AMERICAN HISTORY II
HIS 104-01 (FALL 2016)
M-W-F 9:45 – 10:40 am
VAN 114
Hans P. Vought, Ph.D.
TEXTBOOKS: You should purchase the following books at the college bookstore or retailer of your choice. Readings should be done before class, as they will be discussed in class. You will be responsible for all material in the books in addition to the lectures. In college, you should develop the ability to read critically - that is, to determine what the author’s thesis or argument is, and evaluate the evidence which he or she uses to support it. You will probably find it useful to take notes on the reading, both for classroom discussion and in preparing for the papers and exams. In addition, there will be shorter documents to read on the website, which will be discussed in class.
· James A. Henretta, Eric Hinderaker, Rebecca Edwards, & Robert O. Self, America’s History, Value Edition, Volume 2, 8th ed. (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016). ISBN 978-1-319-04907-2. This is a basic textbook, which will give you a general overview to provide context as we examine specific topics in-depth. The loose-leaf format not only saves you a lot of money (you’re welcome), it allows you to keep your class notes together with the related textbook chapters in a large 3-ring binder.
· Jacqueline Jones Royster, Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaigns of Ida B. Wells, 2nd ed. (Bedford, 2016). ISBN 978-1-319-04904-1. Think “Black Lives Matter” is new? Think again!
· JoAnn Argersinger, The Triangle Fire: A Brief History with Documents, 2nd ed. (Bedford, 2016). ISBN 978-1-319-04885-3. How did this tragedy come about, and why was no one held accountable for it? Find out!
· Bruce Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and America’s Historyn Liberalism: A Brief Biography with Documents (Bedford, 2007) ISBN 978-0-312-41633-1. Perhaps the hardest-working and most controversial U.S. president of the 20th century. Hero of civil rights, villain of Vietnam - you decide!
CONTACT INFORMATION: My office is in Vanderlyn 239K. My Office Hours are Mondays and Fridays 1:00 – 2:00 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 – 10:00 am, and by appointment. My office telephone number is 688-1594. My e-mail address is . Website: http://people.sunyulster.edu/voughth. Please note that all e-mail communication between faculty and students should occur through the mysunyulster.edu portal, which complies with federal law (FERPA).
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course is designed to give an overview of the “second half” of United States history. It traces the history of American life from the period of Reconstruction following the Civil War to the present day. Key themes will include the interaction between different racial and ethnic groups, the economic growth and industrialization of the nation, changes in American society and culture, and the United States’ rise to the position of global superpower in the twentieth century. The course will consist of both lectures and discussions based on the readings. You are expected to develop analytical skills as you assess historical evidence and arguments, and explain your conclusions in discussions and essays.
OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENT:
Mon. 8/29 – Fri. 9/2: Introduction; Reconstruction (America’s History, chap. 15; “Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address,” “Alexandria Petition,” & “The Reconstruction Amendments to the Constitution,” HIS 104 Documents)
Mon. 9/5: NO CLASS – LABOR DAY
Wed. 9/7 – Fri. 9/9: Native Americans & “Settlers” in the West (America’s History, chap. 16; “Little Bear’s Account of the Sand Creek Massacre,” HIS 104 Documents)
Mon. 9/12 – Wed. 9/14: Industrial Capitalism (America’s History, chap. 17, pp. 751-68; “Carnegie’s ‘Gospel of Wealth’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Fri. 9/16 – Mon. 9/19: The Birth of Modern Culture (America’s History, chap. 18)
Wed. 9/21 – Fri. 9/23: Immigration (America’s History, chap. 17, pp. 493-96; chap. 19, pp. 536-48)
