|
Texas Wesleyan University Course Syllabus Spring 2018 |
|
|
Course: HIS 2324-05 Modern American History, 1877-present |
Course Meeting Time:
Tue/Thurs 1:30-2:45 Location: PMC 125 Office: PMC 244 |
|
Instructor: Chris Ohan |
Office Hours: Monday and
Wednesday 9-12 and 2-3; Tuesday and Thursday 3:30-5:30, or by appointment |
|
Phone: 817-531-4913 |
|
|
E-mail: cohan@txwes.edu |
Webpage: www.historymuse.net |
This was the first nation in the history of the world
to be founded with a purpose…. “All men are created equal”—“government by the
consent of the governed”—“give me liberty or give me death.”… In their name
Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around the world
they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives. –Lyndon B.
Johnson (1965)
Course
Description: “This course will enable students to develop
and demonstrate an adequate survey knowledge and understanding of American
geography, politics, society, culture, economics, ideas, and beliefs from 1876
to the present.” [Another way to put it:
A survey of major internal and external developments and trends in U.S. history
after the Civil War/Reconstruction period and from its rise as a global power
in the Spanish American War to the present.
Relying on lecture and class discussion of source material, this class
will focus on the importance of ideas for the period surveyed.]
Course
Learning Outcomes: Students should be
able to demonstrate a basic understanding of US history since Reconstruction;
use historical comparison as an analytic tool; recognize the different
interpretations of US history; appreciate and interpret multiple forms of
evidence (textual, visual, oral, statistical, artifacts from material culture);
differentiate between the major primary and secondary sources used in
interpreting modern US history and understand how each is used.
This
course is required as a partial fulfillment of the 12 credit hour GEC
requirement in Cultural Literacy.
Learning Objectives Program
Goals
|
Objective 1: Students
completing this course should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of
the major events in US history since 1900. |
1. Develop a general
knowledge of human history, including a basic chronology of both western and
non-western societies covering time periods from the ancient to the modern. |
|
Objective 2: Student ought
to be able to use historical comparison as an analytic tool; recognize the
different interpretations of the various themes within this half world
history. |
2. Understand
Historical Interpretation and Historiography. |
|
Objective 3: Students should
appreciate and interpret multiple forms of evidence (textual, visual, oral,
statistical, artifacts from material culture); differentiate between primary
and secondary sources and understand how each is used via a. reading essays and primary sources relative to the
period b.
writing DBQ
essays using primary sources. c.
using computer
software to produce all assignments. |
3. Learn the various skills
associated with the craft of history. These skills include: a. Reading Comprehension and
Cognitive Skills b. Historical Thinking
Skills c. Research Skills d. Written Communication
Skills e. Oral Communication Skills f. Computer Literacy |
|
Required Materials: |
Foner, Give Me Liberty Vol. 2 (5e) |
|
|
Foner, Voices of Freedom Vol. 2 (5e) |
|
|
Additional texts on website
(above) |
Instructional Methods/Class Format: Most class meetings will
consist of a lecture (with some give and take as questions come up) and
discussions of texts from the Voices of
Freedom reader. Please do not
hesitate to bring up relevant questions and comments. On the university level, I assume that you
will complete the assigned reading—especially from the Voices text—for each class.
Class
Schedule: See below.
Evaluation
and Grading: Your grade for the semester will be based on
three tests (10%, 15% and 25% respectively), and two outside-of-class essays (40%),
plus 10% for participation. Please see
the Grading Rubrics posted on Wesleyan’s History Program website for specific
grading criteria regarding written work.
Tests: There will be
two exams plus a final exam. The first exam will be multiple-guess, true/false
and short answer; the second will be half essay and half multiple-choice; and
the final will be all essay. All exams
will cover lecture material, occasional audio/video material, assigned
supplemental readings, and discussions—basically anything that is covered in
class meetings. In total the three exams
will make up 50% of your course grade.
The final exam will not be comprehensive.
Test topics will come from supplemental texts,
lectures, class discussions, occasional video material, and the textbook. Test dates are listed below.
