A315/H511
United States History Since WWII

Section(s): 6065/6047

Day(s): Tuesday - Thursday

Time: 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

Instructor: M. H. Little

Telephone: (317) 274-0098

Email: mlittle@iupui.edu

Welcome to A315/H511 United States History Since World War II. This course is designed as the third in a three-part sequence, beginning in 1890. The course is topical within a chronological framework. Emphasis is placed on the study of political, demographic and intellectual changes in American society since 1945, although some sessions will be devoted to earlier periods as well as the development of post-WWII U. S. Cold War foreign policy and current problems and challenges confronting Americans too.

Coursework will consist of attending weekly lectures and discussions of information contained in lectures, readings and other course materials, occasional quizzes over course materials, two 5-7 page essays (excluding cover and end-notes pages), and a midterm and final examination. Please note that prompt and regular attendance as well as the completion all assignments and examinations is absolutely essential for successful completion of the course. Students’ course grades will be calculated on the basis of: (a) attendance and participation--20%; (b) written assignments--30%; quizzes--10%; and examinations--40%. Late submission of assignments will result in the deduction of one entire grade for each day that it is late. Please note too that tardiness to class in excess of 15 minutes after the class is scheduled to begin--unless prior notification is given the instructor--will be counted as an absence. It is understood that there are always unforeseen events which may prevent a student from attending class, but in the event that this occurs, students are also required to report their absence immediately at the telephone number listed at the top of this syllabus. For a more detailed explanation of the objectives of this course as they relate to IUPUI’s undergraduate education goals, please consult the following link: Principles of Undergraduate Learning. All of the information contained in this syllabus is subject to change.

Administrative Withdrawal

A basic requirement of this course is that you will participate in class and conscientiously complete writing and reading assignments. Keep in touch with me if you are unable to attend class or complete an assignment on time. If you miss more than half our class meetings within the first four weeks of the semester without contacting me, you will be administratively withdrawn from this section. Our class meets twice per week. Thus, if you miss more than four classes in the first four weeks, you may be withdrawn. Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications. Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and if you are administratively withdrawn from the course you will not be eligible for a tuition refund. If you have questions about the administrative withdrawal policy at any point during the semester, please contact me.

Academic Dishonesty

It should be noted that any form of academic dishonesty committed in the course will not be tolerated. This includes obvious types of dishonesty such cheating on examinations and plagiarism as well as submitting the same paper for credit in two different courses. Any student who is found guilty of such criminal behavior by the instructor will be awarded an F for the course as well as having his/her dishonesty recorded as a permanent part of his/her student record. For a more detailed explanation of the different types of academic dishonesty, please consult the IUPUI Student Responsibilities and the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbooks.

The following texts are required reading for the course. They are available for purchase at either the IUPUI Bookstore, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com. Readings marked with an asterisk (*) can be accessed through Oncourse or JSTOR.

William H. Chafe, The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II. 5th Edition

Thomas R. Frazier (ed.) The Many Sides of America: 1945 to the Present

Daniel Horowitz (ed.), American Social Classes in the 1950s: Selections from Vance Packard’s The Status Seekers

James S. Olson and Randy Roberts (eds.), My Lai: A Brief History with Documents

Walter LaFeber, Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism

Weekly assignments are as follows.

Week Of:

Aug. 22nd - Introduction to the course
Discussion of course objectives
Discussion of instructor’s and students’ expectations

Aug. 29th - World War II’s Impact on Post-War America
Read: Chafe, pp. 3-30

Neil A. Wynn, “The ‘Good War’: The Second World War and

Postwar American Society.” Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 31

No. 3 (July, 1996), pp. 463-482.*
Martin J. Sherwin, “”Hiroshima as Politics and History.” Journal of

American History, Vol. 82 No. 3 (Dec., 1995), pp. 1085-1093*

Sept. 5th - The Cold War and the Search for National Security

Lecture: The Origins of the Cold War

Read: Chafe, pp. 31-75; Frazier, pp. 8-16

Sept. 12th - Post-war Social Reform and Anti-Communism

Lecture: McCarthy and the Anti-Communist Hysteria

Read: Chafe, pp. 76-105; Frazier, pp. 29-41

Written Assignment #1 due Thursday, September 15, 2005

Sept. 19th - Eisenhower, Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy

Lecture: The Eisenhower Administration

Read: Frazier, pp. 53-60
Fred I. Greenstein, “Eisenhower as an Activist President: A Look at New

Evidence.” Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 94 No. 4 (Winter, 1979-

1980), pp. 575-599*

Douglas Kinnard, “President Eisenhower and the Defense Budget.” The

Journal of Politics, Vol. 39 No. 3 (Aug., 1977), pp. 596-623*

Sept. 26th - Popular Culture and the 1950s - I

Video: “I Love Lucy: The Very First Show”

Read: Chafe, pp. 106-138; Frazier, pp. 61-70

George Lipsitz, “The Meaning of Memory: Family, Class and Ethnicity in

Early Network Television Programs.” Cultural Anthropology, Vol. 1

(Nov. 1986), pp. 355-387*

Oct. 3rd - Popular Culture and the 1950s – II

Read: Horowitz, pp. 1-195
Kenneth T. Jackson, “All the World’s a Mall: Reflections on the Social

and Economic Consequences of the American Shopping Center.”

American Historical Review, Vol. 101 No. 4 (Oct., 1996), pp. 1111-

1121.*

Oct. 10th - Kennedy, Liberal Activism and the New Frontier
Lecture: The Kennedy Administration

Read: Chafe, pp. 174-215; Frazier, pp. 82-94

Take-home midterm examination due Thursday, October 13, 2005

Oct. 17th - Racial Reform and Politics

Video: “Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings, 1954-1957”

Read: Chafe, pp. 140-173, 216-240; Frazier, pp. 71-82

Oct. 24th - U. S. Foreign Policy, Southeast Asia and Vietnam

Lecture: The Vietnam War

Read: Chafe, pp. 241-265, 266-293; Olson and Roberts, pp. 1-199;

Frazier, pp. 129-136

Written Assignment #2 due Wednesday, October 27, 2003

Oct. 31st - Racial Polarization, Feminism and the New Left

Video: “Berkeley in the Sixties”

Read: Chafe, pp. 294-332, 333-368; Frazier, pp. 136-148

M. Schreiber, “Opposition to the Vietnam War Among American

University Students and Faculty.” British Journal of Sociology,

Vol. 24 (Sep., 1973), pp. 288-302*

Nov. 7th - The Embattled Presidency

Lecture: Nixon and Watergate

Read: Chafe, pp. 369-415; Frazier, pp. 159-183

Nov. 14th - Carter, Regan and American Conservatism

Lecture: The Carter and Reagan Administrations

Read: Chafe, pp. 416-454, 455-480; Frazier, pp. 205-223

Nov. 21st - American Corporations, Globalization and Consumerism

Video: “Merchants of Cool”

Read: LaFeber, all

Nov. 28th - The Republican Revolution vs. Democrat Centrist Politics

Lecture: The Bush and Clinton Administrations

Read: Chafe, pp. 481-523; Frazier, pp. 267-323

Dec. 5th - The United States and the New Century
Lecture: TBA
Read: Chafe, pp. 525-548

Dec. 12th - Classes End

Final Examination Tuesday, December 13, 2005 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.