Mon. 9/26 – Wed. 9/28: Gilded Age Politics & Reform (America’s History, rest of chap. 19; “Justice Harlan’s Dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson,” HIS 104 Documents)
**1st PAPER DUE 9/26 on Royster, Southern Horrors**
Fri. 9/30: Populism (America’s History, chap. 20, pp. 562-74; “The Populists’ Omaha Platform,” “The Populists Try to Unite Poor Whites and Blacks,” & “William Jennings Bryan’s ‘Cross of Gold” Speech,” HIS 104 Documents)
Mon. 10/3: FIRST EXAM
Wed. 10/5 – Fri. 10/7: The Progressive Era (America’s History, chap. 20, pp. 574-589)
Mon. 10/10: NO CLASS – COLUMBUS DAY
Tues. 10/11 (Mon. schedule) – Wed. 10/12: The “New” Imperialism (America’s History, chap. 21, pp. 590-605)
Fri. 10/14 – Mon. 10/17: World War I (America’s History, chap. 21, pp. 605-20; “Firsthand Account of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s Assassination,” “George Creel, ‘How We Advertised America’,” & “Sen. Lodge’s Objections to the League of Nations,” HIS 104 Documents)
Wed. 10/19: The “New Era” of the 1920s (America’s History, chap. 22, pp. 621-37)
Fri. 10/21 – Mon. 10/24: The Consumer Economy and the Great Depression (America’s History, chap. 22, pp. 638-45; chap. 23, pp. 646-50)
**2nd PAPER DUE 10/24 on Argersinger, The Triangle Fire**
Wed. 10/26 – Fri. 10/28: The New Deal(s) (America’s History, chap. 23, pp. 651-74; “Supreme Court’s Decision in U.S. v. Butler,” & “Sen. Huey Long’s Plan to ‘Share Our Wealth’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Mon. 10/31 – Wed. 11/2: World War II (America’s History, chap. 24; “FDR, ‘America, the Arsenal of Democracy’,” & “FDR, ‘The Four Freedoms’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Fri. 11/4: SECOND EXAM
Mon. 11/7 – Wed. 11/9: The Beginnings of the Cold War (America’s History, chap. 25; “The Truman Doctrine,” “The Marshall Plan,” & “NSC-68,” HIS 104 Documents)
Fri. 11/11: NO CLASS – VETERANS’ DAY
Mon. 11/14: Postwar America: The Affluent Society of the 1950s (America’s History, chap. 26)
Wed. 11/16 – Fri. 11/18: The Civil Rights Movement (America’s History, chap. 27, pp. 1225-27; chap. 30, pp. 1273-81; chap. 31, pp. 1306-14, 1331-37; “Rev. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” & “Stokely Carmichael, ‘What We Want’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Mon. 11/21: A New Frontier for a Great Society (America’s History, chap. 28, pp. 798-805; “LBJ, ‘The Great Society’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Wed. 11/23 – Fri. 11/25: NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
Mon. 11/28 – Wed. 11/30: The Vietnam War (America’s History, chap. 28, pp. 806-09, 812-13, 819-22; “Vietnamese Declaration of Independence,” “LBJ, ‘Peace Without Conquest’,” & “Col. Heinl’s View of Vietnam,” HIS 104 Documents)
**3rd PAPER DUE 11/28 on Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism**
Fri. 12/2 – Mon. 12/5: The New Left, Nixon and Watergate (America’s History, rest of chap. 28; “Peter Schrag, ‘The Forgotten American’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Wed. 12/7: The 1970s: the U.S. at 200 (America’s History, chap. 29; “Thomas Wolfe, ‘The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening’,” HIS 104 Documents)
Fri. 12/9 – Mon. 12/12: 1980s: Reagan & Neo-Conservatism (America’s History, chap. 30; “Pres. Reagan’s First Inaugural Address,” HIS 104 Documents)
Tues. 12/13: MAKE-UP DAY (if needed for snow or other cancellations).
T.B.A.: FINAL EXAM
STUDENT REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE COURSE: You will write three short papers and three essay exams over the course of the semester. The three exams will include a choice of short answer and essay questions, covering material discussed in the readings as well as material discussed in class. They are closed-book and non-cumulative. No talking is permitted during the exam, and you will not be allowed to leave the room until you have completed and turned in the exam. Your essays should articulate a clear thesis (that is, an argument supported by evidence) in response to the questions. You are free to express any opinion; however, you must present historical evidence to support it.
