HIST 1303.001Dr. James L. Newsom
Fall 2015, U.T. Tyler(903) 566-7392
Office: BUS
Class Meetings: MWF, 9:05-10:00
History of Technology and Innovation in United States Society since 1865
Syllabus and Calendar
Course Description: A survey of the ways technology and innovation have impacted and transformed the United States' economic, political, and social developments since the Civil War and Reconstruction. Through the course of the semester we will focus on a number of trends, events, and personalities as we investigate how technology and innovation—both the creation and the transfer—hascontributed to the building of American society. Our modern world is based on the invention and theories of the past and understanding their development, implementation, dangers and transformation of our life will prepare us for what is to come.
Textbook: James Oakes, Of the People: A History of the United States. Vol. 2. Concise 2nd Ed. Oxford Press, 2013
Office Hours: 10:10-11:10 MWF; 12:15-1:15 MW; 5:00-6:00 M; Other times by appointment.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Critical Thinking Skills. The student will be able to evaluate the impact of technology within historical contexts in American and World events.
- Communication Skills. The student will be able to trace the development of technology and scientific innovations in economic, cultural, political, and military practices.
- Social Responsibility. The student will be able to judge the ethical application of technology in society.
- Personal Responsibility. The students will be able to analyze how technology has impacted their participation in civic awareness and responsibilities.
Specifically, students will:
- Acquire a conceptual framework for the study of modern American history in a global context, including theoretical constructs and historiographical practices.
- Trace the development of technology, innovations, science and research and how it transformed the economic, cultural, political, and military practices and tools.
- Obtain the skills to be able to think, process, and communicate on modern American history and historical themes.
- Understand the complexity and historical continuities in American and World current events.
- Read and analyze the primary source documents forming your own interpretation of the past.
- Trace the movement, population, and development of people and cultures in modern American history while uncovering themes that shape the world.
Methods of Evaluation: The student’s mastery of the subject material will be determined through the following methods.
- To fulfill S.L.O. #1 students will be evaluated through embedded test questions within an administered Pretest and Posttest.
- To fulfill S.L.O. #2 students will be evaluated through a written essay of 8-10 pages. This will be worth 20% of the semester grade.
- To fulfill S.L.O. #3 students will demonstrate their knowledge of social responsibility through embedded questions within an administered Pretest and Posttest.
- To fulfill S.L.O. #4 students will demonstrate personal responsibility embedded questions within an administered Pretest and Posttest.
Methods of Instruction: Lecture is the primary teaching method; however, class discussions, outside projects, and outside reading will be used.
Grade Determination: The student will develop critical thinking skills that reflect an ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information while improving creative thinking, innovation, and inquiry. An exam will be given on each scheduled test day. Do not be late—it will reduce the amount of time you have to complete the exam. Each exam will be based upon the content of lectures, discussions, and your readings. Test format will be discussed prior to the first exam.
- Exam #115%
- Exam #215%
- Exam #315%
- Final Exam20%
- Class Participation15%
- Essay20%
Attendance: All students are expected to attend every class meeting. This will be reflected in their Class Participation grade comprising 15% of the semester grade. I determine this grade based upon class attendance and my evaluation of your participation in class discussions and behavior. Every absence after the third grace absence (the equivalent of one week of class time) is worth 10 points deducted from your class participation grade. Failure to sign the class attendance roster is an absence. Students who come in late may be counted absent if the instructor believes the student missed too much of the class. Make-up exams will be given only to students with, in the opinion of the instructor, a valid reason for missing the exam. Each student is only allowed one make-up exam; all other missed exams will receive a zero. Make-up exams will not receive the in-class benefits of bonus questions and/or a grade curve (if given). Failure to take the make-up on the assigned day will result in a zero for that exam.
Behavior: All students will maintain respect and courtesy for their classmates and for the instructor. Do not use pagers, cell phones, communicators, signal fires, or other disruptive communicative devices during class. Turn off such annoying hindrances to the learning process before class begins. Frequent violations of this rule will result in a lowered class participation grade and egregious violations may result in the instructor lowering the student’s semester grade. No profanity, sleeping, talking that interrupts the instructor, lewd, rude, or socially unacceptable behavior (and even some socially acceptable behavior may not be allowed in class). “Free love” should not be practiced in this class—hands off others and yourself. Remember, although the United States practices democracy in the form of a representative constitutional republic, this class is a benevolent dictatorship. If student conduct becomes unacceptable, the instructor will ask the student to leave and not return.
Exams and Make-up Exams: No electronic devices (e.g. cell phones, pagers, computers, cameras, etc.) will be used in the classroom once the exam has been passed out. In addition, once the first exam has been turned in to the instructor or his representative, no further exams will be handed out. Any student who enters following this event will be considered absent and will take the make-up exam on the make-up exam day.
Students Rights and Responsibilities
To know and understand the policies that affect your rights and responsibilities as a student at UT Tyler, please follow this link:
Grade Replacement/Forgiveness and Census Date Policies
Students repeating a course for grade forgiveness (grade replacement) must file a Grade Replacement Contract with the Enrollment Services Center (ADM 230) on or before the Census Date of the semester in which the course will be repeated. Grade Replacement Contracts are available in the Enrollment Services Center or at Each semester’s Census Date can be found on the Contract itself, on the Academic Calendar, or in the information pamphlets published each semester by the Office of the Registrar.
