Summer
2005
Class:
History 2112 section 1 Office Hours: TTh 2:00pm
– 3:30pm
TTh 11:00am – 1:30pm W 9:00am
– 11:00am
Room: TLC 1200 W 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Office: TLC 3245 (and
by appointment)
Phone: (678) 839-6044 –
office
(678)
839-6508 – history department
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Welcome to History 2112. This course explores the major themes and
issues in American history since the
end of the American
Civil War. The goals & objectives of
the class are as follows:
1. To understand critically the historical
development of American institutions and values and their impact on theindividual and collective lives
of Americans.
2. To recognize the significance of
important cultural, intellectual, moral, economic, and political struggles inAmerican history.
3. To examine key persons, events, and
wars that have contributed to the development of contemporary American society.
4. To recognize the significance of the
contributions of various ethnic and gender groups to American history, political institutions, and
values within the contexts of cultural accommodation and resistance.
By the end of this
course, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of historical facts,
themes, and ideas, as well as improve your ability to analyze and evaluate
historical evidence.
ASSIGNED
Henretta, Brody,
William Dudley, ed., Opposing
Viewpoints in American History, volume 2,
(discussion reader)
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
Yoshiko Uchida, Desert
Exile: The Uprooting of a
Japanese-American Family
REQUIREMENTS
Midterm Exams: There
will be two midterm exams given throughout the course of the semester. The exams will be written and will include a
combination of fill-in-the-blank, matching, short-answer identifications, and
essay questions. A study guide will be
provided in advance of each exam. You
will need a bluebook (large ones only) for the exams, which I will collect from
you the first week of class. If you
don’t turn in a bluebook in advance, you cannot take the exam. There are no
make-ups for these exams unless an extreme emergency has occurred, which must
be documented (no documentation means no make-up). Failure to show up means no
(0) points for that exam. You must
contact me immediately if such an extreme emergency has occurred.
Final Exam: The final exam will be
the exact same format as the midterms (fill-in-the-blanks, matching,
short-answer identifications, essay) with one exception: it will be comprehensive. You must
take the final exam on the day it is scheduled – there are no exceptions to this requirement.
Paper: One paper will be required of all
students. You can choose to write on either The
Jungle or Desert Exile. The due
dates for the papers are June 16 (The Jungle)
and July 5 (Desert Exile), by 11:00am. No late papers – no paper, no grade. Further instructions and guidelines
concerning the papers will be handed out later in the class.
Discussion:
Class participation is part of your grade, so be sure to show up having
read the assignments (you are REQUIRED to read all assigned readings).
Discussions will occur either in groups or as a class. Discussions will be primarily based upon the Opposing Viewpoints reader. Expect quizzes
on the various reading assignments, including the two monographs (The Jungle and Desert Exile). Each of you
will also be called upon to lead one class discussion. Signups for leading a discussion will take
place during our first class session.
You will have partners for this project – you can either choose your own
partners, or be assigned one. Handouts
will be provided that outline my expectations for discussion. Your class participation grade includes: preparing for, and participating in, all
class discussions; leading one class
discussion; quizzes on discussion
material; student conduct (detrimental behavior will cost you points); and any
other material assigned throughout the course of the semester that is not
listed on this syllabus.
Attendance: Students are
responsible for attending all classes.
This is extremely important, particularly since we will be having
presentations and discussions on a regular basis. Role will be taken at the beginning of each
class. You will be considered absent if you show up after role has been taken,
so please be sure to arrive on time (habitual lateness will thus be penalized). You will also be considered absent if you
leave early without permission. Two
percentage points will be deducted from your overall final grade for each
absence. I will give you 1 “free spin” (meaning 1 absence won’t count against
you) before I start deducting points (meaning I will start deducting beginning
the 2nd absence). For example, if your final grading percentage was 91%, and
you were absent for a total of 3 classes, then your final grade would be
adjusted to a 87%. If you miss four or more
classes, then you will receive an automatic “F” for the course. There are no
exceptions to this rule. This is summer
school and it is imperative you are here for each class.
GRADING
Exam #1: 20% Discussion: 25%
Exam #2: 20% Paper: 15%
Final Exam: 20%
90% - 100% A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
0 - 59 F
Assessment Criteria
for grades:
-precise and
comprehensive understanding of the material
-thoroughly
identifies, defines, and describes all key themes/concepts/issues/idea of the
course
-work contains no
factual inaccuracies
-excellent writing,
with little to no errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.
-very focused and
organized
-correctly
identifies all key themes of the readings
-clear
understanding of the material
-identifies,
defines, and describes most key themes/concepts/issues/idea of the course
-work contains few
factual inaccuracies
-strong writing,
with few errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, etc.
