“Truth, Knowledge, and Morality. Let it be your guide.”
SYLLABUS
U. S. HISTORY
SINCE 1877 + HIST 1302.01
East Texas Baptist University Jerry Hopkins, Professor of History
Spring Semester, 2016 History & Political Science Department
CLASS MEETINGS: The class will meet on MWF, 9-9:50 a.m. in SCRB 313. Attendance will be kept for each class meeting and will be reflected in the final grade average. It is important that you maintain regular attendance in order to keep up with the material given in class and the assignments.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: None.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: The course continues History 1301, surveying the period from 1877 to the present.
OBJECTIVE AND FORMAT: The course introduces the student to the broad sweep of American history from 1877 to the present, and exposes the beginning history student to historical interpretation (how different individuals use historical evidence to arrive at differing conclusions regarding events). The primary means of achieving this objective will be through the readings, films, discussions and lectures.
TEXTBOOK: Alan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, Vol.
II: From 1865 (7th Edition; McGraw Hill; ISBN 978-0-07-741230-3)
Jerry Hopkins, HIST 1302 U.S. History Since 1877: A History Workbook, Vol. 2, (Shari
Parker Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9908499-2-6)
Charles Murray, American Exceptionalism: An Experiment in History (AEI Press;
ISBN 978-0-8447-7264-6)
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS: In addition to the textbook, students may be required to read other materials relevant to current study. These materials will be made available by the instructor in the following ways: (1) select DVDs, CDs from professor; (2) select e-books through ETBU; (3) online Blackboard assignment or document files; (4) web links to textbook or other Internet sites; (5) class handouts, such as watching/reading guides and periodic worksheets/study guides. Students may be directed to use these in special reports, oral discussions and contributions to the class and other special presentations, which may be included in a portfolio, notebook or file. All students are required to have A History Workbook (containing lecture outlines, watching guides and study materials) prepared by the professor for notes and study.
FORMAT: The course introduces the student to the broad sweep of American history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and to the present, exposing the beginning student to historical interpretation (how different individuals use historical evidence to arrive at differing conclusions regarding events). The primary means of achieving this objective will be through readings, films, discussions, Web-based sources, and lectures.
EXAMINATIONS: There will be five major mid-term examinations and a comprehensive final. Each mid-term exam will cover only the previous one-fifth of the course. The exams will be an essay, identification or short analytical explanation answer. Periodically the professor will lead a study session titled “Discussing Material and Demonstrating Mastery” (DM/DM) class dealing with the topics and ideas previously covered in class. More information will be given on the substance of these examinations near the time they are to be given.
COURSE GRADE: The final grade for the course will be computed by averaging nine grades: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) five midterm exams; (6) the comprehensive final exam (the comprehensive final, includes listing all or some of the from Rutherford B. Hayes to the present and identifying the 50 states on a map); (7) class participation & demeanor; (8) a notebook/file/portfolio (NFP) of class notes, web-based materials, and additional materials on the course topics (the NFP will be evaluated near the end of the semester) and a Study Journal (SJ); (9) after each DM/DM class each student will submit a written response including questions and specific materials requested. The grading scale for the course will be: A, 90100; B, 8089; C, 7079; D, 6069; F, 59 and below. Attendance and behavior in class are important and will be reflected particularly in borderline grades.
WATCHING/READING GUIDES: The instructor will provide as the course progresses special technical guides and questions to aid the student in understanding events, interpretations and historical situations dealt with in films, articles and books.
STUDY GUIDES: A History Workbook provided with the textbook contains the information and lecture outlines and ideas related to classroom presentations from which the tests will be prepared.
STUDY JOURNAL: The Study Journal (SJ) is a resource to aid students to prepare for tests. Study Journals consist of IDs, notes and questions from reading, and essays. If the Study Journal is completed correctly, students will be allowed to use the essay section of the journal on exams. Study Journals are required and must be handwritten (or produced digitally using the approved EO form) and worth 100 points for the semester. The ID section of the Study Journal cannot be used on any test.
OFFICE HOURS: I will be in my office (SCRB 311) M, 11-12 a.m., 1-3 p.m.; T,11 a.m.- 2 p.m.; W, 11-12 a.m., 1-3 p.m.; Th. 11-12 a.m.; F, 10-11 a.m.; and by appointment. If you cannot come at the times posted please call me (903-923-2087) or see me about an appointment for another time. You may also email your inquiries or concerns to or to and I will reply to you.
COMPETENCY-BASED GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES: East Texas Baptist University’s History Department offers this survey course that meets Texas’ state requirements for students that are history majors or non-majors.
The study of history creates a deeper appreciation of the common values and institutions that have formed our unique national heritage. Such a study also enables a student to be more sensitive to other cultures, peoples and heritages. In a constantly changing world community it is essential that we recognize the interrelated nature of life in the past, present and future.
The skills that are developed and refined in the study of history contribute to a more broadly educated and active student. The student will expand reading skills, think critically, differentiate between fact and opinion, analyze and interpret complex events and sources, and communicate his/her knowledge in both oral and written form.