1. 20 February
2. 05 April
3. 10 May (Final Exam time: 1pm)
Short Essays: Three short essays (2-3 type-written pages in
length) will be assigned during the course of the semester over supplemental
readings. The top two essays will make
up 40% of your final grade. The specific
essay questions are on the Essay Question Sheet. The objective of the essays is for you to
demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate primary sources as a way of
retelling or arguing a perspective regarding an event in US history. (This is, by the way, the historian’s craft.)
Writing for
this course should employ standard academic formatting—double spaced, 12-point
Times font, 1 inch margins all around—with citations following either MLA or
Chicago style. If you need help with
this see the guides on the links page of the class website, the Wesleyan
library or the instructor. Correct use
of source information and citations is assumed on the college level. Failure to cite or format according to one of
the styles listed will result in a lower grade.
See Grading Guidelines on the class webpage for specific grading
criteria regarding written work.
Late
Submissions: Please note that work submitted after the
specific time that it’s due will be penalized at the rate of one letter grade
per day. No work which is more than 4
days late will be accepted. Please do
not waste time with excuses; just get assignments turned in.
Classroom Participation: Class
discussion is an integral part of this class.
Students are expected to complete the required readings before coming to
class. If you do not complete the
assigned readings prior to a class meeting, you may be quizzed or asked to
leave the classroom.
Make-up for the exams is discouraged and will be administered only for
officially excused absences. Students
normally perform poorly on make-up exams.
Please note that the format of any makeup exam will be at the discretion
of the instructor.
Internet/Blackboard: Feel free to send e-mail to
the address above. Email is the official
means of communication outside of actual class meetings so do check it
regularly. In addition, this syllabus,
the lecture/reading schedule, as well as some of the course readings and any
other class handouts will be posted on the above web address. Please note that all outside of class writing
assignments will be submitted via Blackboard.
Attendance is mandatory.
If you miss more than 3 classes (for us, the equivalent of one week) consider
the effect on your grade. Should you
miss more, please do not offer excuses, notes or request special
consideration. Keep in mind a) that
“dropping a course” is perfectly legitimate when circumstances arise that
prevent you from completion, and b) that I should not be expected to change
class expectations based on your circumstances.
You are responsible for all class assignments regardless of
attendance. Quizzes covering assigned
readings may be given at any time and factored into the course grade at the
discretion of the instructor. If you are
unable to complete this course, you must withdraw from it. Please note that if you miss more than the
equivalent of one-week’s worth of class, I reserve the right to drop you from
the course. The last date to drop is
Tuesday, 17 April.
Texas Wesleyan University
Policies:
·
Students should
read the current Texas Wesleyan University Catalog and
Student Handbook to become familiar with University policies.
· Cheating, plagiarism (submitting another person’s
material as one’s own), or completing assignments for another person who will
receive academic credit are impermissible. This includes the use of
unauthorized books, notebooks, or other sources in order to secure or give help
during an examination, the unauthorized copying of examinations, assignments,
reports, or term papers, or the presentation of unacknowledged material as if
it were the student’s own work. Disciplinary action may be taken beyond
the academic discipline administered by the course instructor. Course exams may
not be printed out. Any person possessing a hardcopy of a course exam will be
in breach of copyright and may be held liable.]
·
Texas Wesleyan
University adheres to a disability policy which is in keeping with relevant
federal law. The University will provide appropriate accommodation as determined
by the Director of the Counseling Center, Dr. Michael Ellison. Students must
notify instructors of any permanent or temporary disabilities and must provide
documentation regarding those disabilities prior to the granting of an
accommodation. For assistance, students should consult with Dr. Ellison at mellison@txwes.edu or (817) 531-7565.
·
Course syllabi
are intended to provide students with basic information concerning the course.
The syllabus can be viewed as a 'blueprint' for the course; changes in the
syllabus can be made and students will be informed of any substantive changes
concerning examinations, the grading or attendance policies and changes in
project assignments.
·
Any course taken
at Texas Wesleyan University and repeated for a grade must be repeated at Texas
Wesleyan University. Any course taken at another university may be repeated at
Texas Wesleyan, and the most recent grade on the course will be counted. When a
course is repeated, the grade point average will be computed using the most
recent grade achieved.
