Matt Harris
Office: Eggers 028
Phone: 443-9160 (TA Office), 443-2210 (History Dept. Office--messages)
E-mail:  harrismatthew@usa.net
Office Hours--Tues. 12-1:30, Thurs. 8:30-10, and by appointment
 

Weekly Schedule
Note: Discussion readings should be read before the class meets. (For example, for Feb. 4 you should be prepared to discuss in class "Andrew Carnegie, Wealth, 1889," "Samuel Gompers...," etc.) Remember, there will be pop quizzes over the readings so make sure you have read the material before coming to class.

Jan. 28 Introductions, Course Expectations, & the Secret to Doing Well in HST 102
Readings:
"Black Code of Mississippi, 1865" pp. 229-231
"Frederick Douglass, Speech to the American Anti-Slavery Society, 1865" pp. 231-232
"The Civil Rights Act of 1866" p. 233
"President Johnson's Veto of the Civil Rights Act, 1866" pp. 234-235
"The Oklahoma Land Rush, 1889" pp. 241-243
"Helen Hunt Jackson, A Century of Dishonor, 1881" pp. 248-250
Begin Reading Herland

Feb. 4 Making Sense of the Gilded Age, the so-called "Age Covered with Gold"
Readings:
"Andrew Carnegie, Wealth, 1889" pp. 261-262
"John Morrison, Testimony of a Machinist, 1883" pp. 263-264
"Samuel Gompers, Testimony on Labor Unions, 1883" pp. 266-268
"Thorstein Veblen, Conspicuous Consumption, 1899" pp. 273-275
Finish Herland and be prepared to discuss it in class

Feb. 11 Creating a Climate of Reform: Untangling the Web of Progressivism
Readings:
"Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906" pp. 302-303
"Louis Brandeis, The Living Law, 1916" pp. 303-305
"Margaret Sanger, The Case for Birth Control, 1917" pp. 305-307
"Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom, 1913" pp. 314-316

Feb. 18 America's Entry into the "Great War"
Readings:
"Woodrow Wilson, War Message to Congress, 1917" pp. 322-323
"George Norris, Against Entry into War, 1917" pp. 322-323
"Diary of an Unknown Aviator, 1918" pp. 325-236
"Woodrow Wilson, The Fourteen Points, 1918" pp. 331-332
Begin Reading Jews Without Money
Due: Biography Paper (Paper I)

Feb. 25 "The Ballyhoo Years": A Look at the Roaring Twenties
Reading:
"Motion Picture Diaries" pp. 333-334
"Herbert Hoover, American Individualism, 1922" pp. 334-336
"Paul Morand, Speakeasies in New York, 1929" pp. 341-342
"Charles S. Johnson, The City Negro, 1925" pp. 345-346
Finish Reading Jews Without Money and be prepared for a discussion
Exam Review

March 4--Midterm Exam (to be taken during lecture time in Gifford Auditorium)

March 4 (Section) The Cruel Ravages of the Great Depression
Readings:
"Meridel Le Sueur, Women on the Breadlines, 1932" pp. 352-353
"Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, 1933" pp. 353-355

March 11 "Happy Days Are Here Again": FDR and the New Deal
Readings:
"Huey Long, Share Our Wealth, 1935" pp. 355-356
"Carey McWilliams, Okies in California, 1939" pp. 363-364
"Hiram Sherman, The Federal Theater Project, 1936" pp. 364-365

March 25 World War II and the Cold War
Readings:
"Ernie Pyle, The Toughest Beachead in the World, 1944" pp. 373-374
"Virginia Snow Wilkinson, From Housewife to Shipfire, 1943" pp. 377-379
"Korematsu v. United States, 1944" pp. 384-385
"Harry S. Truman, Statement on the Atomic Bomb, 1945" pp. 385-387
"The Truman Doctrine, 1947" pp. 392-394
"Joseph McCarthy, Speech at Wheeling, West Virginia, 1950" pp. 402-403
"NCS-68, 1950" pp. 404-407
Begin Reading Manchild in the Promised Land

April 1 The Norman Rockwell Image of the 1950s
Readings:
"John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, 1961" pp. 410-412
"John K. Galbraith, The Affluent Society, 1958" pp. 414-416
"Jack Kerouac, On the Road, 1957" pp. 417-419
"Brown v. Board of Education, 1954" pp. 428-429
Finish Reading Manchild in the Promised Land and be prepared to discuss it in class

April 8 "Reassessing the Sixties"
Readings:
"Betty Friedan, The Problem that Has No Name, 1963" pp. 419-420
"Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963" pp. 433-436
"Michael Harrington, The Other America, 1962" pp. 446-449
"Students for a Democratic Society, The Port Huron Statement, 1962" pp. 450-452
"Lyndon B. Johnson, Why We Are in Vietnam, 1964" pp. 455-457
Begin Reading Rubyfruit Jungle
Due: Theme Paper (Paper II)

April 15 "The Culture of Narcissism": What Went Wrong with the 70s?
Readings:
"Articles of Impeachment Against Richard M. Nixon, 1974" pp. 472-474
"Gloria Steinam, In Support of the Equal Rights Amendment, 1970" pp. 486-488
Nyra K. Wofgang, In Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, 1970" pp. 488-490
"Jimmy Carter, The Crisis of Confidence, 1979" pp. 490-492
Finish Reading Rubyfruit Jungle and be prepared for a discussion

April 22 "The Paradox of the Reagan Years": The Politics and Culture of the 1980s
Readings:
"Ronald Reagan, The Evil Empire, 1983" pp. 502-503
"Sidney Blumenthal, Reaganism and Culture, 1988" pp. 504-506
"Mary Harron, Madonna, 1988" pp. 508-509
"Jonathan Kozol, A Homeless Family, 1986" pp. 511-514

April 29 Course Wrap-Up & Final Exam Review

May 7 Final Exam (10:15-12:15 in Gifford Auditorium)

A Note on Absences: If for any reason you are going to miss a discussion section please let me know before class, either by e-mail or by informing a member of the History Dept. staff. If there is a written assignment due and you cannot attend class, you can make prior arrangements with me to turn in the assignment so as to avoid a late penalty.

A Note on Section Grading: Part of your participation grade includes your bringing to class the reading materials the day that we discuss them. This allows us to re-read certain passages.

As always, if you have any questions about the course please come see me, or send me an e-mail.

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