-well focused and
organized
-correctly
identifies most key themes of the readings
-adequate
understanding of the material
-identifies,
defines, and describes some of the key themes/concepts/issues/idea of the
course
-work contains
factual inaccuracies
-average writing,
with some errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, etc.
-somewhat focused
and organized
-adequately
identifies major key themes of the readings
-poor understanding
of the material
-identifies,
defines, and describes few key themes/concepts/issues/idea of the course
-work contains many
factual inaccuracies
-below average
writing, with many errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, etc.
-poorly focused and organized
-barely identifies
major key themes of the readings
Work that fails to
meet any of the standards set forth above, or which is exceptionally inadequate
STUDENT CONDUCT
Students are
obligated to abide by the guidelines detailed in the university catalog. Respect and courtesy are required of all
students while in the classroom. The
following is also mandatory:
1.
No arriving late or leaving early (unless you have checked in with me in
advance). Arriving late or leaving
early will count as one absence. Arriving late
is defined as arriving after role has been taken. Leaving early
is defined as leaving class once the class
has started. If you habitually arrive
late, you will be asked to
leave.
2.
No talking or passing notes, eating food in class (that I can hear), no reading
or working on non-class
related materials, and no sleeping (go get back home for that). In other words, your focus should be on
this
class, and if I find you to be disruptive in any way, I will give you the boot
out of my class.
3.
Cell phones, pagers, headphones, and all other electronic devices must be
turned off during class. I will
confiscate any I hear going off. Also, no tape recorders. If you have any documentation needs, please
let
me
know.
4.
Once the exam has been given, there is
no leaving the room. Once you leave
the room, you are finished
taking the exam. Also, no dictionaries, thesauruses, or
electronic devices can be used for the exam.
Absolutely
no talking during the exam – if you do, then your exam is finished at that
exact point.
5.
Any form of academic dishonesty (including cheating and plagiarism) will result
in a failing course grade as
well as possible additional action.
Definitions of academic dishonesty and plagiarism are defined in
university catalog, and it is your
responsibility to familiarize yourself with them. I WILL
CATCH YOU AND HAVE
NO MERCY, SO PLEASE DON’T DO IT!
If you have any
questions regarding the above, feel free to contact me at any time, or read the
university catalogue. Adherence to the
“common sense” law should prevent any of the above problems. Failure to adhere
to these guidelines could result in dismissal from class to additional
disciplinary action.
I reserve the right to modify this syllabus
at any time during the course of the term, particularly regarding the course
schedule. If such a modification is
substantial, I will reissue a revised syllabus.
COURSE SCHEDULE
June 7 Introduction; Civil War and
Reconstruction, 428-454 (read pages in America: A Concise History)
9 The South after Reconstruction, 528-536;
Native Americans & the West, 456-485
-Discussion
1: Viewpoint
11A & 11B, 90-96
The
South and Racial Issues (Washington v. du Bois)
-Discussion
2: Viewpoint
5A & 5B, 28-39
The
Takeover of
14 The age of industry, 487-515, 545-571;
Populism & Progressives, 516-527, 536-542, 573-599
-Discussion
3: Viewpoint
16A & 16B, 126-135
Immigration
(Ross v. Andrew)
-Discussion
4: Viewpoint
14A & 14B, 115-122
The
Rights of Women (Howe v. Bissell)
16 (Sinclair
paper due) American Imperialism, 601-628;
-Discussion
5: Viewpoint
13A & 13B, 105-115
The
Imperialism Debate (Beveridge v. Crooker)
21 WWI
-Discussion
6: Viewpoint
18A & 18B, 146-152
Entering
into WWI (Wilson v. Norris)
23 Exam
#1; 1920s, 657-688
28 The Great Depression and the New Deal,
691-743; The coming of WWII, 745-751
30 WWII, 752-771
-Discussion
7: Viewpoint
29A & 29B, 230-234
Japanese-American
Internment during WWII (Black v. Murphy)
-Discussion
8: Viewpoint
30A & 30B, 235-246
Dropping
the Atomic Bomb (Franck Committee v. Stimson)
July 5 (Uchida
paper due) The Cold War era, 774-838
-Discussion
9: Viewpoint
31A & 31B, 257-264
Viewing
the
7 The Vietnam War, 840-850, 863-873
-Discussion
10: Viewpoint
36A & 36B, 289-295
The
Vietnam War (Johnson v. Kim)
12 Exam
#2; The
14 The Civil Rights Movement, 850-863
-Discussion
11: Viewpoint
33A & 33B, 269-273
Segregation
in the
19 The “radicalism” of the 1960s
26
28 Final
Exam