AMERICAN HISTORY II: U.S.
History since 1865
History H106 - Section C249 or C250 (3
credits)
Spring 2004, Monday and Wednesday,
Cavanaugh Hall 217
Instructor: Dr. Nancy M.
Robertson
Office: Cavanaugh Hall 503T
Office Hours: Mondays,
and
by appointment
e-mail: please USE ONCOURSE
In a pinch: nmrobert@iupui.edu
phone: 317/274-8017
fax: 317/278-7800
“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 BOOKS
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
There
are three sets of questions that we will pay particular attention to:
< What are
the relationships between: different groups of Americans? different regions of the country? the
< How have
Americans understood the role of government (especially the federal
government)? What did different people
think that the role of government should be?
< How do
people change their society? How do they
make history?
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/ugprinciples.html
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 BOOKS
These
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 W&B or FPP to class when they appear on the syllabus for
that session. You may also want to bring
the textbook (DIVINE).
<Robert A. Divine, et al., The American Story, v.2 (
<Marian J. Morton & Russell Duncan,
eds., First Person Past: American
Autobiographies, v. II (St. James, NY: Brandywine Press, 1994) [referred to
as FPP].
<William Bruce Wheeler and Susan D.
Becker, eds., Discovering the American Past:
a look at the evidence, v.II since 1865, 5th ed. (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002) [you must have this edition; referred to as W&B].
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.
<
Assignments based on chapters in W&B; these are due Mon. 1/26; Wed. 2/11; Mon. 3/1; Wed. 3/24; Mon. 4/12; Mon. 4/19 [total
possible points: 120]
These assignments will ask you to
provide progressively more information for, or analysis of, the historical
question and evidence in six chapters in W&B. The written work will also help you prepare
for class discussion of the chapter.
< Written
answers (about 3 paragraphs) to questions about two of the nine people that are
required reading in FPP. The questions
will be up on ONCOURSE. You may answer
more than two questions, and I will count your two strongest answers. The first of these must be done on Black Elk,
Carnegie, Jones, or Antin while the second must be on Howe, Shaw, Guthrie, or
Sone [up to 25 points each–for a
possible total of 50 points].
< One long
paper (approximately 5 to 6 pages, i.e., 1250 to 1500 words), based on two of
the individuals in FPP, supplemented by other class materials. We will discuss this further in class. The paper is due Monday, April 26th at the start of class. There may be interim assignments to break
writing the paper down into steps.
(Altogether, these steps are worth a total possible points: 105].
< Midterm
examination, scheduled for Wed., March
10th [possible total 100 points].
< Final examination,
scheduled for Wed., May 5th [possible
total 100 points].
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.
<
Completion of reading by the assigned date, pass/fail assignments, reading
quizzes, ungraded written assignments in class, and participation in class
discussions. Each person starts off with 20 points for this
portion of the course grade. You can
raise this grade by participating thoughtfully in class. Thoughtful
participation includes being prepared and contributing useful questions, ideas,
or opinions. Likewise, this portion of
your grade can be lowered if you miss the assignments or do not attend or
participate in class. Frequent tardiness
or early departures may also affect this part of your grade. If you are uncomfortable talking in class,
contact me and I can give you some helpful hints [possible total 25 points].
PLEASE
NOTE:
iRegular attendance for the full class
period is expected in this class. You
are allowed three (3) absences in
the course of the semester (although you are expected to stay on top of the
reading). You do not have to offer a
reason or an excuse for your absence.
These absences allow for emergencies, family needs, celebrations, or job
requirements.
iIf you miss more than 4 classes (for
any reason), your final exam may be cumulative so that you can demonstrate
mastery of the material for the classes you missed.
iIn the case of a severe illness or other
prolonged difficulty, I will need official documentation.
The
grade for the course will be determined on the following scale:
TOTAL
POINTS
490
and above points.....A+
470-489 "....................A
450-469 "....................A-
435-449 "....................B+
415-434 "....................B
400-414 "....................B-
385-399 "....................C+
365-384 "....................C
350-364 "....................C-
335-349 "....................D+
315-334 "....................D
300-314 "....................D-
299
points or below.....F
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:
<Speak with me first.
<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, 2000-2002 (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 the books
(other than DIVINE) that are listed for each class session.
We
will start and end each class on time.
If circumstance 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 W&B and FPP reading assignments.
Learn how to use
textbooks as a resource. You may find it help to read the
textbook (DIVINE) 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 have the time and skills to work with
you one-on-one to improve your writing.
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 Monday’s class by 7pm the preceding Friday and for Wednesday’s
class by 7pm the preceding Monday. I
encourage you to set your ONCOURSE options to let you know when you have
ONCOURSE mail. For those of you in
Section C250 (with the Critical Inquiry attachment), please note that you
should access ONCOURSE through Section C249.
