, therefore, count improvement in your work. These course objectives relate to the
“Principles of Undergraduate Learning” developed to identify what all IUPUI
students are expected to have mastered by graduation. You can find more about the Principles at:
http://www.iupui.edu/~history/principlesundergradlearning.htm
Survey courses can feel overwhelming
because of the amount of material covered in the course. Someone once complained that “History is just
one darn thing after another.” The
emphasis in this course is less on memorizing dates and names and more on using
that information to develop reading and writing skills to analyze why
things happened. Such analytical skills
allow the student to better understand the present as well as the past.
III.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
The books can be purchased at the
Cavanaugh Hall bookstore. In a pinch,
there is a copy of each on Reserve
in the Library. You MUST bring American Record
(AR) to class when it appears on the syllabus for that session. You may also want to bring the textbook
(DAVIDSON).
1. James West
Davidson, et al., Nation of Nations
v.2, 3rd ed. (
2. William
Graebner and Leonard Richards, The
American Record: Images of the Nation’s Past, v. 2, 4th ed. (
3. Also buy a
packet of 3x5 index cards–lined preferably
IV.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The following is an overview of the
assignments for the course with tentative due dates. They are also listed on the class schedule
below. A more detailed explanation for
each will be handed out and we will discuss the assignments in class before
they are due. Written assignments are
due at the START of class.
Both exams will
include an essay question (or questions) as well as short-answers
or
multiple-choice. A study guide will be
handed out ahead of time.
PLEASE NOTE:
V.
COURSE POLICIES
EXTENSIONS
FOR ASSIGNMENTS:
Extensions for due dates for
assignments are granted only if you contact me BEFORE the deadline. Extensions are not automatically given. You should be sure to get from me IN WRITING
a note indicating that I agreed to the later date; that note must be included
with your paper when you hand it in.
LATE
OR MISSED WORK:
Material that is handed in after the
due date (or extended due date) will generally be marked down for each day it
is late. Days means days of the week,
not class sessions.
In addition, the examples used in
the written work cannot be examples discussed in class. Work that is handed in late will not
necessarily be returned with on-time work.
Make-up exams are offered only at
the discretion of the professor.
REWRITING
PAPERS:
If you want to rewrite an
assignment, you MUST:
Ø Speak with me first.
Ø Hand in the original version when you submit the rewrite
(and any comments I made).
INTELLECTUAL
HONESTY:
Developing your intellectual skills
is possible only when you actually do the work assigned. We will have a longer discussion of
intellectual work, academic integrity, and plagiarism. Plagiarism and cheating will result in an “F”
for the work in question and possible disciplinary action by the
University. The University’s policy on plagiarism,
as stated in the IUPUI Campus Bulletin,
2004-2006 (p.36) is:
A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words,
or statements of another person without an appropriate acknowledgment. A student must give due credit to the
originality of others and acknowledge an indebtedness whenever he or she does
any of the following:
a. Quotes
another person’s actual words, either oral or written;
b.
Paraphrases another person’s words, either oral or written;
c. Uses
another person’s idea opinion, or theory; or
d. Borrows
facts, statistics, or other material, unless that information is common
knowledge.
For more information,
you can find the IUPUI Student Code of
Conduct on line at:
http://life.iupui.edu/dos/code.htm
You may also talk with me if you
have questions about what is or is not permissible.
INCOMPLETES:
IUPUI’s policy on incompletes is
that they are only for students who have completed almost all of the course
requirements and have been prevented by significant or unanticipated events from
finishing the class.
WITHDRAWING
FROM CLASSES:
If you decide to drop the class,
please note that you must submit an
official “drop slip” to the registrar (signed by the appropriate people). University policy requires assigning an “F”
to a student who stops showing up even if
that student has told the professor that she or he plans to withdraw.
VI.
CLASSROOM GUIDELINES
To enhance the learning process for
all students in this course, there are a few basic guidelines that will govern
classroom etiquette.
Class discussions will go better and
be more interesting and useful if students keep up with the reading (indicated
on the schedule below for each session).
Please bring to class the syllabus,
handouts about upcoming assignments, and AR when documents are listed for a
class session.
We will start and end each class on
time. If circumstances mean that you
must arrive to class late or leave early, please do so with a minimal amount of
disruption. In this classroom, it is
particularly difficult to arrive late and find a seat without disrupting other
students. We will go by the clock inside
this room.