· As noted in the catalog under the Unified
Discrimination and Harassment Policy, Texas Wesleyan University is committed to
providing an environment free of all forms of prohibited discrimination and
sexual harassment. If you have
experienced any such discrimination or harassment, including gender- or
sex-based forms, know that help and support are available from the following
resources:
o
Complete
online incident report: StART Incident Report Form
o
Contact
Campus Conduct Hotline (24 hours a day): (866) 943-5787
o
Campus
security (24 hours a day): (817) 531-4911
o
Dean
of Students: deanofstudents@txwes.edu OR (817) 531-4872
o Please be aware that all Texas Wesleyan University
employees, other than designated confidential resources (i.e., Community
Counseling Center) are required to report credible evidence of prohibited discrimination
or harassment to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, or to one of the Title
IX Assistant Coordinators. If you wish
to speak to someone confidentially, please contact the Community Counseling
Center at (817) 531-4859 to schedule an appointment.
Academic Integrity:
Familiarize yourself with Wesleyan’s Student Code of
Conduct. Academics are not only devoted
to learning, research, and the advancement of knowledge, but also to the
development of ethically sensitive and responsible persons. By accepting
membership in this class, you are joining a community characterized by free
expression, free inquiry, honesty, respect for others, and participation in
constructive change. All rights and
responsibilities exercised within this academic environment shall be compatible
with these principles.
Academic Dishonesty is a breach of the Student Code of
Conduct. Dishonesty includes:
- Plagiarism, representing the work of another as
one's own work;
- Preparing work for another that is to be used as
that person's own work;
- Cheating by any method or means;
- Knowingly and willfully falsifying or
manufacturing scientific or educational data and representing the same to
be the result of scientific or scholarly experiment or research;
- Knowingly furnishing false information to a
university official relative to academic matters;
- Soliciting, aiding, abetting, concealing, or
attempting conduct in violation of this code.
Academic Dishonesty will not
be tolerated in this course. Any offense will result in an F in the class (not
simply on the assignment) and be referred to the appropriate academic officials
for adjudication. If you have any questions regarding this subject please see
me. For a detailed description and
further clarification, please see the link for “Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty”
on my website, the 2017-2019 Wesleyan Catalog (p. 84-86), or the Student
Handbook.
Miscellaneous:
- Education is a
privilege not a right.
- I facilitate
learning. The burden of learning is
always on you.
- Unless used to
retrieve relevant online documents, turn your cell phones and other mobile
devices off and put them away. I
reserve the right to confiscate any mobile device that disrupts the
learning environment. If there is
an issue that necessitates corresponding electronically or receiving a
call during class time, do not come (this should not be regarded as a
reason to skip class). Please note
that if someone’s electronic device makes a sound of any kind during
class, a pop quiz will immediately be given to the entire class.
- Since much of the
class material can be related to current events (national and
international), you are expected to have a sense of what’s going on (i.e.
headline news). This, by the way,
is one mark of an “educated” person.
My Goal in teaching this class is not that you “learn” the
modern history of the US. (Learning
about the past is, however, an important consequence.) Rather, my goal is to teach you how to think
critically about the past which is more useful.
For our purposes, therefore, ideas will hold precedence over facts,
dates, and the like. It is important
that you consider the classroom an open forum for discussion—of anything
related to the themes and topics of the course.
(Of course, any argument—whether spoken or written—must be
supported.) While I (or other students)
may challenge beliefs/perspectives, realize that the purpose is not to change
them. An open/tolerant attitude is
essential in this class. Remember—this
is a college course where you ought to be able to discuss things openly and
intelligently. If you choose to be
intolerant and interrupt class discussion, I reserve the right to ask you to
leave the classroom.