This experience, combined with a deeper respect for and commitment to learning, will be of immense benefit in the pursuit of personal objectives, as well as career goals and opportunities.
COURSE CONTENT OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course of study, the student should be able to complete all the listed learning objectives with an acceptable grade:
1. analyze the effects of social, religious, political, economic, cultural, and diplomatic forces on the area under study;
2. identify and analyze historical evidence (documentary and statistical) and differing historical points of view, including worldviews;
3. Describe the development of industrialization and its impact in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the South and West.
4. Discuss reform movements such as Temperance, Populism, Social Gospel, Progressives, New Deal and Civil Rights.
5. Analyze the involvement of the U. S. in the era of the World Wars and the post-war period.
6. Define and illustrate the role played by minority groups in America, particularly with reference to African-Americans after 1877 and the rise of a large Hispanic population.
7. Know the presidents of the United States, their contributions and problems from Rutherford B. Hayes to the present.
8. Understand and use maps in discussing and presenting historical developments and events.
As a course in the core curriculum defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, History 1302 must develop four specific areas of competency: reading, writing, professional behavior (listening, speaking, communicating) and critical thinking. Students of History 1302 will be expected to:
1. recognize and apply reasonable criteria for the analysis of historical evidence;
2. read historical texts (primary and secondary) critically and use them for oral and written discussions;
3. understand the roles of choice and of cause and effect in history;
4. learn the resources and references related to history on the World Wide Web and multimedia sources;
5. comprehend the use and the potential misuse of historical analogies in contemporary situations; and
6. develop logically sound historical arguments using a thesis and historical evidence.
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS:
1. Students are expected to attend every class period. To be eligible for credit in the course, the student must attend at least 75% of all classes according to the policy stated on page 50 of the University Catalog. The student who does not attend at least 75% (8 absences) of all classes will receive an “F” in the course regardless of average grade. You should keep track of your absences on the schedule.
2. The university does not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences.
3. All make-up work for a planned absence must be arranged prior to the absence. This includes absences for students representing the University in any activity. The student is responsible for initiating discussion of make-up work.
4. It is the student’s responsibility to take notes and complete assignments when due.
5. Assignments are due at the beginning (end) of the class, and when late will result in one grade reduction for each day late.
6. In accordance with Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the instructor makes reasonable adjustments to ensure equal opportunity for persons needing special assistance/accommodations. A student with a disability may request appropriate accommodations for this course by contacting the Office of Academic Success and Graduate Services, Marshall Hall, Room 301, and providing the required documentation. If accommodations are approved by the Disability Accommodations Committee, the Office of Academic Success and Graduate Services will notify you and your professor of the approved accommodations. You should initiate any discussion with me regarding special assistance in taking exams or notes in the course in a timely manner.
APPROPRIATE STUDENT CONDUCT:
1. Students are to be prompt and remain for the entire class period. If a student must leave early he/she should notify the professor in advance of class and leave with the least amount of distraction/disruption to other students. Under no circumstances will students be allowed to leave class and return during an exam.
2. Students are to be quiet when the professor lectures or students make presentations or asks questions. If disruptive behavior occurs that interrupts the normal flow of class, the offending student will be asked to leave immediately and will not be allowed back in class until they have arranged a conference with the professor, Vice President of Student Services and/or Vice President of Academic Affairs.
3. No food or soft drinks are to be consumed in class and wastepaper should be placed in trash cans at the end of the class.
4. Proper dress and show of public affection, as per Student Handbook, are to be observed. Hats or headgear are to be worn correctly in class. Polite manners should be exhibited to fellow students and the faculty of the University at all times.
5. It is assumed that all answers given on quizzes, exams, and research papers submitted reflect the individual student’s own work. Any suspect action such as looking on another’s paper during quizzes or exams, talking during quizzes or exams, or not documenting sources used in research is academic dishonesty. This includes copying another person’s work or presenting it as your own whether from a classmate, former student, book, or the Internet/WWW. See Student Handbook for school policy. First time, student gets a grade of zero for any written work or exam. Subsequent offenses will be referred to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Vice President of Student Services and can result in dismissal from the University.
6. Please notify the professor privately if you have any health/accommodation issues of which he/she should be aware such as seizures, fainting, nausea, low/high blood sugar, or special learning assistance.
CRITERIA FOR ALL WRITTEN WORK:
1. Work done outside class is to be typed, essays double-spaced, and proofed for spelling and grammar errors.
2. Essays should have pages numbered, title, an introduction, well-developed paragraphs with topic sentences, a conclusion and a bibliography.
3. Use of style guide for citations (endnotes/footnotes) and bibliography.
4. Use a cover sheet (no folders), staple pages, with margins of at least one inch sides and ½ inch top and bottom and 12-point type font, page number at upper right.
