HISTORY 211—AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1877SPRING 2005MWF: 12:00-12:50LOCATION: DUNBAR HALL, ROOM #03202 Instructor: Christopher M. Jannings EACH STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR READING THE SYLLABUS. REQUIRED TEXTS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION: History 211 is a general survey of United States history with an emphasis on the twentieth century American experience. Throughout this semester students will examine major political, economic, social, and cultural developments that helped shape the country after the Civil War and Reconstruction. Major topics and events dominate the course: the rise of industrialization, World War I, immigration, urbanization, American imperialism, the Progressive era, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the rise of consumer culture, the Civil Rights movement, social and political changes in the 1960s, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the movement towards Conservative Republicanism. The course stresses broad themes: How the United States has dealt with a unique multicultural society, changes in the wider world, and social reform from within. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
COURSE STRUCTURE: Lecture format with specific days open for discussion of assigned readings. All students are encouraged to actively participate in those discussions. I also encourage you to raise questions and comments during lectures. This class is designed for self-motivated individuals, with active minds and rigorous study habits, who wish to better understand the American past and the world we live in today. Past experiences have taught me that the best students attend all lectures, take good notes, and raise appropriate questions. EVALUATIONS: Exams : The course features three exams, including a cumulative final. Exam material will derive from lecture notes, readings, and video presentations. A great deal of my lectures cover material not in the text book, however you are responsible for reading material not discussed in class. Exams will be in essay/short answer format. Study guides will be provided for each exam. Exam Dates :
Quizzes : I will administer two quizzes on the books by Bellamy and Lord. Quizzes will consist of multiple choice, true/false, and short answers, and will be given at the start of each hour on the day scheduled. I highly suggest that you arrive on time for all exams and quizzes. Book Review : Each student will write a scholarly book review of a historical monograph related to a topic approved by the instructor. The book must be approved by the instructor no later than Monday, January 24. The review is due in class on Wednesday, March 30. You can select a book from my handout (to be distributed in the second week of class) or pick a book on a subject related to recent United States history that you know something about, or at least interests you. Instructions:
Grades : The three exams account for 60% of your overall grade (Exam #1 20%, Exam #2 20%, and the Final 20%). Each quiz is worth 10% for a total of 20%. The book review is also worth 20% of your overall grade. The course uses the following grade scale: A=93-100% COURSE RULES:
Handicapped or Disabled Students: If you require special accommodations for seating, or taking exams and quizzes due to a handicap or disability please bring this to my attention during the first week of class so arrangements can be made. Academic Honesty: Each student is responsible for being aware of and understanding Western Michigan University policies and procedures that pertain to academic honesty. Please consult the WMU Undergraduate Catalog (pp. 274-275). These policies include cheating, fabrication and forgery, plagiarism, or complicity and computer misuse. Ifthere is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. If this should occur, you will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an exam or quiz. Electronic Mail: The only email address that should be used for communication between WMU students and WMU faculty is the email address associated with a BroncoNet ID. This email address typically takes the form “firstname.middleinitial.lastname@wmich.edu.” An example is buster.h.bronco@wmich.edu. Students cannot automatically forward email from this address to other addresses. Students can access this email account or get instructions for obtaining a BroncoNet ID at GoWMU.wmich.edu. CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS: Please use this schedule to keep up with weekly reading assignments, and for dates when exams and quizzes will be given. Ensure that all reading assignments are completed before class. Jan. 5 Course Introduction and explanation of syllabus Jan. 7 Lecture: Industrial America Jan. 10 Lecture: Industrial America/Farmers and Workers responses to Industrialization Jan. 12 Lecture: Progressive response to Industrialization Jan. 14 Lecture: Progressives (continued) Jan. 17 MLK Day (no class) Jan. 19 The United States and the World, circa 1900 Jan. 21 Quiz and Discussion: Edward Bellamy’s, Looking Backward Jan. 24 Lecture: The U. S. and World War I Jan. 26 The U. S. and World War I (continued) Jan. 28 Lecture: America in the 1920s Jan. 31 America and the 1920s/Exam Review Feb. 2 Exam #1 Feb. 4 Lecture: The Great Depression and the New Deal Feb. 7 The Great Depression/New Deal (continued) Feb. 9 Lecture: The United States in World War II Feb. 11 World War II (continued) Feb. 14 Quiz and Discussion: Walter Lord’s, Day of Infamy Feb. 16 Lecture: The Cold War Feb. 18 The Cold War (continued) Feb. 21 Lecture: The Cold War at Home Feb. 23 Lecture: America in the 1950s: The Culture of Conformity Feb. 25 Spirit Day (no class) Feb. 28-Mar. 6 Spring Break Mar. 7 Lecture: America in the 1950s/The African-American Civil Rights Movement Mar. 9 The African-American Civil Rights Movement Mar. 11 The African-American Civil Rights Movement Mar. 14 Video: Eyes on the Prize Mar. 16 Exam Review Mar. 18 Exam #2 Mar. 21 Lecture: The Liberal Consensus Ideology Mar. 23 Liberal Consensus Mar. 25 Liberal Consensus/The United States in Vietnam Mar. 28 The United States in Vietnam Mar. 30 Video: Regret to Inform April 1 Lecture: Social Protest during the 1960s April 4 Social Protest during the 1960s (continued) April 6 Video: Home Front USA April 8 Lecture: Watergate April 11 Lecture: America in the 1970s—The Rise of Conservatism April 13 The Rise of Conservatism (continued) April 15 Final Exam Review April 18-22 Final Exam: Tuesday, April 19th, 12:30-2:30 in #3202 Dunbar Hall |