The papers will be 3-5 pages each (typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins and 12-point type). You will write in response to questions about the three shorter books. You will submit your papers to Turnitin.com, a website which checks student papers for evidence of plagiarism. Print out the Originality Report from Turnitin.com and attach it to the back of your paper before submitting it to me.
LATE PAPER POLICY: The papers are due at the beginning of class on the days noted in the schedule above. Papers handed in later that day will lose a partial letter grade. Papers lose one whole letter grade for each calendar day that they are late. Therefore, it is in your best interest to hand in assignments on time.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is mandatory and will be taken each class. You will be allowed 3 “personal days;” beyond that, each unexcused absence will lower your grade. Coming in late or leaving early counts as a half absence. Make-ups are allowed only for valid medical or other emergencies. Missing two weeks (6 classes) or more may lead to your being removed from the course with cause by me.
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. Please note the withdrawal deadlines set by the college.
ASSESSMENT: Grades will be based upon participation in class discussions, the three papers and the three exams. The papers will make up 10% each of your final grade. The first two exams will make up 20% each of your final grade. The final exam will make up 30% of your final grade. There will be no “extra credit” - in college, you are judged by the quality rather than the quantity of your work. Both participation in classroom discussion and improvement will be taken into consideration in determining the final course grade.
The following grading scale is used:
93-100 = A
90-92 = A-
87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-
77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = D-
< 59 = F
Please retain all graded papers from this course until you see your final grade posted on your College transcript. If I suspect you of plagiarism or cheating, you will receive a 0 for that particular paper or exam. You will have an opportunity to meet with me and demonstrate that you are innocent. If a second offense should occur, you will receive a 0 for the course, and face possible expulsion from the college.
FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be given during the regularly scheduled examination period at the end of the semester. It will not be cumulative – it will simply be the third exam.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty means that students are expected to do their own work and follow the rules regarding acts such as cheating and plagiarism. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain academic honesty. That is, ignorance of the standards of academic honesty is not an acceptable excuse for breaking these standards. Academic dishonesty - breaking the standards of academic honesty - is taken very seriously by the College. Breaking the rules of academic honesty will result in immediate disciplinary consequences.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following actions:
1. Cheating on examinations or quizzes. Examples include (a) referring to materials that the instructor has not allowed to be used during the test, such as textbooks or notes or websites; (b) using devices the instructor has not allowed to be used during the test, such as cell phones, text messages, or calculators; and (c) copying from another student’s paper or asking another student for an answer.
2. Plagiarism. Plagiarism means the use of words or ideas that are obtained from other sources without giving credit to those sources. Not only do quotations have to be referenced, but also any use of the ideas of others, even if expressed in the student’s own words, must be referenced. The College has a service to check for plagiarism. Any student paper can be submitted for this plagiarism check.
3. Submission of work that is not entirely the student’s own work. Having another person write a paper or parts of a paper is one example of this offense; allowing another student to copy test answers is another example.
4. Theft or sale of examinations, falsification of academic records, and similar offenses.
5. Submitting work to more than one class without the permission of the second instructor. For example, a student who submits to a class a paper previously turned in to another class is in violation of academic honesty, unless the second instructor has given permission.
6. Unauthorized duplication of computer software or print materials. For example, turning in a term paper downloaded from a website is a violation of academic honesty.
7. Influence. A student should not attempt to get an instructor to change a grade or record for any reason except achievement. For example, trying to get an instructor to change a grade because of personal hardship - or because of a bribe - is a violation of academic honesty.
8. Practice of any other form of academic dishonesty not included in this list.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: To learn more about any of the topics covered in this course, please see the list of recommended books at the end of each chapter in the textbook.
N.B.: This syllabus is not a legal contract. Assignments and policies (other than college rules) are subject to revision at any time throughout the course.