Development of the US from the Civil War
HIS 232-01
Winter 2018
Number of Course Credits: 3
Class Meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Meeting Times: 9:30-10:53AM
Location: Potter Center, Room FEDA
Instructor: Dr. Matthew Schownir
Contact Email:
Office Hours: I have time before or after class each day we meet
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on many important political, economic, social and cultural developments in modern United States history. Using the conclusion of the Civil War as our starting point, we will examine these major developments from the last 150 years in the context of domestic and international history. These historical developments are crucial to understanding the country and culture in which we currently live. Successful students will obtain not only a fundamental understanding of modern American history, but they will also develop critical reading and writing skills along the way.
Although this course is listed as a lecture-oriented one, students will receive a mix of lectures and hands-on activities to obtain the necessary skills and information to succeed in this course. As a result, a premium is placed on regular attendance; it will be difficult – if not impossible – to pass this course relying only on textbook readings in lieu of attendance.
COURSE GOALS
1. We will study history as a process through which our society and our country came to be as it is today. Our society in 2018 is the product of a diverse and complex past and a fuller understanding of that past will give us greater insight and perspective into the problems that challenge us.
2. To challenge you to develop your critical reading and writing skills. We will introduce you to sets of complex historical problems and ask you to order, assess, analyze and conceptualize the material in order to gain greater understanding of the particular problem with all of its ramifications.
The General Education Outcome for this course is:
GEO 5: Understanding human behavior and social systems, and the principles which govern them.
To achieve this outcome students will learn to:
•Recognize factors that determine and govern human behavior. Acknowledge the interaction of personal and social factors.
•Articulate the methods of analysis and interpretation used by behavioral sciences.
• Begin to use appropriate terms and concepts.
• When prompted, engage in discussion of the relevant issues, reflecting knowledge of behavior and systems.
• Identify the critical assumptions involved in behavioral science research and the limitations of each research method.
• Identify at least two social systems designed to regulate human behavior and the limitations of each.
Required Texts:America: A Narrative History, by George Brown Tindall and David Emory Shi, Brief 10th Edition, Norton, Volume 2
Text Book Zero - The textbook is available in a digital format and may be purchased in the bookstore.
Course Assignments: Your grade for this class will come from four assignment types:
- Class Participation Assignments: Typically consisting of discussion and primary source analyses, these assignments are initiated through class participation. Most of the time, we will examine sources and answer relevant questions together. In some cases, I may assign source documents as “homework” with a few guiding questions. Except in extreme circumstances, these assignments cannot be made up. Hence, regular attendance to class is essential to fulfilling this part of your grade.
- Weekly Quizzes: These quizzes are used to assess your knowledge of the textbook chapters prior to each class meeting. Each quiz will posted on JetNet and will be a mix of multiple-choice and true/false questions. There is no time limit to take the quiz upon activation, but the deadline for each quiz is when class begins to discuss the relevant chapter. I strongly encourage you to do the assigned readings and take the quiz the day before our class meets to discuss the material.
- Short Papers: Three times during the semester you will be tasked with writing a 2-3 page paper that will use the primary source documents we discuss in class to answer a writing prompt. The due dates for these papers are listed on the syllabus, and the instructor will provide more specifics for each paper at least a week before each due date.
- Greenwich Village Game: Midway through the semester, we will take a break from normal classwork to participate in a multiweek in-class roleplaying game. Students will be tasked with roleplaying a particular historical figure during the women’s suffrage movement of the early 20th century. A Reacting to the Past game, participation in this exercise is expected of all students and will count as a major assignment. More details will be provided by the professor
Assignment Grade Weights:Students can accumulate a total of 1000 points in this class:
- Daily Attendance and Class Participation Assignments (300 points)
- Weekly Quizzes (200 points)
- 3 Term Papers (300 points)
- Greenwich Village Game (200 points)
Jackson College Grading Scale
4.0=100-94%
3.5=93-89%
3.0=88-82%
2.5=81-77%
2.0=76-70%
1.5=69-65%
1.0 =64-60%
0.5=59-55%
0.0=0-5
Late/Make-up Policy: Make-up assignments, quizzes and exams are at the discretion of the instructor and will be allowed based on individual cases. If you must miss a class where one of these takes place, let the instructor know as early as possible. It is your responsibility to communicate effectively with the instructor in the case of all missed assignments.
Course Class Behavior:
•Be considerate.
•Do not talk out of turn.
