American History 4261.001

Prosperity, Depression, and a New Deal

Spring 2015

Instructor: Dr. Courtney Welch Email:

Office Hours:MW 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.Office Location: Wooten Hall, 256

Phone:940-565-3393

Course Description:

The economic collapse of the 1930s known as “The Great Depression” caused Americans to rethink their core assumptions about politics, society, and culture. These redefinitions led to the policies and programs of the New Deal. This course will examine the prosperity of the 1920s, the economic despair and environmental crisis of the 1930s and the transformation that occurred society, politics and American labor when these New Deal benchmarks took place.

Required Texts:

Cohen, Lizabeth. Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919-1939. Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Egan, Timothy. The Worst Hard Time. Mariner Books, 2006.

Lawson, Edward. The Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Debate over

Science and Religion. Basic Books, 2006.

Leuchtenburg, William. Perils of Prosperity. University of Chicago Press, 1993.

McElvaine, Robert S. The Great Depression, America 1929-1941. Times Books, 1993.

Course Goal:

By the end of the semester, students will demonstrate an understanding of the political, social, and economic changes in the development of the United States that were affected by the Great Depression and New Deal as well as recognize and recall the basic facts and chronology of United States history from 1919-1940. Students will be encouraged to develop their own perspectives based on readings and discussing a variety of first-hand accounts, analysis by scholars, and contemporary news articles.

Learning Objectives:

Students will evaluate the impact of the 1920s on American society as the first modern decade.

Students will identify the New Deal programs.

Students will evaluate and synthesis the success, failure, and impact of the New Deal on American politics.

Students will evaluate and synthesis the success, failure, and impact of the New Deal on American labor.

Students will evaluate and synthesis the failure, and impact of the New Deal on American culture and race relations.

Students will develop critical thinking and writing skills.

Students will identify the causes of the Great Depression.

Students will have been given an opportunity to exercise and advance their critical reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Attendance:

Make an informed decision about class attendance. Regular attendance allows you to follow the content and context of lecture material as well as helping you develop listening and note-taking skills. Regular attendance also demonstrates that you have made an effort in the class, something that is taken into consideration at the end of the semester, especially for those with a borderline average. No one will be penalized for poor attendance, but the infrequent classroom visitor should not count on any special consideration at grade time. “Make-up” tests will be given only at the discretion of the instructor. If you know in advance that you will miss a test it would be best to notify the instructor before missing that class.

Disability Statement:

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at . You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

History Help Center:

Location: Wooten Hall , room 220

Times: Monday – Thursday 8:00a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Fridays 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Graduate Students staff the center during the hours above in order to proctor exams and answer student’s questions about various historical topics. For editing and writing help, please seek out the Writing Center on campus.

Course Requirements for Graduate Students:

In addition to attending lectures, completing the readings, book reviews, and tests, graduate students in this course will be expected to write an historiographical essay of 8-10 pages on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor.

Tests and Grading:

There will be three exams including the final. Each exam will be worth 100 points and will consist of a combination of multiple choice, IDs, and essay questions. The tests are primarily based on the lectures and readings. The dates for each test are listed in the course schedule chart below. Make-up exams will consist of all essay questions. In order to arrange a make-up exam you must contact me within three days after the original date of the exam. There will be no make-up exam for the final.There are also in class activities that will consist of another 100 points of the total grade.

Book Reviews:

Every student will completetwo book reviews choosing between the Egan, Cohen or Lawson books. Please refer to the course schedule for their due dates. Each book review is worth 50 points. Also listed in the Course Content page are the requirements and details to be covered in the book review. Each undergraduate or graduate student may complete one book review from the approved book list attached to your Course Content page of our Blackboard course page for extra credit. Each extra credit book review is worth a possible 10 points.

All students are expected to participate in class discussions that will require students to analyze primary documents, writing assignments, and brainstorming alternative solutions. Before the discussions, students should become familiar with the reading assignments for that day so that it will provide a frame of reference to guide the discussions.

Test 1– 100 points

Test 2 - 100 points

Final – 100 points

Book Reviews (2) – 100 points

Discussion Activities (10) – 100 points

Graduate Students – Historiographical Essay – 100 points

Total points – Undergraduates - 400 points/ Graduate Students – 500 points

Course Schedule:

This is an outline of our schedule with the corresponding readings for each lecture. This schedule can be amended at any time.

DATE / TOPIC / READINGS/ASSISGNMENTS
January 21, 2015 / Introduction
January 23, 2015 / The Lost Generation and the Year of the six Presidents
January 26, 2015 / Return to Normalcy – Harding and Coolidge
January 28-30, 2015 / The First Modern Decade / Readings:
Leuchtenburg – Perils of Prosperity – chapters 1-3
February 2-4, 2015 / The Politics of Frustration / Readings:
Leuchtenburg – Perils of Prosperity – chapters 4-7, 11
February 6, 2015 / Book Discussion: Lawson - The Summer of the Gods. / Book Review Due
February 9, 2015 / Activity 1: Anti-Lynching Legislation
February 11, 2015 / Bullets, Broads, and Bathtub Gin / The Great Depression – chapters 3-4
February 13-16, 2015 / Hoover and Crashing Hopes / Readings:
Leuchtenburg – Perils of Prosperity – chapters 8-13
The Great Depression – chapters 1-2
February 18, 2015 / Activity 2: The U. S. and Manchurian Crisis, 1931-1932
February 23, 2015 / Headlines of the 1930s / The Great Depression – chapters 3-4
February 20, 2015 / Book Discussion: Egan - The Worst Hard Times / Book Review Due
February 23, 2015 / Review
February 25, 2015 / Test 1
February 27, 2015 / Who was FDR and Eleanor? / The Great Depression – chap. 5-7
March 2 - 4, 2015 / Alphabet Programs
March 6, 2015 / Activity 3: FDR and the Power of Words
March 9, 2015 / Race Relations and the New Deal / The Great Depression – chapters 8-9
March 11, 2015 / Activity 4: New Deal Game
March 13, 2015 / NO CLASS
March 16-20, 2015 / SPRING BREAK
March 23, 2015 / New Deal Cultural Programs
March 27, 2015 / 1930s Culture, Technology, and Science
March 30, 2015 / Activity 5: Eleanor Roosevelt and Social Reform
April 1, 2015 / Review
April 3, 2015 / Test 2
April 6, 2015 / The New Deal Re-Alignment of American Politics / The Great Depression – chapters 10-11
April 8, 2015 / Activity 6: Defining the Critics
April 10-13, 2015 / The Affect of the New Deal on American Labor and Union Development / Readings:
The Great Depression – chapters 13
April 15, 2015 / Book Discussion: Cohen – Making a New Deal / Book Review Due
April 17, 2015 / Court- Packing / Readings:
The Great Depression – chapters 12
April 20, 2015 / Activity 7: Investigating Social Security
April 22, 2015 / Europe Between the Wars
April 24, 2015 / FDR and the Shadow of War
April 27, 2015 / Activity 8 and 9: FDR and Neutrality
April 29, 2014 / “Mr. Win the War” - How WWII solidified the New Deal labor programs
May 1, 2015 / Activity 10: FDR and the Four Freedoms / Readings:
The Great Depression – chapters 14-15
May 4, 2015 / Review, Wrap Up and What Have We Learned?
May 6, 2015 / Conference Day
May 8, 2015 / Reading Day – No Class
May 13, 2015 / Final Exam – 8:00-10:00 a.m.