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.
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
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.
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.
1/12: 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?
Optional: 1/12 & 1/13: Documentary on Reconstruction on PBS
(channel 20), 9pm-10:30pm.
1/14: Political Reconstruction: How to rebuild the
nation after the Civil War?—DIVINE, ch.16
Access
the cartoon and questions on ONCOURSE. Answers DUE at START of class
1/19: NO CLASS
1/21: Emancipation: What is necessary for people
to be free and equal?—FPP, Campbell;
think about questions posted on ONCOURSE.
1/26: The legacy of Reconstruction: How did people try to get change when the
government would not help?—W&B, ch. 2.
W&B assignment #1 DUE
1/28: The West: How was the West “won?”—DIVINE,
ch. 17 and FPP, Black Elk.
2/2: Industrialization, pt. 1: How did
industrialization affect the U.S.?—DIVINE, ch. 18 and FPP, Carnegie.
2/4: Industrialization, pt. 2: What was
industrialization like for workers?—review
DIVINE, ch. 18: p.590-end and read
ch. 20: pp.635-36 (opening) & pp.651-658 & FPP, Jones.
MODERN
AMERICA and THE WORLD, 1880s-1920
What did it mean to be an American (at
home and abroad)?
2/9: Immigration and Urbanization: Who is an
American?—DIVINE, ch. 19, the graph on p.608 is key and FPP, Antin.
[NOTE: you need to have
done an FPP assignment by now.]
2/11: Imperialism and the U.S.’s growing role in
the world: How and why did the U.S. expand overseas?—DIVINE, ch. 20: pp.665-668
& ch. 21 (esp. map on p.692) and W&B, ch. 4. W&B #2 DUE
2/16: Progressivism: What were the problems of a modern
society?—DIVINE, ch. 22.
2/18: What were the possible solutions?—DIVINE,
ch. 23 and FPP, Howe.
2/23: Who gained the most (and why?)—FPP, Shaw.
2/25: World War I: “Over There”: How was the
U.S.’s role in the war?—DIVINE, ch. 24.
3/1: WWI: Over Here: How did WWI affect the
country?—W&B, ch. 5. W&B #3 DUE
3/3: The 1920s: What was the second industrial
revolution?—DIVINE, ch. 25.
BUILDING
THE AMERICAN CENTURY, 1930s-1950s
How did America become a superpower?
3/8: The Great Depression: What happened? How did
people respond?—DIVINE, ch. 26: pp.834-842 and FPP, Guthrie.
3/10: MIDTERM (covering the material through 3/3–the 1920s).
SPRING
BREAK - no classes 3/15-3/21.
3/22: The New Deal, pt. 1: What should the federal
government do in hard times?—DIVINE, ch. 26: p.841-end; the chart on pp.862-863
is very helpful.
3/24: The New Deal, pt. 2: Who supported the New
Deal?—W&B, ch. 7. W&B #4 DUE
3/29: World War II: the World at War: How did the
Allies win?—DIVINE, ch. 27: esp. pp.866-886 & pp.893-900.
3/31: World War II: the Homefront: How did WWII
affect the U.S.?—DIVINE, ch. 27: esp. pp.886-893 and FPP, Sone.
4/2: Last day to withdraw from Spring 2004
classes.
4/5:
Cold War America: How did the
U.S./U.S.S.R. relations shape the world?—DIVINE, ch. 28.
4/7: The Affluent Society: What created the
American way of life?—DIVINE, ch. 29 to p.952.
OTHER
VISIONS OF AMERICA, 1950s to the present
What were the challenges to the
American Way?
4/12: Other Americas: Who supported
change?—DIVINE, ch. 29: p.952-end and W&B, ch. 9. W&B
#5 DUE
4/14: The 1960s: What was the impact of the civil
rights movement for all Americans?—DIVINE, ch. 30 to p.985; FPP, Moody.
4/19: Vietnam: What was/is the legacy of this
war?—DIVINE, ch.30: p.985-end & ch. 31: pp.1011-1013 and W&B, ch. 10; FPP, Kovic (optional].
W&B assignment #6 DUE
4/21: The 1970s, one view: What was the “crisis in
confidence?”—DIVINE, ch. 31.
4/26: The 1970s, another view: What else
happened?—review DIVINE, ch. 31.
Long paper DUE.
4/28: The Reagan-Bush I Years: What were the
Reagan Revolution and the New World Order?—DIVINE, ch. 32.
5/3: The Clinton-Bush II Years: How will people in
the future look at our times?—DIVINE, ch. 33.
Course review
5/5: FINAL EXAMINATION: 10:30-12:30.
Different
time, but the location will be the same.