Tentative Lecture Topic and Reading List
(Numbered items are found in Foner’s
Voices of Freedom text)
|
January 18 |
Introduction |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 23 |
iRead Worksheet Exercise |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 25 |
Nineteenth Century Introduction From Isolation to Empire: The Spanish
American War Readings: Foner 16, 17; 104. “Sumner on Social
Darwinism;” Beveridge, “America’s Destiny”; T. Roosevelt, “Message on the Caribbean”; 114. Strong, Our Country; 115. “Aguinaldo on American Imperialism in the
Philippines” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 30 |
The Progressive Era: Sources, Leaders,
and Issues Readings: Foner 18; 122. “Wilson and the New
Freedom”; Sinclair, “The Jungle”; Addams, “The Spirit of Youth”; Gompers, “What Does the Working Man Want?” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 1 |
Wilson: The Invasion of the U.S. and the
War to End War Readings: Foner 19; 124. Wilson, “A World Safe for Democracy”;
125. Bourne, War is the Health of the
State; 126. “A Critique of the Versailles Peace Conference” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 6 |
Politics and Society in the “Roaring Twenties” Readings: Foner 20; 136. “Meyer and the
Meaning of Liberty”; Antin,
“Russian Jews”; Bourne, Trans-National America; 129. Bond, “The Great Migration”; 135.
“Congress Debates Immigration”; 100. Douglass, “The Composite Nation”; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 8 |
The Great Depression:
Causes and Solutions FDR and the New Deal Readings: Foner 21; 140. Steinbeck, The Harvest
Gypsies; 142. FDR, “Speech to the Democratic National Convention”; 143.
“Hoover on the New Deal and Liberty”; Lesueur, “Women
on the Breadlines”; FDR, “First
Inaugural Address” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 13, 15 |
Reaction and Counteraction:
The American Road to War The United States in World War II Readings: Foner 22; 147. FDR, “The Four Freedoms”;
149. “The American Century”; 153. “African Americans and the Four Freedoms”;
154. “Dissent in Korematsu”; Hersey, “Hiroshima”; Evans, American
Women at War |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb
20 |
Test #1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 22 |
Joseph Stalin: “Man of the Year” Crash Course on all things Soviet Readings:
Foner 23 (pp. 905-927); Kennan,
“Sources of Soviet Conduct”; 156. “The Truman Doctrine”; 157. “NSC-68”; 158. Lippmann, “A
Critique of Containment”; 159. Universal Declaration of Human Rights; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 27 |
The Early Cold War in America Readings: Foner 23 (pp. 927-939); 161. “McCarthy on the Attack”; 162.
Smith’ s Declaration of Conscience; 163. Herberg, “The American Way of Life” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 1, 6 |
Vietnam |
|
|
|
Readings:
Foner 24 (pp. 957-968, 978-981), 25 (pp. 1002-1014, 1024-1028), 26
(pp. 1037-1041); 155. “Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam”; 176. “Potter on the Anti-war Movement”; MLK, “A Time
to Break Silence” |
|
|
March 8, 20 |
America’s “Backyard” (Latin America) Readings: 180. Jimmy Carter on Human Rights; JFK,
"Alliance
for Progress" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 22 |
Reagan, Gorbachev, and the End of the Cold War Readings: Foner 26; 187. Reagan, “First
Inaugural Address”; Gorbachev “Speech
Dissolving the USSR”, “43rd
U.N. General Assembly Session” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 27 |
Post Cold War America Readings: Foner 27; 189. “Bill Clinton, Speech on the Signing of NAFTA”;
190. “Declaration for Global Democracy”; 191. “The Beijing Declaration on
Women”; David Rieff, Slaughter in Yugoslavia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 3 |
Searching for a New Diplomacy in a Global
Society Readings: Foner 28; 190. “Declaration for Global
Democracy”; 193. “National Security Strategy”; 194. “Byrd on the War in
Iraq”; 198. “Security, Liberty, and the War on Terror”; Mohammed Atta, The
Last Night; Abbas Amanat, Empowered
Through Violence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
April
5 |
Test 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 10 |
1950s: The Early Civil Rights Movement Readings: Foner 24; 96 “Petition of the Committee on Behalf of the Freedmen to
Andrew Johnson;” 97. “The Mississippi Black Code;” 100. Douglass, “The
Composite Nation”; 121. Terrell, What it means to be Colored…”; 166.
