HST 102: The United States Since 1865HST 102: The United States Since 1865
COURSE DESCRIPTION: History 102 is intended to be an introduction to U.S. history from the end of the Civil War until the present. While such a course cannot be fully comprehensive, it will focus on many of the important developments and major trends that have shaped modern American life. These include: the impact of the end of slavery upon African Americans, the South, and the nation as a whole; the effects of immigration, ethnicity and religious diversity; the rise of modern culture, technology, consumerism and communications; U.S. expansionism and growing involvement in world affairs; struggles for equal rights and justice; protest movements; the upheavals of the 1960s and the impact of Vietnam and Watergate; the "Reagan Revolution"; the end of the Cold War; the presidency of Bill Clinton and the beginnings of the third "American century." Although much of this inevitably will center on public events and persons in national leadership, we also shall explore the lives and experiences, contributions and insights, of ordinary people.
In the various readings-textbook, primary sources, and "coming of age" accounts-as well as through multi-media resources, students will see how others have experienced, written about, and interpreted history. More importantly, through discussions and various types of assignments, students will have a chance to do history, and not just to read about it. In the process, they will begin to learn something of how historians think about and investigate the past, and will start to develop their own critical, historical perspectives. It is hoped that, by the end of the semester, students will not only know more about the American experience, but will have learned how to construct persuasive arguments, to use evidence effectively, and to hone a variety of analytic skills that will be of value to them both at SU and in the future. HOW THIS COURSE WORKS: IMPORTANT: Classes begin promptly as scheduled; students are expected to be on time and to remain until the session comes to an end. Except in cases of emergency, students should not leave early, or plan to exit and then return; this is disruptive to the flow of lecture or discussion, and rude.
For lectures: While attendance will not be taken at every lecture, it will be taken frequently and randomly. On those occasions, students will be given tickets before the beginning of each class, which they must sign and hand personally to their own T.A. at the end of the session. No tickets will be distributed after 10:05 a.m., and they will be collected at the end of lecture. Students are permitted no more than three unexcused absences from lecture during the semester. For each unexcused absence over three, one point will be deducted from students' final course grade average.
Normally, lectures will end at 11:00. However, since we are allocated the entire period (until 11:20), there may be occasions when the lectures will last longer than an hour. In such cases, it should be understood that students are to remain-and remain attentive!-until the lecture is completed. ABOUT YOUR DISCUSSION SECTION AND YOUR T.A.: Discussion sections are an essential component of this course. Many materials-including much of what will be emphasized in papers and exams-will receive little or no detailed coverage in lectures. All the Teaching Assistants assigned to History 102 are well qualified, experienced, knowledgeable, and interested in students. They look forward to working with you, and to helping you both in and outside of class. In addition, you should know that the professor and the T.A.s meet at least weekly in preparation for sections, as well as to ensure uniformity in grading standards, content of assignments, etc. Also, as I will repeat below, I will visit each discussion section by the middle of February. This is both because I want to see all of you in a smaller and more personal setting, and because I want to make sure that they are going smoothly. [That's why I visit early, rather than late, in the term!]
PERSONALIZING THE IMPERSONAL (a message from MST): This is, obviously, a big class. I want you to know that its size is at least as disconcerting to me as it is to you. While I like teaching this course, I find it frustrating that I can't get to know each of you personally, since I regard personal contact as the most satisfying aspect of teaching. Here's what I plan to do to overcome this difficulty: (1) My office hours are primarily for you--and I urge you to come see me during them. If the times are inconvenient, I will be happy to schedule an appointment at another time. (2) While T.A.s bear primary responsibility for grading your work, I do read a representative sample of each set of papers and tests-and am always glad to read any paper or test on which a student would like my comments. (3) By the middle of February, I plan to visit each discussion section. I want to do this so that we can encounter each other in a smaller group, and to make sure that the sections are going well. (4) Approximately halfway through the semester (as well as at the end of the term), you will have a chance for evaluation of both me and your T.A. However, if you have comments, suggestions, or problems at any other time, you should feel free either to come see me or to write a note to me (which can be placed anonymously in my mailbox). (5) The time between the end of lectures and 11:20 is yours. I intend to stay in the lecture hall so long as students wish to come up and chat (conversations can continue during my office hours, after lecture, too). (6) During the semester, we will have one or two informal sessions with refreshments and time for additional conversation.