Failure to file a Grade Replacement Contract will result in both the original and repeated grade being used to calculate your overall grade point average. Undergraduates are eligible to exercise grade replacement for only three course repeats during their career at UT Tyler; graduates are eligible for two grade replacements. Full policy details are printed on each Grade Replacement Contract.
The Census Date is the deadline for many forms and enrollment actions that students need to be aware of. These include:
- Submitting Grade Replacement Contracts, Transient Forms, requests to withhold directory information, approvals for taking courses as Audit, Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit.
- Receiving 100% refunds for partial withdrawals. (There is no refund for these after the Census Date)
- Schedule adjustments (section changes, adding a new class, dropping without a “W” grade)
- Being reinstated or re-enrolled in classes after being dropped for non-payment
- Completing the process for tuition exemptions or waivers through Financial Aid
State-Mandated Course Drop Policy
Texas law prohibits a student who began college for the first time in Fall 2007 or thereafter from dropping more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career. This includes courses dropped at another 2-year or 4-year Texas public college or university. For purposes of this rule, a dropped course is any course that is dropped after the census date (See Academic Calendar for the specific date).
Exceptions to the 6-drop rule may be found in the catalog. Petitions for exemptions must be submitted to the Enrollment Services Center and must be accompanied by documentation of the extenuating circumstance. Please contact the Enrollment Services Center if you have any questions.
Disability/Accessibility Services
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) the University offers accommodations to students with learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities. If you have a disability, including non-visible a disability diagnosis such as a chronic disease, learning disorder, head injury or ADHD, or you have a history of modifications or accommodations in a previous educational environment you are encouraged to contact the Student Accessibility and Resources office and schedule an interview with an Accessibility Case Manager. If you are unsure if the above criteria applies to you, but have questions or concerns please contact the SAR office. For more information or to set up an appointment please visit the SAR webpage ( or the SAR office located in the University Center, Room 3150 or call 903.566.7079. You may also send an email to .
Student Absence due to Religious Observance
Students who anticipate being absent from class due to a religious observance are requested to inform the instructor of such absences by the second class meeting of the semester.
Student Absence for University-Sponsored Events and Activities
If you intend to be absent for a university-sponsored event or activity, you (or the event sponsor) must notify the instructor at least two weeks prior to the date of the planned absence. At that time the instructor will set a date and time when make-up assignments will be completed.
Social Security and FERPA Statement:
It is the policy of The University of Texas at Tyler to protect the confidential nature of social security numbers. The University has changed its computer programming so that all students have an identification number. The electronic transmission of grades (e.g., via e-mail) risks violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; grades will not be transmitted electronically.
Emergency Exits and Evacuation:
Everyone is required to exit the building when a fire alarm goes off. Follow your instructor’s directions regarding the appropriate exit. If you require assistance during an evacuation, inform your instructor in the first week of class. Do not re-enter the building unless given permission by University Police, Fire department, or Fire Prevention Services..
Tentative Calendar of Instruction:
Aug. 24Introduction, Syllabus Discussion
Aug. 26Technological Antecedents to the Industrial Revolution
Aug. 28Railroads and the Opening of the West
Aug. 31Railroads, Steel, and the Rise of Big Business
Sept. 2Labor Day—NO CLASS
Sept. 4Oil and Modern IndustryCensus Day
Sept. 7The Industrial Revolution and the Emergence of Urban America
Sept. 9The Mechanization of Farming
Sept. 11Gilded-Age Politics and Agrarian Revolt
Sept. 14Exam #1
Sept. 16Exports, Exploitation and the Quest for Empire
Sept. 18Steel and The Course of Empire
Sept. 21The Course of Empire
Sept. 23TheComing of Science and Systems
Sept. 25Reaction to the Industrial Revolution: The Progressive Era
Sept. 28Taming Industry: The Progressive Era
Sept. 30Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: America and the Great War
Oct. 2America and the Great War
Oct. 5The End of the Old World
Oct. 7The End of the Old World
Oct. 9The End of the Old World
Oct. 12Exam #2
Oct. 14The Roaring Twenties: The Decade of Prosperity and Consumption
Oct. 16The Great Depression: Study and Subsidy
Oct. 19The Great Depression: Retreat from Prosperity
Oct. 21New Deal: Reforming Society
Oct. 23New Deal
Oct. 26New DealLast Day to Withdraw
Oct. 28New Deal
Oct. 30World War II: Decline of the Battleship
Nov. 2World War II: War Mechanized
Nov. 4World War II: Death from Above
Nov. 6 World War II: Unleashing the Atom
Nov. 9Exam #3
Nov. 11Origins of the Cold War
Nov. 13Korean Conflict
Nov. 16Korean Conflict
Nov. 18Ike and the Affluent Society of the 1950s
Nov. 20Ike and the Affluent Society of the 1950s
Nov. 23Thanksgiving Break—NO CLASS
Nov. 25Thanksgiving Break—NO CLASS
Nov. 27Thanksgiving Break—NO CLASS
Nov. 30John F. Kennedy and the Promise of a New Frontier
Dec. 2Vietnam
Dec. 4Nixon and Vietnam and Watergate
Dec. 7Study Day—NO CLASS
Dec. 11Final Exam (8:00-10:00 AM)