GREAT BASIN COLLEGE—PAHRUMP CAMPUS
HISTORY 102—U.S. HISTORY SINCE 1865
SPRING 2008
MON. & WED. 1:00 – 2;45
PVC 120
Instructor: Dr. Mary-Susan King
Phone: GBC – PVC: 775-727-2000
Home: 702-723-1152 FAX 702-723-1862
Office Hours: By Appointment
Texts: America Past and Present (Single volume 8th edition) by Divine et.al.
ISBN 0-205-53835-5
Comes packaged with:
Primary Source Supplement (3rd ed.) Wright
Catalog Description:
Survey of U.S. political, social economic, diplomatic, and cultural development from Reconstruction to the present. Includes examination of Nevada Constitution and, when taken with HIST 101, satisfies the Nevada Constitution requirement. Prerequisite: ENG 101 reading level. (3 + 0)
Course Content:
History 102 covers the period of American history beginning with Reconstruction at the end of the Civil War and extending to the present. As with most history classes, it requires a knowledge of dates, events, trends, and people in the past. But more importantly, it will give you an insight into what makes us Americans – why we think the way we do, why we act the way we do, and why we RE-act the way we do.
The history of the United States is the history of greatness (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights) as well as iniquity (the treatment of minorities, wars of extermination); both positive and negative aspects will be covered in the interest of an honest assessment of our American society.
This second section of the American story involves the continuing industrialization of the national economy, the influx of immigrants after the Civil War, increasing urbanization, racism, the rise of the U.S. as a world power, the Great Depression, the end of the Cold War, the end of “the American Century”, and what it means to be an American in the 21st Century.
Student Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, the student will:
*demonstrate a knowledge of the important dates, events, and movements of American
history from 1865 to present day and understand some of the differing interpretations of those facts; (Measurement: written assignments, exam scores)
HIST. 102 -2-
*make connections and see relationships between historic and currents events and
movements; (Measurement: essay questions on exams, written assignments)
and * better understand what goes into the writing of history. (Measurement:
written assignments and class discussions)
Assignments and Expectations:
Reading and Writing: Students taking History 102 are expected to keep up with the assigned reading schedule. There are a total of 34 short analyses in the PRIMARY SOURCE documents (TWO FOR EACH CHAPTER). Students will also be asked to write a short paper, which will give them practice in the methods of historical analysis.
Exams will be based on the texts, required reading, in-class films, and notes from lectures. There will be two exams. Exams are open book, open note, and must be written in ink or typed in the computer lab. You have been given a number of questions covering each assigned chapter of America Past & Present. You are to research and answer the questions on your own time. Sharing information for study is encouraged. Chapter questions on the exams will be taken from these study questions. NOT ALL QUESTIONS WILL APPEAR ON THE EXAMS. Lecture questions will be given at the end of each lecture.
Attendance and Participation: This course requires attendance. Those who miss class do not do well on exams, which require a synthesis of reading and lecture material. If an absence is unavoidable, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you have missed and master the material. More than three absences will negatively impact your grade. If you have to miss a scheduled exam, you MUST notify the instructor before the exam in order to take a make-up. Call the PVC office and leave a message. Make-up exams will NOT be the same as regular exams. (GBC attendance policies allow up to three absences in a three-credit class. See the appropriate section of GBC’s General Catalog 2007-2008 for the complete attendance policy.)
Expectations for Written Work: A copy of GBC English Department’s Grading Standards for College Writing is available in the GBC/PVC office.
Written assignments are to be double spaced, word-processed using 12-point font and standard script, with regular margins, on white letter sized paper.
Reading and Writing Assignments:
The requirements for the paper will be discuss in detail in separate handouts and in class. The attached course schedule lists the specific dates on which writing assignments will be due.
Evaluation and Grades:
Final grades for the course will be computed as follows:
Two exams, 175 points each 350 points
Written assignments (34 X 25 points ) 850 points
Short film analysis paper 300 points
HIST. 102 -3-
The following table shows how the different grade systems equate to each other.
GRADE GRADE POINT %
VALUE
A 4.0 100-95
A- 3.7 94-90
B+ 3.3 89-87
B 3.0 86-83
B- 2.7 82-80
C+ 2.3 79-77
C 2.0 76-73
C- 1.7 72-70
D+ 1.3 69-67
D 1.0 66-63
D- 0.7 62-60
F 0.0 59 and Below
Withdrawals: Students who wish to withdraw from the course may do so by the end of the 13th week of the semester. Withdrawal information is available through the GBC-PVC Office / Student Services. Students who do not officially withdraw will receive an F.