Please turn off or mute cell phones,
pagers, and beepers before class begins.
I welcome questions at any time
(although I may sometimes put you “on hold” until I conclude a particular point
or topic). I do not, however, welcome private conversations between class members
while I am lecturing or your classmates are talking. In addition to being rude, such
conversations are distracting for other members of the class.
The ability to take good notes is a
useful skill, and one that improves with practice. I, therefore, ask that students not record my
lectures. If a physical disability
prevents you from taking notes without a tape recorder, please visit the office
of Adaptive Educational Services in CA‑001E and have them contact
me. You can reach them at 274-3241.
VII. A
FEW HINTS FOR DOING WELL [in this and other courses]
Come
to class. You may have to miss a
class very occasionally (see above
for my attendance policy). I strongly
encourage you to find someone who will share notes with you if you miss
class. You will usually find that other
people’s notes are rarely a replacement for being in class.
Lectures, discussions, the primary
sources, and the textbook will be mutually reinforcing ways to gain control
over information and begin to understand key questions about what happened and
why. Class discussion depends on students having read and thought about the
AR reading assignments.
Learn
how to use textbooks as a resource. You
may find it help to read the textbook (DAVIDSON) carefully once and skim it
once. If you read it before the class
session, it will help you understand what is going to be covered. Skimming it after the class lecture or
discussion will give you additional information related to the issues and
themes covered during class. While
sometimes dry, a textbook can be a useful tool for organizing a lot of
information (using its index may help you find an answer quickly, for
instance).
Participate
in class. This includes being
prepared and asking questions or contributing informed ideas or opinions.
If you are hesitant about asking
questions during class, come see me in
my office hours or e-mail me.
Generally, if you have a question about the material you have read or
something that was said in class, other people may as well. If you ask the question, they will benefit
from the answer; you may benefit from a follow-up question they ask.
Your tuition and fees pay for the
Writing Center (CA 427; 274-2049; grammar hotline 274-3000). Make
use of it. Appointments are usually
required and it gets busy around exam time.
They can work with you one-on-one to improve your writing.
I cannot stress too heavily the
usefulness of planning ahead, saving
work on your computer OFTEN, making
backups (on diskettes), and printing
out your paper early.
Get
to know some of your fellow students.
They will be able to tell you about a class that you miss. You can also study together for examinations.
Read
over comments that I make on your writing (and any handout with comments
about the assignment). Understanding
what I thought was strong about your work or what could be improved will help
you when you write your next assignment.
Information for this class will be
posted on ONCOURSE. This will include a
copy of the overview for the lecture, announcements to the class, changes in
the syllabus or due dates, some handouts, e-mail, etc. I
expect that all students in this class will access ONCOURSE regularly. Generally, I will post materials for
Tuesday’s class by 7pm the preceding Friday and for Thursday’s class by 7pm the
preceding Tuesday. I encourage you to
set your ONCOURSE options to let you know when you have ONCOURSE mail. For those of you in section with the Critical
Inquiry attachment, please note that you should access ONCOURSE through Section
15424. I will add you to that roster. If you have any difficulties with ONCOURSE,
please contact me as soon as possible.
VIII.
LOGISTICS
I have voice mail that is on twenty‑four
hours a day. You are welcome to call me
should you need to do so. If you leave a
phone message, speak slowly and clearly, provide a phone number where you can
be reached, and state times when you will be at that number. I will respond to e-mail or voice mail
messages within 48 hours (except for messages sent after 12:00 noon on Friday,
to which I may not respond until sometime late Monday).
It is your responsibility to check
classmates and ONCOURSE for materials from a class you miss. You need to contact me as soon as possible to
make arrangements for late written work.
If you need to submit an assignment
to me outside of class (either by bringing it to my office or by e-mailing it
to me), you should bring a hard copy with you the next time you come to class
unless I e-mail you that I received the paper.
E-mail does not always get through and papers can get lost; you need to
be sure that I receive your paper.
KEEP A BACK-UP COPY OF ANY WRITTEN
WORK THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO REWRITE.