Here's what you can do about the impersonality. Make an effort to get to know both me and your T.A. Come to our office hours, make an appointment, or hang around after class. Know that your presence and your comments (even your criticisms) are always welcome. In short, take the initiative--and both the T.A.s and I will do our best to respond!
READINGS: All readings are required. The schedule below will indicate daily assignments from the textbook, as well as the additional materials within larger units. In addition, you will receive a supplementary syllabus from your section leader, indicating specific reading assignments from the non-text materials. Important: The ordering of assignments, and selection of materials from the "Documents Set," may vary slightly from TA to TA, so it is essential that you rely only on the schedule appropriate to your section.
COURSE WEBSITE and OTHER INTERNET RESOURCES: This course has its own website; the URL is http://geocities.datacellar.net/Wellesley/1116/102home.html [It is suggested that you bookmark this site, so you won't have to type this out every time you access it!] On this site you will find a great deal of information, including a copy of this syllabus, information on contacting the professor and your T.A., paper assignments, links to useful internet resources, information that will be of help in writing your papers, etc. In addition, our textbook, Out of Many, has its own website at http://www.prenhall.com/faragher While some of the information on that site is also on the CD-ROM that comes with the book, you will find additional material there, and relevant links.
We also will be using e-mail as an important mode of communication in this class. Each section will have its own internet discussion list ("listserv"), and there will be an overall course mailing list for general announcements, etc. Among other things, you'll be getting a daily news summary, so that you can keep up with "history in the making." [Links for following up on this summary will be found on the course website.] Additionally, students are encouraged to use e-mail as a way of getting in touch with the professor, their T.A.s-and each other! You'll be hearing more about this in your sections. But it is important that you get in the habit of checking your e-mail regularly (daily, if possible), so that you will not miss anything.
TESTS: There will be two types of tests in this course. The midterm (March 4) and the final will be closed-book exams, taken by all students at the same scheduled time, and will consist of both short answers and essays. The final exam will emphasize materials covered after the midterm, but will also contain a cumulative section that covers the entire course. Additionally, there will be 7 short quizzes in sections, each approximately 5 minutes in length, on the reading assigned for that day. These will be unannounced in advance, cannot be "made up," and the top 5 scores each student receives will comprise a substantial portion of her or his section grade.
PAPERS: The first paper (c. 5 pages, due in section during the week of February 15) will consist of a brief biographical research project. Each student will select (by random drawing) a subject for this project, and will be expected both to write a short narrative of the person's life and (through consultation of materials in Bird Library) to compile an annotated bibliography of materials by and about this individual. You will receive more details about this project, including a list of reference works that can serve as useful starting points, well before it is due. Also, several help/information sessions with reference librarians will be held, to familiarize you with Bird's many appropriate and available research resources.
The second paper will focus on a theme addressed by several of the non-text readings. It will be 5-6 pages long, and will be due in section during the week of April 12. You will be given the specific topic shortly after Spring Break, and you are encouraged to consult individually with the instructor or your T.A. in the process of doing this assignment. While preliminary drafts will not be required, you are both permitted and encouraged to submit one.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES:
1. DEADLINES AND EXTENSIONS. To forestall problems and misunderstandings later on, here is the policy: Since you are receiving paper due dates and exam times at the beginning of the term, it is assumed that you will plan accordingly, and will consider potential conflicts with other courses and extracurricular commitments. Therefore, extensions will be granted only in extraordinary or emergency circumstances, and (except in dire emergencies) only if specific circumstances are explained in advance to the professor or to your teaching assistant. Grades on papers that are turned in after the beginning of class on the due date (without prior permission) will automatically be lowered at least one letter in grade (more, if tardiness is extended). No unexcused late papers will be accepted more than one week after the original due date. Similarly, if you absolutely cannot take the midterm on the scheduled date, please make arrangements with the professor or your teaching assistant well before its date. If you have an accident, or are suddenly ill, etc., and cannot make advance provision, you must present written explanation, signed by either physician or dean, as soon as you can. It is hoped that this covers all contingencies, and that it helps to have things in writing. . . .