Incomplete: The Incomplete (I) is assigned in special circumstances (serious illness, death in the family) when a student who has completed ¾ of the course with a C or better cannot complete the course. An I must be arranged in advance with the instructor.
Grade Appeals: GBC has a standard policy for grade appeals, which is given in detail in the GBC General Catalog 2007-2008. Note that the first step is to meet with the instructor.
POLICY OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
GBC subscribes to the traditional policy of academic integrity: students are expected to be honest. This means that students are expected to do their own work. In work that utilizes the sources written by others, those sources must be given credit for exact words and ideas. Students who plagiarize (copy the work of others and pass it off as their own) are violating the standards of academic integrity and are subject to punishments ranging from failing the assignment to dismissal from the institution.
Other Issues:
Cell phones are disruptive to other students and your instructor. Make sure your cell phone is turned off before class. (Exceptions can be made for emergency workers or others on a class-by-class basis.)
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Small children cannot be expected to remain quiet during class. Please make your own baby-sitting arrangements.
Students who are late also present a disruption. If you are late, please enter quietly and with the least possible disruption to others.
This class meets twice a week for 75 minutes (or until the instructor dismisses you). If you must leave early, inform the instructor beforehand and sit in the back so that your leaving will not interrupt the class.
HISTORY 102: TENTATIVE READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE SPRING 2008
This is a tentative schedule. You will be notified beforehand if there are any changes. In order to best comprehend the reading and lecture material, students are advised to complete the reading assignment before the topic is covered in class. History 102 will cover 17 chapters of America Past and Present, 8th edition, and the documents in the accompanying PRIMARY SOURCE SUPPLEMENT.
DATE TOPIC/READING ASSIGNMENTS EXAMS/ASSIGNMENT
DUE DATES
1/21 INTRODUCTION -
Reconstruction
Ch. 16 AP&P
______1/23 Reconstruction Continued PS 16.1 – 2
1/28 Westward the Course of Empire
Ch. 17 AP&P
1/30 “Battle Born” PS 17.1 - 2
2/4 Men, Machines, and Socialism
Chs. 18 – 19 AP&P PS 18.1 - 2
2/6 Continued PS 19.1 - 2
2/11 “…Down on the Farm…”
Ch. 20 AP&P PS 20.1 - 2
2/13 A Splendid Little War…
Ch. 21 AP&P
2/18 PRESIDENTS’ DAY
NO CLASS
______
2/20 Indeed PS 21.1 - 2
2/25 Nobody Here But Us Progressives
Chs. 22-23 AP&P PS 22.1 -2
2/27 Continued
PS 23.1 - 2
3/3 The War to End War…
Ch. 24 AP&P
3/5 …And Why It Didn’t
PS 24.1 - 2
HISTORY 102 READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE -2
______
3/10 Crime Spree
Ch. 25 AP&P PS 25.1 - 2
3/12 EXAM I
AP&P 16-25; Lectures; Films; Documents
3/17 “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?”
Ch. 26 AP&P PS 26.1 - 2
3/19 Continued
______
3/24 – 3/30 SPRING BREAK
______
3/31 “The Good War”
Ch. 27 AP&P
4/2 Continued PS 27.1 – 2
______
4/7 Last Man Standing….
Ch. 28 - 29 AP&P
4/9 Continued PS 28.1 – 2
4/14 Wars Cold…And Hot
4/16 Continued
PS 29.1 - 2
4/21 “Gooood Morning, Vietnam!!!”
Ch. 30 AP&P
4/23 …And Beyond PS 30.1 - 2
4/28 Watergate
Ch. 31 AP&P
4/30 Continued
PS 31.1 - 2
5/5 The End of the American Century PS 32.1 - 2
Ch. 32 AP&P
5/7 Where do we go from here?
FILM PAPER DUE
5/12 EXAM II
AP&P 26-32; Lectures; Films; Documents
5/14 ICE
GBC/PAHRUMP
HISTORY 102
Dr. King
SPRING 2008
FILM ASSIGNMENT
Many of our first impressions of American History are derived from Hollywood movies (Pocahontas) and TV (Rin Tin Tin—Ok, I’m dating myself: Into the West). Some of it is fairly accurate and some of it is….well, Mel Gibson.
