HISTORY 1051: American History Since 1877
Fall2008Professor Gerald Prokopowicz
M, W, F12:00-12:50Office: Brewster A-307
Brewster B-205Office hours: MWF10-12
Course website:
SYLLABUS
This course will introduce you to the history of the United States, from the end of the Reconstruction to the very recent past, when history and current events begin to overlap.
GOALS
1. Acquire a general understanding of the outlines of American history since 1877, including a recognition of the diversity of American experiences. When you complete this course, you should have the basic awareness of historical events, people, and places characteristic of every educated person.
2. Develop your ability to think critically about the past. When you complete this course, you should be better able to grasp relationships between events, appreciate the complexity of historical causation, and apply your awareness of past events, perspectives, and ways of life to your understanding of the present. You should also begin to recognize the contingent nature of historical interpretation and debate, and to improve your ability to distinguish between fact, interpretation, and opinion. Finally, you will gain experience in developing and expressing in writing your own understanding of the past. This is a tall order, but it is why History is such a vital part of a liberal education.
THEMES
To organize our study of political, social, economic, and cultural developments in American history, we will focus on two broad themes:
--The transition from a decentralized rural society and an agricultural economy in the 19th century to a more centralized urban society and an industrial economy in the 20th century.
--The expansion of America’s role in world politics.
A third theme that we will encounter is the nature of history. What is history? How can we know what happened in the past? Why does it matter? How should we judge between competing versions of the past? These are questions we will address to give you the ability to think usefully about history, not just memorize facts.
REQUIREMENTS
RequirementWeightNotes
Attend classes40 %includes participation in discussions and grades on
quizzes, written exercises, etc.
Midterm exam10 %
Book review*20%*To receive a passing grade, you must submit a
Final exam*30 %book review and take the final exam.
ATTENDANCE
Plan to attend all classes. Most meetings will consist of lectures presenting material not found in the readings. Some meetings will require your active participation, in the form of a discussion, a quiz, a short written assignment to be turned in, or some other exercise. Questions, discussion, and interaction during lectures are always welcome.
Woody Allen (and others) are alleged to have said that “80% of success is just showing up.” In this class, you can earn half of your attendance grade(20 %) just by showing up. Pointswill be deducted after two non-excused absences (documentation is required for university excused absences).
The other half of the attendance grade (20 %) will be based on your participation in discussions, grades on quizzes, and other assignments.
MIDTERM EXAM
Friday, October 10.
BOOK REVIEW
You will be required to write an analytical book review (not a book report) of a history book of your choice (with instructor approval), not exceeding 750 words. It should identify the author’s thesis, and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.
Please select and obtain a copy of a book to review, no later than Friday, October 3. The book you select may be available from various sources, including Joyner Library, Sheppard Memorial Library, local bookstores, or online. Some may be available at the campus bookstore, but none have specifically been ordered for this class.
The review is due in class on Wednesday, November 12. Late reviews will be marked down one full grade for each day they are late; no reviews will be accepted after Friday, Nov. 14.
Plagiarism.Do not commit plagiarism by copying a book review from the internet or a printed source. If a review has been copied (in whole or in part), or paraphrased (taken from another source and rearranged to appear original), it is plagiarized. It is wrong to take credit for another person’s work. Ideas are the currency of the university, and a student who passes off someone else’s work as his or her own is guilty of academic theft (see Article III of the University’s Judicial Code in the Student Handbook Online). The minimum punishment for a student found guilty of plagiarism will be a failing grade for the course. Additional consequences, up to expulsion from the university, may follow.
FINAL EXAM
Friday, December 5.This will cover material from the entire course.
READINGS
You will benefit much more from the lectures if you do the assigned readings in advance. The books should be available at the campus bookstore.
Henretta, Brody and Dumenil,America: A Concise History (3rdedition).
Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection (5th edition) with Primary Source Investigator CD
Note: EastCarolinaUniversity seeks to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students requesting accommodations based on a disability must be registered with the Department for Disability Support Services located in Slay 138 (252) 737-1016 (Voice/TTY).
Schedule
Week 1: August 20-2210,000 BCE to 2000read:Davidson & Lytle, After the Fact,
pp. xi-xxxi; CD Prologue.
Wed:What History Isn’t
Fri:12,000 Years in 50 minutes
Week 2: August 25-291877-1900read: Henretta, et al., America, pp.452-504, 581-87 Davidson & Lytle, After the Fact, 177-206.
Mon:The New South
Wed:The Old West
Fri:Where History Comes From
Week 3: September 1-51876-1920read: America, pp. 505-65; After the Fact210-233,
438-448; CD ch. 17, source 1 (Sandow fitness).
Mon: no class meeting
Wed: Rise of Big Business
Fri:City Life
Week 4: September 8-121876-1920read: America, pp. 566-80, 587-627; After the Fact,
pp. 234-261, CD ch. 10, source 4 (Neill-Reynolds
Report).
Mon:Populism and the Election of 1896
Wed:The Progressive Era
Fri:Immigration
Week 5: September 15-191898-1918read: America, pp. 628-83.
Mon:Expansion and the War with Spain
Wed:Over There.
Fri:The War at Home
Week 6: September 22-261919-1929read: America, pp. 683-722; After the Fact,
pp. 262-288.
Mon:Return to Normalcy
Wed:Modern Times
Fri:The Roaring Twenties
Week 7: September 29-October 31929-1933read: America, pp. 723-751; After the Fact,
pp. 289-316.
Mon:The Crash of ‘29book review choices due
Wed:The Great Depression
Fri:??
Week 8: October 6-101933-39read: America, pp. 752-779
Mon:The New Deal
Wed:exam review
Fri:Midterm exam
Week 9: October 13-171921-1945read: America, pp. 780-787, 799-811; After
the Fact, pp. 317-345.
Mon:Fall Break—no class meeting
Wed:Clouds of War
Fri:World War II
Week 10: October 20-241941-1959read: America, pp. 787-798, 812-31
Mon:The Atomic Bomb
Wed:The Home Front
Fri:Cold War
Week 11: October 27-311945-1963read: America, pp. 831-60; After the Fact,
pp. 346-373.
Mon:Truman and McCarthy
Wed:The Affluent Society
Fri:??
Week 12: November 3-71954-1963read: America, pp.860-873.
Mon:Civil Rights
Wed: Camelot
Fri:The End of the World
Week 13: November 10-141963-1969read: America, pp. 873-914; After the Fact,
pp. 400-431.
Mon:The Great Society
Wed:VietnamBook review due
Fri:Rise of the Youth Culture
Week 14: November 17-211970-1980read: America, pp. 915-51; After the Fact,
pp. 374-399.
Mon:no class meeting
Wed:National Malaise
Fri: Morning in America
Week 15: November 24-281980-2000read: America, pp. 951-82; After the Fact,
pp. 432-462.
Mon: New World Order
W-F:Thanksgiving Break—noclass meetings
.
Week 16: December 1-3April 232001-
Mon:Living History
Wed: review
Final exam:11:00 am –1:30 pm, Friday, December 5.