VERY IMPORTANT: A paper is not considered to be "turned in" if it is not handed personally to your T.A. In other words, it is not to be put in anyone's mailbox, slid under an office door, or given to another student to turn in for you.
This class meets three times a week-twice for lectures, and once for discussions. Attendance is required at both lectures and discussion sections. You are responsible for all material covered and for any handouts or any announcements that are made. It should be noted that lectures and sections will cover material not contained in the readings, so if you must miss a class you should borrow notes from a classmate. Students are expected to participate in section discussions, and are encouraged to ask questions at any time during lectures. You should also be aware that all class meetings will assume prior familiarity with pertinent readings; therefore, you should complete the readings before the date for which they are assigned. [While prior completion of the readings is strongly advised when it comes to lectures, it is absolutely essential in advance of sections.]
| Paper I (Biography) | 15% |
| Paper II | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Section (attendance, participation, & quizzes) | 20% |
[NOTE: Discussion sections will not meet during the first week of the term; they will meet for the first time during the week of January 25. Consult the Spring Timetable for the time and place that your section will occur.]
TU 1/19-Introduction to the Course
TH 1/21--Reconstructing the Nation: Toward a United States
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 512-530
TU 1/26--Reunion and Reaction: Election of 1876 & the Origins of the New South
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 530-543
TH 1/28--The "New West": Migration, Mines, Machines
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 544-581
TU 2/2--The Ordeal of Industrialization: Workers, Robber Barons, and Radicals
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 582-603, 622-631
TH 2/4--Entering the "Gilded Age": The Search for Order
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 603-622, 631-636
TU 2/9--"Manifest Destiny" Redefined: The New American Mission
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 636-649
BIOGRAPHY PAPER--due in Sections during the week of February 15.
TH 2/11--Entering the Twentieth Century: The Concept of Progressivism
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 650-660, 675-683
TU 2/16--Opportunity and "Social Control": The Two Faces of Progressivism
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 660-675
TH 2/18--"The Great Crusade": A War to End All Wars(?)
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 684-719
TU 2/23--"Return to Normalcy": Panorama of the "Jazz Age"
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 720-739
TH 2/25--Wet Dreams in a Dry Land-or, Both Ends Against the Middle
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 739-753
TU 3/2--Herbert Hoover and the Great Crash: Entering the "Great" Depression
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 754-763
TH 3/4--MIDTERM EXAM
TU 3/9--FDR and the "Charismatic Cure"
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 763-775
TH 3/11--The New Deal and the Growth of Governance
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 775-789
[Spring Break--No Classes on March 16 & 18.]
TU 3/23--The Culture of the Thirties: Toward Recovery-and War
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 790-803
TH 3/25--World War II: Holocaust, Hiroshima, and the Homefront
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 803-829
TU 3/30--The "American Century": Communism, Cold War, and the Perils of Global Power
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 830-863
TH 4/1--The Eisenhower Years: Were They Really "Happy Days"?
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 864-888
TU 4/6--Kennedy and Camelot: Crossing the New Frontier
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 888-915
TH 4/8--Civil Rights and the "Great Society"
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 915-929, 940-945
SECOND PAPER--due in Sections during the week of April 12.
TU 4/13--Quagmire: Vietnam and the War at Home
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 930-940, 945-954
TH 4/15--"Bring Us Together"(?): The Resurrection of Richard Nixon
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 954-959, 966-975
TU 4/20--Watergate and the Crisis of Confidence
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 959-965
TH 4/22--The "Lean Years": From "Why Not the Best?" to the "Me Generation"
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 975-997
TU 4/27--From "A New Beginning" to "Read My Lips": How Real was the "Reagan Revolution"?
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 998-1023
TH 4/29--"First in His Class": The Clinton Years, from Hope to Humiliation
Readings: Out of Many, pp. 1023-1039, Possible Handouts
TU 5/4--From "New World Order" to "New Covenant": Toward the Millennium
Readings: Possible Handouts
The final exam for this course is scheduled for Friday, May 7, 10:15-12:15 (in Gifford Auditorium, our usual lecture hall).
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