You are entitled to an e-mail
account through IUPUI. I realize that
many of you prefer to use another provider for e-mail and web work. The University encourages you to set up your
IUPUI account to forward information to your other accounts. It means that you can easily access
information from the University. If you
need help setting up the account or forwarding mail, contact: http://itaccounts.iu.edu
Please note that, according to
University policy, you are, ultimately, responsible for activity on your
computer account.
FYI: There is a University web page
that will let you know if the campus is closed for snow:
http://registrar.iupui.edu/adverseweather.html
You can also call: 317/278-1600
IX. SCHEDULE
OF CLASS MEETINGS
PLEASE
NOTE: The syllabus is tentative and
subject to change. Adjustments will be
announced in class and posted on ONCOURSE.
It is your responsibility to stay on top of changes.
8/26: Introductions, overview of course objectives,
requirements, themes, and the syllabus.
Why study history?
BUILDING
AND RE-BUILDING A NATION, 1860s to early 1900s
How did the United
States become unified?
8/31: Political Reconstruction: How to rebuild the
nation after the Civil War?–DAVIDSON, ch.17.
Access the cartoon and questions on
ONCOURSE.
Answers DUE at START of class
9/2: Emancipation: What is necessary for people
to be free and equal?
9/7: The legacy of Reconstruction: How did people try to get change when the
government would not help? DAVIDSON, ch. 18: 482-492, 512.
9/9: The West: How different are the
regions?—DAVIDSON, finish ch. 18.
9/14: Industrialization, pt. 1: How did
industrialization affect the U.S.?—DAVIDSON, ch. 19 through p.532.
9/16: Industrialization, pt. 2: What was industrialization
like for workers?— DAVIDSON, finish ch. 19.
MODERN
What did it mean to be
an American (at home and abroad)?
9/21: Immigration and Urbanization: Who is an
American?—DAVIDSON, ch. 20 AND skim index for “immigration” and review
appropriate pages. See also Appendix, p.
A27
9/23: Imperialism and the U.S.’s growing role in the
world: How and why did the U.S. expand overseas?—DAVIDSON, ch. 21, esp. p.594
to end
9/28: Progressivism:
What were the problems of a modern society?—DAVIDSON, ch. 22.
9/30: What were the possible solutions?
10/5: Who gained the most (and why?)
10/7: World
War I: “Over There”: How was the U.S.’s role in the war?—DAVIDSON, ch. 23.
10/12: WWI: Over Here: How did WWI affect the country?
10/14: The 1920s: What was the second industrial
revolution?—DAVIDSON, ch. 24.
BUILDING
THE AMERICAN CENTURY, 1930s-1950s
How did America become
a superpower?
10/19: The Great Depression: What happened? How did
people respond?—
DAVIDSON, ch. 25 to page 722
10/21: MIDTERM (covering the material through
10/14–the 1920s).
10/26: The New Deal, pt. 1: What should the federal
government do in hard times?—
DAVIDSON, finish ch. 25
10/28: The New Deal, pt. 2: Who supported the New
Deal?
11/2: World
War II: the World at War: How did the Allies win?—
DAVIDSON, ch. 26: 749-763, 777-787.
11/4: World
War II: the Homefront: How did WWII affect the U.S.?—
DAVIDSON, ch. 26: 763-777, 787.
ELECTION DAY
11/9: Cold
War America: How did the U.S./U.S.S.R. relations shape the world?—
DAVIDSON, ch. 27.
11/11: The Affluent Society: What created the
American way of life?—DAVIDSON, ch. 28.
OTHER
VISIONS OF AMERICA, 1950s to the present
What were the
challenges to the American Way?
11/16: Other Americas: How did African Americans
win allies and make change?—
DAVIDSON, ch. 29: to p. 867
11/18: The 1960s: What was the impact of the civil
rights movement for all Americans?—
finish DAVIDSON, ch. 29.
11/23:
11/25: no class
11/30: The 1970s, one view: Why was it an age of
limits?—DAVIDSON, ch. 31.
Class paper due.
12/2: The 1970s, another view: What else happened?—review DAVIDSON, ch. 31.
12:7: The Reagan-Bush I Years: What was the Reagan
Revolution?—DAVIDSON, ch. 32.
12/9: The Clinton-Bush II Years and Course Review
Who is an American? What is
How will people in the future look
at our times?—DAVIDSON, ch. 33.
12/14: