H 106 American History II

Reconstruction to the Present

Section 15428, 3 Credit Hours

Fall 2004

Location: Cavanaugh Hall, Room 217

Time: Tuesdays, 5:45 to 8:25 p.m.

Instructor: Richard Gantz

Office Hours: Tuesdays 8:30-9:00 p.m., Wednesdays 8:30 to 9:00 p.m.,

Saturdays 2:50 to 3:30 p.m., and other times by appointment. Cavanaugh

Hall, Room 420

Telephone: 274-7867

E-mail: rgantz@iupui.edu

Course: This course will provide a broad survey of major political, cultural, social, diplomatic, and economic developments in America from the end of the Civil War to the present time. The class will look at how and why people have reacted to events, movements, and ideas and how the nation has changed through the years.

This course will seek to incorporate many of the educational goals as outlined in the “IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning.” These principles include basic skills in communication, critical thinking, and analysis to understand society and culture. Just as America did not evolve into a modern nation in a vacuum, history is part of a larger stream of human experience that includes art, literature, culture, science, different societies, religion, and technology. Students are encouraged to apply knowledge from other disciplines to the study of historical movements and events. A copy of the “Principles of Undergraduate Learning” is posted on the Department of History’s Home Page at www.iupui.edu/~history.

Texts: Alan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation, A Concise History of the American People, Volume II: From 1865. 4^th edition (2004).

Michael P. Johnson, ed., Reading the American Past: Selected Historical Documents, Volume II: From 1865. 2^nd edition (2002).

Quizzes and written assignments will be based on assigned readings. Follow the reading assignments as listed in the syllabus; the instructor will note any exceptions to the published schedule. Check Oncourse for any changes and assignments.

Semester Schedule:

August 31 – Introduction, United States in 1865.

September 7 – Reconstruction and Race. Read Brinkley, Ch. 15; Johnson, Ch. 15 all,

Ch. 19 #2, Ch. 20 #4 & 5.

September 14 – The West. Read Brinkley, Ch. 16; Johnson, Ch. 16 #1, 2, 3.

September 21 – Railroads and Rise of Cities. Read Brinkley, Chs. 17 & 18;

Johnson, Ch. 16 #5, Ch. 17 #1, 3, 4, Ch. 18 #1, 2, 3. Written assignment

over assigned readings.

September 28 – Imperialism Impulse. Read Brinkley, Ch. 20; Johnson, Ch. 19 #4.

October 5 – First Examination.

October 12 – Populism and Progressivism. Read Brinkley, Chs. 19, 21, 22; Johnson,

Ch. 19 #1 & 3.

October 19 – World War I and the Twenties. Read Brinkley, Chs. 23 & 24; Johnson,

Ch. 21 all, Ch. 22 #3 & 4. Quiz over assigned readings.

October 26 – Great Depression and the New Deal. Read Brinkley, Chs. 25 & 26;

Johnson, Ch. 23 all.

November 2 – World War II. Read Brinkley, Chs. 27 & 28; Johnson, Ch. 24 #2, 3, 4.

November 9 – Second Examination.

November 16 – Postwar America. Read Brinkley, Ch. 30; Johnson, Ch. 25 #3,

Ch. 26 #1, Ch. 27 #1 & 4. Written assignment over assigned readings due.

November 23 – Civil Rights Movement. Read Brinkley, Ch. 31; Johnson, Ch. 26 #3,

Ch. 27 #2 & 3.

November 30 – The Cold War and Vietnam. Read Brinkley, Chs. 29 & 32; Johnson,

Ch. 25 #1 & 2, Ch. 28 all. Quiz over assigned readings.

December 7 – Watergate and Modern Conservatism. Read Brinkley, Chs. 33 & 34;

Johnson, Ch. 29 #1 & 2, Ch. 30 #2.

December 14 – Final Examination.

Grading: The semester grade will be based on the following elements:

Attendance and class participation 10%

Three highest quiz scores 21%

First examination 21%

Second examination 21%

Final examination 27%

Quizzes over the reading assignments will be given in class on October 19 and November 30. Written assignments will be due on September 21 and November 16; late papers will be dropped a letter grade for every day they are late. Late papers should be left in my mail box in Cavanaugh Hall, Room 504M or sent to me by e-mail. Students should keep a copy of their papers. Only the highest 3 scores of the quizzes and written assignments will be counted.

The grading scale is as follows:

A+ 99-100 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69

A 93-98 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66

A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62

Examinations will cover the readings in the text, class lectures, and other materials presented in class in handouts and audio-visual presentations. Students will be expected to know significant facts, causes, and results in American history since the Civil War. It is more important to know the sequence of events, since this relates to cause and effect, rather than simply memorizing dates. Students should also be able to use critical thinking to interpret and compare ideas, episodes, and movements from the different periods of American history after the Civil War.

Cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication of research or work will result in a zero for the paper, quiz, test, or project involved. Students will be expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct as adopted by IUPUI.

Attendance: Attendance and participation in class discussions are important. The entire class will benefit from your ideas, questions, and reactions. Students who miss half or more of the class sessions will receive a zero for the attendance portion of the semester grade. Please be considerate of others and turn off cell phones and pagers during class sessions.

Makeup Policy: There will be not makeup quizzes or examinations. If a student has an excused absence due to illness or a provable emergency on a day of a quiz or an examination, the other quiz or test scores will be increased in weight to compensate for the excused work.