A421/H511 Complacency & Change in the 1950s

Section C278/C300, 3 Credit Hours

Spring 2004

Location: Cavanaugh Hall, Room 215

Time: Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00 to 5:15 p.m.

Instructor: Richard Gantz

Office Hours: Mondays 5:20-6:00 p.m., Saturdays 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and other times by appointment. Cavanaugh Hall, Room 313, Cubicle “T.”

Telephone: 257-6334

Course: This course has two major objectives. It will provide an in-depth examination of America in the 1950s. This is a period that is frequently seen as a time of economic prosperity and self satisfaction when the status quo reigned. The course will look at popular culture, society, politics, and technology to determine how much life, ideas, and attitudes changed in the decade. A second goal of the course is to look at how historians use information, evidence, and objects to interpret the past.

Texts: James T. Patterson, Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974. (1997).

David Halberstam, The Fifties. (1993).

Follow the reading assignments as listed in the syllabus; the instructor will note any exceptions to the published schedule.

Semester Schedule:

January 12 – Introduction.

January 14 – Postwar America. Read Patterson, Chapters 1, 3.

January 19 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday, no class.

January 21 – Communist Tensions. Read Patterson Chapters 4, 5; Halberstam

Chapters 1, 3.

January 26 – Korea. Read Patterson Chapter 8; Halberstam Chapters 4, 5.

January 28 – Truman & MacArthur. Read Halberstam Chapter 7. First written

assignment due.

February 2 – Housing & the Suburbs. Read Halberstam Chapter 9. Graduate topic

proposals due.

February 4 – Food. Read Halberstam Chapter 11.

February 9 – McCarthyism. Read Patterson Chapter 7; Halberstam Chapter 24.

February 11 – Radio/Early Television. Read Halberstam Chapter 13, 16, 17. Graduate

class presentation outlines due.

February 16 – Fashion. Second written assignment due.

February 18 – Sports & Recreation. Read Patterson Chapter 11; Halberstam Chapter 12.

February 23 – Transportation.

February 25 – Midterm Examination.

March 1 – Selling America. Read Patterson Chapter 12; Halberstam Chapters 10, 33.

March 3 – Objects of the 1950s.

March 8 – Eisenhower. Read Patterson Chapter 9; Halberstam Chapter 18.

March 10 – World Affairs. Read Patterson Chapter 10; Halberstam Chapters 25, 26, 27.

March 15 – Spring Break, no class.

March 17 – Spring Break, no class.

March 22 – Movies.

March 24 - .Television Programming I. Read Halberstam Chapters 15, 34.

March 29 - Television Programming II. Third written assignment due.

March 31 – Religion/Sex/Morals. Read Halberstam Chapters 20, 21, 37, 38, 40.

April 5 – Women/Teenagers/Children. Read Halberstam Chapter 39.

April 7 – Counter Culture. Read Halberstam Chapters 19, 22.

April 12 – Music. Read Halberstam Chapter 31.

April 14 – Race. Read Patterson Chapter 13; Halberstam Chapters 28, 29, 30, 36, 44.

April 19 – Space. Read Halberstam Chapter 41.

April 21 – Auto Design. Read Halberstam Chapters 8, 32, 42.

April 26 – Television Quiz Shows. Read Halberstam Chapter 43. Fourth written

assignment due.

April 28 – Covert Operations. Read Patterson Chapter 14; Halberstam Chapter 45.

May 3 – Nixon & Kennedy. Read Halberstam Chapters 23, 46. Graduate term papers

due.

May 5 – Final Examination.

Grading: 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

For Undergraduates: The semester grade will be based on

Attendance and class participation 13%

Four written assignments 32%

Midterm examination 25%

Final examination 30%

Attendance: Attendance and participation in class discussions are important. The entire class will benefit from your ideas and thoughts. Please be considerate of others and turn off cell phones and pagers during class sessions.

Makeup Policy: There will be not makeup examinations. If a student has an excused absence due to illness or a provable emergency on a day of the midterm examination, the final test score will be increased in weight to compensate for the missed examination.

Written Assignments: Unless directed otherwise, students should use complete sentences and an essay format in the written assignments. Back up your statements with explanations and examples from your readings. Written assignments are due on the days noted in the semester schedule (January 28, February 16, March 29, and April 26). If you become ill on a day that an assignment is due, you may either e-mail the assignment to me or put it in my mail box in the history office (Cavanaugh Hall, Room 504 M) some time before class. Make sure that you keep a copy of your assignment. Grades on late papers will be reduced by a grade step (B to B – for example) for each day that it is late.

Plagiarism: Evidence of plagiarism and cheating will mean a failing grade on the assignment or test. This includes use of another student’s work, extensive use of published and/or internet materials, or use of writings without citations.

For Graduates: The semester grade will be based on

Attendance and class participation 10%

Four written assignments 20%

Term Paper or Presentation 25%

Midterm examination 20%

Final examination 25%

The above policies for attendance, makeups, written assignments, and plagiarism also apply to graduate students.

In addition to requirements for undergraduate, graduate students must either complete a term paper or make a presentation to the class on a subject related to the course. The study must not only relate what happened in the subject areas but should include an analysis of what the events or change meant for Americans. Students must submit a topic proposal with a brief explanation of the parameters of the study and a list of likely sources on February 2. Both secondary and primary sources must be used. Term papers must be 12 to 15 pages in length, typed double space with end notes or footnotes, and a bibliography of sources used. Term papers will be due on May 3. Students who select a class report project should prepare a 25 minute presentation. A general outline of the subject must be submitted for approval by February 11. A bibliography of sources used must be submitted the day of the presentation. The presentation will be evaluated on how well the student covers the topic, clarity of the presentation, evidence of use of a variety of sources, and use of appropriate illustrations and examples.