Your assignment is to pick an era of American History covered by this course—Reconstruction to Present Day. Some examples might be:
Reconstruction…or Not; Indians and Other Aliens; O Pioneers; Nobody Here But Us Progressives; The War to End War; … and Why It Didn’t; Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?; “The Good War”; Wars Cold and Hot, At Home and Abroad; “,GOOOOD Morning, Vietnam!”; Into the 21st Century…. Or some other topic that strikes your fancy. (Clear it with me first!).
Pick at least 3 videos or DVDs (preferably fictional Hollywood or made for TV—i.e., HBO, Showtime, or network—productions) covering your chosen period. See Dr. King for suggestions. Discuss each film in detail. Each discussion MUST include:
1. When the film was made, and what was going on then
2. Producers, directors, stars
3. BRIEF description of the plot
4. How HISTORICALLY accurate it was or wasn’t.
One page minimum for each film, typed, double-spaced, with margins.
If you decide to view a series, such as Ken Burns’ The Civil War, you must watch and report on the ENTIRE series.
DUE: May 7, 2008
HISTORY 102
CHAPTER QUESTIONS
AMERICA: PAST AND PRESENT
8th edition
CHAPTERS 16 – 24
16-1: Discuss the impact of the Civil War on southern society, and what traditions and institutions were destroyed by the conflict.
16-2: How did the freed slaves react to their new status after the Civil War? What did most African Americans soon realize about “freedom”?
16-3: Compare and contrast the executive and congressional plans for reconstructing the Union. Discuss their objectives and discuss which plan was better for the nation. Explain.
16-4: How successful was the North in reconstructing Southern society during Reconstruction?
16-5: Who benefited the most from the plans of Reconstruction and who benefited the least?
16-6: Explain why, by the early 1870s, it was evident that Northern interest in Reconstruction was waning. Why were the Redeemers able to “take back” the South?
17-1: describe the major military confrontations between Native Americans and settlers on the post-Civil War frontier.
17-2: Discuss the impact the frontier had on American attitudes, behavior, and institutions.
17-3: Is Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier thesis” viable? YES or NO, and WHY?
17-4: Discuss the nature and hardships of life on the Great Plains in the late 1800s. What developments helped to alleviate these hardships?
17-5: Contrast the life on the western frontier for the miner, cattleman, and farmer. What social and economic factors contributed to the lifestyle developed by each group?
17-6: If you were a Sioux chief relocated to a reservation in Oklahoma in 1900, what would you tell your grandchildren about your life and that of your people before the white came and what happened to that life once the white man arrived on the Great Plains.
18-1: Discuss why industrial development occurred at such a rapid pace after the Civil War.
18-2: Discuss how the railroad industry pioneered the economic developments of the late 19th century.
18-3: Could American industrial growth have occurred without the industrial giants of the period? YES or NO, and WHY?
APP—CHAPTER QUESTIONS 16-24 -2-
18-4: How had the definition of work changed by 1900? How did workers respond to the change, and were they successful?
18-5: You are a steel worker in Pennsylvania. What reasons would you have for joining a union? Describe your hopes and aspirations for yourself and your family.
19-1: Discuss the purpose of the Settlement House movement. Evaluate its objectives and methods.
19-2: The new immigrants of the late 19th century faced many hardships as they sought a place in American society. How do you account for their ability to make a home in America? What internal and external resources were available to make the transition easier for them?
19-3: Compare the role of the political machines and the social reformers in dealing with the new urban environment of the late 19th century. Which group was more successful?
19-4: Discuss how the changing American residential patterns of the late 19th century reflected the larger changes in American society as a whole.
19-5: Compare and contrast the ideas of William Graham Sumner and Richard Ely.
20-1: Politics were a major interest in American society during the late 19th century. How successful were the Democrats and Republicans in dealing with the major issues of the time? Was it inevitable for a 3rd political party to be formed?
20-2: “The election of 1896 was a turning point in American political history.” YES or NO, and WHY?
20-3: Did American farmers have any alternative to the political system for solutions to their problems in the late 19th century? Explain.
20-4: Discuss why the Populist Party was unsuccessful in reaching beyond its
narrow base of support. (Include an analysis of their platform, candidates, and supporters.)