HIST: 2620.008
Professor Hilliard
Office Hours: Tuesdays-Thursdays 11:00 – 12:30 p.m. (by appointment only)
Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (by appointment only)
Office: Wooten Rm. 245
Telephone: (940) 565-4972
E-Mail:
(emails will be answered within 24 hours, excluding Fridays and weekends)
HISTORY 2620.008
UNITED STATES HISTORY SINCE 1865
Course Description:
The aim of this course is to understand important developments in American politics, society and culture during the past century and a half. This class will examine the social, political, and economicdevelopments that gave rise to the modern United States. Major themes of thecourse include Reconstruction, the rise of a modern urban/industrial United States and include thecontribution of major reform movements including the Populists, Progressives, andCivil Rights. The historical narrative presented in the textbook will be supplemented with primary source readings.
Required Texts:
Reader in America History: HIST 2620
Department of History, UNT
American Stories: A History of the United States: Combined Volume, Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross
Course Objectives:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the facts and chronology of the United States history from 1865 to the present. Lectures, readings and exams are also designed to help students learn how to analyze documents from the past, take a position on a historical question, and use evidence to support their views. The focus will be on analyzing why things happened as much as what happened. These skill sets will include:
a)Critical Thinking –developing an aptitude for interpreting, analyzing, evaluating and drawing inferences from factual knowledge
b)Communication Skills – the ability to convey complex ideas to others in written and oral form.
c)Personal Responsibility – ethical decision-making and the ability to link choices and actions to their consequences
d)SocialResponsibility – intercultural competence, knowledge of the historical roots of our civic responsibilities and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national and global communities.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the semester students taking History 2620 will:
1.1 Identify and understand the major eras in the United States from 1865 to the present and describe their defining characteristics.
1.1.1. Identify the social, cultural, economic, and political changes and their consequences in the United States during the Reconstruction era.
1.1.2. Identify the social, cultural, economic, and political changes and their consequences in the United States during the New South era.
1.1.3. Identify the social, cultural, economic, and political changes and their consequences in the United States during the Gilded Age.
1.1.4 Identify the social, cultural, economic, and political changes and their consequences in the United States during the Progressive Era.
1.1.5 Understand the effects of reform and third-party movements and changes in the United States political system.
1.1.6 Explain causes and consequences of late 19th century and early 20th century economic modernization and expansion.
1.1.7 Understand the contribution of labor and immigrant groups to economic modernization during the late 19th and early 20th century.
1.1.8 Explain the causes and consequences of U.S. imperialism and the nation’s rise to world power status.
2.1. Recognizethe significant events, individuals, and the social, political, and economic changes that occurred in the United States from 1877to the present.
2.1.1. Understand the United States entry into World War I
.2.1.2. Identify the social, cultural, economic, and political changes of the 1920s.
2.1.3. Explain the causes and consequences of the Great Depression and New Deal.
2.1.4 Understand the domestic and international impact of U.S. participation in World War II
.2.1.5. Identify the significant events that occurred due to the United States’ entry into the Korean War and Vietnam War
.2.1.6. Understand the impact of significant national and international decisions and conflicts in the Cold War that affected the United States.
2.1.7 Trace the historical development of the Civil Rights Movements from 1877 to the present and understand the impact of the American Civil Rights Movement.
2.1.8 Identify the social, cultural, economic, and political changes and their consequences in the United States during the late 20th century.
3.1. Demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills by analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating historical information from multiple sources. :
3.1.1. Apply historical methods to evaluate critically the record ofthe past and how historians have interpreted it.
3.1.2. Students will organize and express their thoughts clearly both in written and oral communication
Make-up Policy:
Make-up tests will only be given at the discretion of the instructor. If you know in advance that
you will miss a test, notify the instructor before missing that class. Make-ups must be
scheduled within 48 hours of the testmissed and will be administered in the History Help
Center, Wooten Hall Room 220. You will have a maximum of one week to make up any test missed.
Attendance:
While class attendance is essential in order to complete this course successfully, it is not required.
Lecture Topics and Readings:
This schedule is subject to change by the instructor.
August 30 Introduction to Class
September 1 Reconstruction Chapter 16
September 6 Reconstruction, cont. Chapter 16
September 8 Industrialization, Urbanization & Labor Chapter 18
September 13 Industrialization, cont.; Taming the WestChapters 17 & 18
September 15 Gilded Age Politics & Rural Revolt Chapter 20
September 20 Gilded Age cont.; Jim Crow & Racism Chapters 19 & 20
September 22 Test Review
September 27 TEST I (Lectures Reconstruction through Jim Crow & reader chapters 1 – 5)
September 29 Imperialism Chapter 21
October 4The Progressive Era Chapters 22 & 23
October 6 Progressives, cont.; World War I & its AftermathChapters 23 & 24
October 11 WWI cont.; The 1920s Chapters 24 & 25
October 13 1920s, cont. Chapter 25
October 18The Stock Market Crash, Great Depression & New DealChapter 26
October 20New Deal, cont. Chapter 26
October 25Test Review
October 27TEST II (Lectures Imperialism through New Deal & reader chapters 6 – 10)
November 1 World War II Chapter 27
November 3 WWII, cont. Chapter 27
November 8 WWII, cont.; The Cold War Chapters 27 & 28
November 10 Cold War, cont. Chapter 28
November 15 Cold War, cont.; Post-War Adjustment Chapters 28 & 29
November 17Post-War cont. Chapter 29
November 22 Test Review
November 29TEST III (Lectures WWII through Post-War Adjustment & reader chapters 11 – 15)
November 1The Turbulent Sixties; Shaken to the Roots Chapters 30 - 31
December 5Shaken, cont.; The Reagan Revolution Chapters 31 - 32
December 7Review for Final Exam
Thursday, December 15 FINAL EXAM (Comprehensive over lectures and reader chapters 16 – 20)
– 8:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.
Course Grading:
Tests (3 x 25%)
Final Exam 25%
Disability Statement:
The University of North Texas Dallas faculty is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (i.e.,ADA). Students' with documented disabilities are responsible for informing faculty of their needs for
reasonable accommodations and providing written authorized documentation. Any student requiring an accommodation either for class or for exams should obtain a “Letter of Accommodation”
from the Student Life Office as soon as possible.
Academic Integrity:
You will be expected to abide by the University’s code of conductand Academic Dishonesty policy. Any person suspected of academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating or plagiarism) willbe handled in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures. Refer to the Student Code of StudentRights Responsibilities and Conduct at for complete provisions of this code.
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