5. All work required must be submitted electronically to the professor in the requested manner and format.
THINKING HISTORICALLY:
1. Avoid judging historical figures by today’s standards.
2. Question historical authority, is it someone’s interpretation?
3. Develop historical empathy—put yourself in that time and place.
4. Recognize bias and the source of bias.
5. Was there change or continuity in actions or in events?
U. S. HISTORY SINCE 1877
Reading Schedule, Lectures and Assignments
Spring, 2016
DATE / LECTURE TOPICS / READINGSJan. 11 / Introduction to History / Brinkley, Ch. 15
13 / Explanation of Information Literacy/Fluency
A Review of Civil War’s End & Reconstruction / Brinkley, Ch. 15
15 / The New South / Brinkley, Ch. 15
18 / MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
20 / The Expanding West: The Last Frontier / Brinkley, Ch. 16
22 / An Industrial Power: American Business & Labor
American Response to Urbanization & Industrialization / Brinkley, Ch. 17
Jan. 25 / The American Mind: Approaching the Modern mind / Brinkley, Ch. 18
27 / Discussing Materials & Demonstrating Mastery (DM/DM)
29 / TEST #1 (Chs. 15-18) / Brinkley, Ch. 3
Feb. 1 / Politics in the Gilded Age / Brinkley, Ch. 19
3 / The New Empire: American Imperialism/Expansionism
DISCUSSION: Is America exceptional? / Brinkley, Ch. 19
Murray, American Exceptionalism
5 / The Black Experience: Racism in America / Brinkley, Ch. 20
8 / DM/DM
10 / The Emergence of the Modern Presidency
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft & Woodrow Wilson / Brinkley, Ch. 20
12 / The Progressive Experience—“The Progressive Era” / Brinkley, Ch. 20
15 / DM/DM
17 / TEST #2 (Chs. 19-21)
19 / FILM: The Great War: The Story of World War I, 1914-1918 / Brinkley, Ch. 21
22 / World War I
America & the Great War: Wilson & a New World Order / Brinkley, Chs. 21-22
24 / Lost Peace: Wilson, Versailles, a Post-War Settlement Problem
DISCUSSION: What Does war do to society and people? / Brinkley, Chs. 21-22
26 / The 1920s and Beyond / Brinkley, Ch. 22
29 / The Modern Mind: The Twentieth Century Way of Thinking
DISCUSSION: Did the 1920s experience a rejection of reform-mindedness of the two previous decades? How did the war relate to this issue? / Brinkley, Chs. 22-23
March 2 / DM/DM
4 / TEST #3 (Chs. 21-23)
7 / The Great Depression: American Life in the 1930s
Economics & Literature in Depression / Brinkley, Ch. 23
9 / Franklin D. Roosevelt & the New Deal: Solving Depression
DISCUSSION: What is the role of leadership, personality and democracy in shaping government? / Brinkley, Chs. 24-25
11 / World War II—How it Came About and What Happened
DISCUSSION: What is the role of war in shaping, modifying and changing economies and societies? / Brinkley, Chs. 25-26
Mar. 14-18 / SPRING BREAK
21 / FILM: Adolf Hitler—The Black Fox / Brinkley, Ch. 26
23 / FILM: Adolf Hitler—The Black Fox
DISCUSSION: How would you evaluate Adolf Hitler and Nazism? / Brinkley, Ch. 26
25 / GOOD FRIDAY
28 / DM/DM
30 / TEST #4 (Chs. 23-26)
April 1 / Fair Deal & Containment: Harry Truman and the Cold War
Fear and the Cold War
DISCUSSION: What is the significance of the Atomic Bomb and the advent of fear in American society? / Brinkley, Chs. 27-28
4 / The Korean War
A Search for Security: Eisenhower and the 1950s Society / Brinkley, Chs. 27-28
6 / The Dissenting Sixties: Promise & Frustration
DISCUSSION: What is the role of dissent, rebellion and liberty in American society and politics? / Brinkley, Ch. 29-30
8 / Lyndon Johnson, the Great Society and Vietnam / Brinkley, Chs. 29-30
11 / The 1968 Democratic Convention: A Perspective / Brinkley, Chs. 29-30
13 / DM/DM
15 / Richard Nixon and Watergate
FILM: Nixon (excerpts) / Brinkley, Chs. 30-31
18 / Ford, Carter and the Failure of Consensus
Carter and the Reagan Revolution
DISCUSSION: What was involved in the rise of the Christian Right, the Moral Majority, and the other right-wing groups? / Brinkley, Ch. 31
20 / Bush and the Fraying of the Conservative Coalition / Brinkley, Ch. 31
22 / DM/DM
25 / TEST #5 (Chs. 27-31)
27 / Clinton’s America and the Millennium
DISCUSSION: Should a person’s personal life be considered in reporting on and/or voting for a president or presidential candidate?
NFPs and SJs Due / Brinkley, Ch. 32
29 / Religion in America: Perspective on 20th Century Faith
Summing Up the Course: Lessons from History
NFPs and SJs Returned / Brinkley, Ch. 32
May 4
8-9:50 a.m. / Comprehensive FINAL EXAMINATION (the final test will also include listing all or some of the presidents from Rutherford B. Hayes to President Barack Obama and identifying the 50 states on a map)
ALL SPECIAL PROJECTS DUE
(NOTE: Expect changes in the lecture topics, tests and reading assignments as we move through the course. Time and circumstances often require modifications in what we do in a course.)