HISTORY OF THE SOUTH SINCE 1865

(History 5477-01, Graduate Students)

Instructor: Dr. Cita Cook Spring Semester 2005

Office: 3210TLC (678-839-6037) Email: ccook@westga.edu

Office Hours: Tuesday, 2:00-5:00; Wednesday, 3:30-5:00

And by appointment

Class meetings: Monday and Wednesday, 2:00-3:15 (Room 204 Pafford)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will learn the basic events and developments that affected different groups of southerners from the end of the Civil War to the late twentieth century while developing skills in reading and critiquing both secondary and primary documents. In their exams and their other assignments, they will demonstrate the ability to describe and analyze the impact of key economic, political, social, and cultural forces in this history as well as what different individuals and groups did to affect the history, what problems they faced, how they tried to overcome those problems, and how this varied for people in different circumstances. Some of the issues to be considered will be Reconstruction, the rise of sharecropping and cotton mills, Populism, the Lost Cause, the Depression, the rise of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, and the South since air conditioning. A special effort will be made to discuss how the impact of the key events differed depending on individuals’ geographic region, race and ethnicity, religion, sex, economic circumstances, and social status. Graduate students will also demonstrate in discussions and written assignments the ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the ways in which different scholars have researched and discussed the history of the South.

TEXTBOOKS

William J. Cooper, Jr. and Thomas E. Terrill, The American South: A History, Volume II, Third Edition

Escott, Paul D. and David R. Goldfield, Major Problems in the American South: Volume II: The New South, Second Edition

Douglas Flamming, Creating the Modern South

Branch, Taylor, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1854-63 (not needed until later in the semester)

There will also be frequent handouts of other readings, some for all students and some only for graduate students. It is highly recommended that everyone find and review regularly the information in any fairly recent textbook covering the history of the United States since 1865 as all students will be expected to be familiar with the most significant developments in U.S. history that set the context for what is covered in this class.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

I. Class Attendance, Participation, and Short Assignments - 5% of the semester grade

A. Class Attendance: Classes will involve a combination of lectures, discussions, and occasional videotapes. Some of the information and ideas of the course will be presented or explained only in class, so you should take some notes during the lectures. Regular attendance is required. If you have to miss a class, you are responsible for discussing with me whether it is excused and for arranging to get any handouts, to find out what was covered in class, and to make up any missed assignments. In most cases, you can find any new assignments on the class website, but the extra reading handouts will not be available on-line. You should average at least nine to twelve hours of study a week for the class (three to four hours for every hour in class). If you are doing this and still feel confused or overwhelmed, please make an appointment to meet with me or to discuss your concerns by telephone. Too often instructors find out too late about problems that could have been solved fairly easily with earlier notification.

We shall arrange for some time when graduate students will meet with me as a group each week to evaluate the articles assigned only to you and to discuss your special projects. You are required to make at least two appointments (which, if necessary, can be by phone) during the semester to discuss with me your special project. At least one meeting should be within the first two weeks of the semester and at least one within the first two weeks after the midterm exam. Part of your participation grade will be based on the extent to which you follow my directions for the different steps leading up to your final paper.

B. Weekly Reading and Comment Sheets: Each assignment will include a list of study questions and identifications to indicate what you should be learning from the reading and what you need to study for the tests. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER THE STUDY QUESTIONS IN WRITING and I do not have time to correct attempts to do so. If you are not sure of the answer to any of the questions, please ask about them in class and/or in your weekly comments. The assignment sheets will include a list of the basic developments in American history that you need to know to understand the reading. If they are unfamiliar to you, refer to any basic text in American history and only then, if necessary, ask about them. The class discussions will be conducted on the assumption that everyone has read all of the reading assigned for that day. Ask any questions or say what you had trouble understanding, but always be prepared to present some kind of reaction to the reading.

Everyone is required to hand in a Comment Sheet each week, indicating briefly what you consider the most significant points in the reading, any thoughts you have about the material covered in the reading and in class, and/or any questions you have, including any positive or negative reactions to the reading or class. Prospective teachers may add thoughts on how you might teach the material we have covered that week. Although the comment sheets will not be graded, THE CREDIT YOU RECEIVE FOR PARTICIPATION WILL DEPEND ON WHETHER OR NOT YOUR COMMENT SHEETS SHOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE THE READING. They should not, however, include a lot of specific information. Try to emphasize your own ideas about the information. The comment sheets will be handed back so you can receive feedback from me and use them for review.