“The Southern Manifesto”; 174. Johnson, “Commencement Address at
Howard” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 12, 17 |
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X: Two Different Approaches to
Civil Rights LBJ’s “Great Society” Readings: Foner 25; 146. Du Bois, “A Negro Nation within a Nation”; 170. “MLK
and the Montgomery Bus Boycott”; MLK, Letter
from a Birmingham Jail; 172. Malcolm X, The Ballot or
the Bullet; Carmichael “Black
Power” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 19 |
The Chicano Civil Rights Movement: Chavez and the Plight of Migrant Farm
Workers La Raza Unida Readings: Foner 25 (pp. 1018-1019); 116. “Gamio on a
Mexican-American Family and American Freedom”; 152. “World War II and Mexican
Americans”; Mendez v.
Westminster; 178. Chavez,
“Letter from Delano”; Gonzales, Congressional Record, 91st Congress; |
|
|
April 24 |
Women’s Rights Movement Readings: Foner 25 (pp. 2014-1017); 117. Gilman, Women and Economics; 120. “Sanger on
“Free Motherhood”; 127. Catt, “Address to Congress on Women’s Suffrage”; 177.
“The National Organization for Women”; 180. “Brochure on the ERA”; 185
Schlafly, “The Fraud of the ERA”; Friedan, “The Feminine Mystique”; Roe v. Wade |
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 26 |
The Gay and Lesbian Civil Right Movement Readings: Foner 25 (pp. 1017-1018), 28 (pp. 1125-1126);
Kennedy and O’Connor on Lawrence; 197. Kennedy, Opinion of
the Court in Obergefell v. Hodges |
|
|
May 1, 3 |
The Status of Civil Rights Today Readings: Foner 28; 175. Port Huron Statement; 192.
Charukamnoetkanok, “Triple Identity”; 196. Mahoney, “Called by God to Help”; 199. Obama, Eulogy at Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church |
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 8 |
Final Class: Review |
|
|
|
|
|
|
May
10 |
Test
3 (1-3pm) |
|
HIS 2324-05 Essay Questions and Due Dates
Spring 2018
The
objective of these essays is for you to demonstrate your ability to use primary
sources in formulating arguments. Please
note that use of information/sources other than the assigned readings or
textbook should not be used.
Papers
should fully answer each set of questions, be logical, coherent, and
grammatically sound. All essays must be 2-3 pages (typed and double-spaced, MLA
or Chicago style). Papers are due by 10 am on the date listed and should be
turned in through Blackboard. Because one of the essay grades is dropped.
Arguments
differ from opinion in that arguments require evidence.
Remember
that only two of the papers will count toward your final course grade. If you
write all three, only the top two grades will be used.
Essay 1: February 6
(This question is based on
the discussion from class on January 30.
The objective is for you to
portray/explain/describe a specific time period/event based on information in
primary sources.)
Using the documents assigned
for January 30, explain/describe what made the Progressive Era a time of reform
in the United States.
Essay 2: March 20
(This question draws on class
and readings on March 1 and 6. The objective is for you to construct an argument
based on information in primary sources.)
The Vietnam War had a
profound effect on the United States.
Using the documents listed for March 1 and 6, argue whether or not the
US was justified in a) opposing Ho Chi Minh’s bid for independence and b) sending
US troops to the country.
Essay 3: May 3
(This question looks at
readings on civil rights from April 24 and 26.
The objective is for you to
not only understand the arguments in these documents, but for you to find a
similar contemporary position for which these primary source documents can be
used as support/evidence.
Recent issues
involving law enforcement officers and representatives of minority
groups—whether those are connected to movements such as “Black Lives Matter” or
are seen in the racial profiling of, for example, Arab Americans at airport
security checks—seem to indicate that civil rights remains an import issue in the
US today.
Examine the
Supreme Court’s rationale for allowing women to have abortions in Roe v. Wade (1973). How is that rationale similar to that in the
Supreme Court’s rationale in Obergefell
et al. v. Hodges (2015)?
Then, find a
contemporary, credible source document (from 2015 until now) describing a
problem for which the rationale of these two Supreme Court decisions could be
used to solve or at least constructively address civil rights issues in the US
today.
Hint: For this last assignment, the similar or
common rationale will serve and the thesis of the essay.