•No cell phone use is permitted during class unless sanctioned/pre-arranged. Class participation points will be taken if any student is observed using a cell phone during lectures or films. Unless prior approval is obtained, the 1st time a student is observed ‘texting,’ or using their cellular phones for other activities 50% of their class participation grade will be forfeited. The 2nd time the same student is observed in class using a cellular phone without prior permission they will lose the other 50% of their class participation grade. If a student is unable to stop ‘texting’ or using their phones for other activities, they will be asked to leave class for the remainder of the day. Also, any students observed in class ‘surfing the net’ on cell phones or laptops, the scenario above will apply.
•Students should plan to remain seated until the end of lectures or films unless pre- arranged; leaving early disrupts other students. Students observed leaving classes before the end of films, lectures or class discussions will lose 50% of their participation grade.
•Do not sleep in class.
We are all adults, let’s behave as such. Students do not need permission to excuse themselves from class for restroom breaks. Nor do students need permission to leave the classroom if they have issues or problems requiring their immediate input. Class attendance is required and crucial. Students cannot pass the class without regular attendance. If you know you will not be attending or have missed a class, please notify the instructor.
Attendance Policy:
Failure to attend the opening class, or missing consecutive absences thereafter with no communication to the instructor, will result in the instructor issuing a “Quit” status for the student, withdrawing them from the course.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: You are expected to uphold the standards of academic integrity at Jackson College. This means you will abstain from any form of plagiarism and other forms of cheating while in this course. Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone else’s work as your own. DO NOT DO THIS. Instances of plagiarism will result in the student failing the assignment and a referral to the appropriate College authorities, with possible removal from the class or College altogether. Bearing this in mind, make sure you properly cite and credit all information that comes from external sources in your assignments.
Help: Available learning services or opportunities for students seeking help with their course work. May include information about tutors, learning centers, reserved library materials, open labs, counseling services.
Student Accommodations:
Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the office of Learning Support Services at 787-0800, extension 8270/8553 as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Notes on Course Schedule:
Below is the expected schedule for this course in the Winter 2018 semester. Be advised that changes may be made to the schedule at the discretion of the instructor, owing to illness, weather conditions, and other unforeseen events. The instructor will notify the class via email and in class announcements about any pertinent changes to the schedule as the semester proceeds.
Course Schedule:
Week / Dates / Reading / Assignments1 / 1/16 and
1/18 / Introductions, Syllabus, etc.
Review of the Civil War / Who is Dr. Schownir?
Practice Primary Source Analyses
Syllabus Quiz
2 / 1/23
and
1/25 / Chapter 16: The Era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877
Chapter 17: Business and Labor in the Industrial Era 1860-1900 / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
3 / 1/30
and
2/1 / Chapter 18: The New South and the New West, 1865-1900 / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
4 / 2/6
and
2/8 / Chapter 20: Seizing an American Empire, 1865-1913 / Paper #1 Due: February 8
5 / 2/13
and
2/15 / Chapter 21: The Progressive Era, 1890-1920 / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
Prepare for Greenwich Village Game
6 / 2/20
and
2/22 / Reacting to the Past: Greenwich Village Roleplaying Game / Attend Class!
7 / 2/27
and
3/1 / Reacting to the Past: Greenwich Village Roleplaying Game / Attend Class!
8 / 3/6
and
3/8 / Reacting to the Past: Greenwich Village Roleplaying Game / Attend Class!
Greenwich Reflection Paper Due: Thursday, March 8
9 / 3/13
and
3/15 / No Class – Spring Break
10 / 3/20
and
3/22 / Chapter 22: America and the Great War, 1914-1920
Chapter 24: The Reactionary Twenties / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
11 / 3/27
and
3/29 / Chapter 25: The Great Depression
Chapter 26: The Second World War, 1933-1945 / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
12 / 4/3
and
4/5 / Chapter 27: The Cold War and the Fair Deal, 1945-1952
Chapter 28: Cold War America, 1950-1959 / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
13 / 4/10
and
4/12 / Chapter 29: A New Frontier and a Great Society, 1960-1968
Chapter 30: Rebellion and Reaction, 1960s and 1970s / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
Paper #2 Due: April 10
14 / 4/17
and
4/19 / Chapter 31: Conservative Revival, 1977-1990
Chapter 32: Twenty-First-Century America, 1993-Present / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
15 / 4/24
and
4/26 / Today’s America / Primary Source Analysis
Weekly Quiz
16 / 5/1
and
5/3 / Final Discussion
Final Paper / Final Paper Due Thursday, May 3