Graduate students need to hand in an additional statement each week on the scholarly essays assigned only to graduate students, as well as on any reading done for the essay due at the end of the semester. Each of these statements should include answers to the five questions listed on the handout for “Graduate Students’ Comments on Scholarly Articles.”

C. Short Assignments: There may be a few short graded homework assignments, some graded and some not.

II. Extra Credit Points

You can receive up to three extra credit points for your final semester grade by writing reports on activities that teach you more about the history such as approved movies, lectures, or museum exhibits, but only about activities you have done this semester. There will be a special sheet listing some recommended extra credit activities and explaining what needs to be done to gain the credit. I reserve the right to determine if any report is or is not worthy of extra credit.

III. Essays - 45% of the semester grade

Three essays (typed, unless you have special permission) will be assigned. The first will be 4-7 pages on the book by Douglas Flamming (due March 28 and counting 15%) and the second will be 2-3 pages on the book by Taylor Branch (due May 2 and counting 5%). You will receive a handout with specific directions at least two weeks before each essay is due. The second essay will be less formal and involve less analysis, showing mainly that you have read the book and giving your general reactions to it.

You will also write a 12-15 page review essay of several articles and books on a particular topic (due May 2) which will count 25%. There will be a special handout of directions for it. Each student should discuss with me by the third week of class the particular focus you wish to take for the review essay and should hand in progress reports at several points during the semester. With special permission, students working toward a Master’s Degree in Education may include some lesson plan material as part of this assignment.

Every spring the History Department awards the Elizabeth L. Parker Prize for the best paper on the history of Georgia, with an award of $100. Students who wish to submit a paper for this award may substitute for the review essay a research paper of 15-30 pages on the history of Georgians since 1865 based on an approved list of at least four primary and four secondary sources, one of which must be a journal article. Anyone wishing to do such a paper should make an appointment within the first two weeks of the semester to discuss a possible topic and to be given more specifics of the requirements set by the contest.

IV. Open Book In-Class Essay - 10% of the semester grade

On February 2, you will answer during the last hour of class an essay question using any books or notes that you wish. This is to give you a chance to gain feedback on the kinds of essay questions that will be asked on the (closed book) exams.

V. Exams - 40% of the semester grade

There will be a midterm examination (with identifications on February 28 and an essay on March 1) and a final examination (on May 4, 2:00-4:00) based on both the reading and the class lectures. Each will count 20% of the semester grade. The final exam will include some choice between questions covering the whole semester and questions covering just the second half of the semester. The exams will not require any specific information that was not covered in the study questions, but you may have to think about the information in a new way. Each test will involve a combination of identifications (only ones listed on the weekly assignment sheets) and essay questions of varying lengths. If you miss a test because of a validated excuse and prior permission of the instructor, you are responsible for arranging a time to make it up.

VI. Academic Honesty

All academic papers or presentations submitted at the State University of West Georgia should reflect only the work of the individual student seeking credit for the work. This does not mean that students should not study together, only that they need to work alone when doing the final version of an assignment. Any use of the ideas, information, or words of anyone else, including paraphrasing of their words and ideas, without crediting them is plagiarism and is a crime. A direct quote of the words (even only a few words) of someone else must be in quotation marks as well as have a note of its source. Any clear evidence of plagiarism or any other kind of cheating on a test or any other graded assignment (after consultation with the student) will result in a permanent zero for that assignment. See the section on Academic Honesty in the Catalog or Uncatalog.

SCHEDULE

This schedule is tentative. Pay attention to the weekly assignment sheets for any changes, as well as for the details of what you are expected to read and write.

1. January 10, 12 - Introduction to Southern History

January 17 - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY (no classes)

2. January 19 - Political Reconstruction

3. January 24, 26 - Economic Reconstruction

4. January 31 - Redeemers and the New South

February 2 - OPEN BOOK ESSAY IN CLASS

5. February 7, 9 - The Economy after Reconstruction

6. February 14, 16 - The 1890s

7. February 21, 23 - Divisions in the New South

February 28, March 1

MID-TERM EXAM

8. March 7, 9 - Southern Progressivism

9. March 14, 16 - The South from 1912 to1929

March 21, 23 - SPRING BREAK (no classes)

10.March 28 - Religion and Culture

ESSAY ON FLAMMING DUE

March 30 - HONORS DAY (no class)

11.April 4, 6 - The Depression

12. April 11, 13 - World War II and the Start of the Civil Rights Movement

13. April 18, 20 - Civil Rights Movement

14. April 25, 27 - The Modern South

May 2 - Conclusions

ESSAY ON BRANCH AND GRADUATE STUDENT REVIEW ESSAY DUE

FINAL EXAM - WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2:00-4:00