2020H.html--American history survey--Honors at MTSU

HISTORY 2020 (Honors): Survey of American History since 1877
Fall 2006

Prof. Jim Williams
Office: Peck Hall 261
Office hours: M and W, 12-2; F, 12-1; other times and days by arrangement
Office phone with voicemail: 898-2633
E-mail: jhwillia AT mtsu DOT edu
Web page: www.mtsu.edu/~jhwillia

"There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know."--Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the U.S.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The goal of this course is to promote the intellectual and personal development of all the participants. We do this by studying American history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the present day. We seek answers to large historical questions and learn basic skills of doing history. The academic master plan for MTSU states that the university "will create and nurture a student-centered learning environment responsive to the needs of a diverse student body" (p. 6). With this goal in mind, we will not proceed as if this is a preparatory course for "Jeopardy" or "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Rather, the instructor will guide students through the large historical questions from this era of the American past, help them create informed answers to those questions, and practice with them the art of doing history. Additionally, as part of the honors program at MTSU, this course will operate at a higher level than regular sections and will focus on three topics of critical significance to recent America: free speech during wartime, war letters from American soldiers, and the struggles of African Americans for equality.

HOW THIS COURSE FURTHERS THE GOALS OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

This course and HIST 2010 are the only courses at MTSU specifically mandated by state law. Why do you suppose the Tennessee General Assembly passed this law many years ago? As a general education requirement, this course furthers the purpose of the MTSU general education curriculum. According to the general education statement of purpose, "General Education professors teach critical and logical thinking; communications skills of writing, speaking, and listening, including skills in locating and gathering information; teach a basis for understanding the mathematical and scientific world perspective; teach an appreciation of aesthetic and cultural productions; teach a broad understanding of the history of human experience; teach an understanding and appreciation of various cultures and their interrelationships; teach a basis for making sound ethical and moral judgments, and judgments on maintaining physical and mental health; and finally they teach the skills to participate responsibly in one's natural, social and political environments." Since the study of history contributes to the acquisition of nearly all of these skills, students should judge the course according to how well the professor does, in fact, teach the relevant skills listed above.

More specifically, the Tennessee Board of Regents includes this course in the history requirement of the general education core curriculum within the TBR system of colleges and universities. According to the TBR, "The goal of the history requirement is to develop in students an understanding of the present that is informed by an awareness of past heritages, including the complex and interdependent relationships between cultures and societies." Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to perform the following learning outcomes:

analyze historical facts and interpretations, which will result from students reading, analyzing, and discussing primary documents from the period covered by the course;
analyze and compare political, geographic, economic, social, cultural, religious, and intellectual institutions, structures, and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures, which will result from students participating in class discussions of the course text, primary documents, web sites, and films, and from students preparing critical essays of varying lengths throughout the course;
recognize and articulate the diversity of human experience throughout history and the complexities of a global culture and society, which will result from students critically viewing and discussing films and historical images and participating in class discussions and writing critical essays throughout the course;
draw on historical perspectives to evaluate contemporary problems and issues, which will result from students integrating primary documents, secondary sources, and research into their own family history in class discussions and a final course essay;
analyze the contributions of past cultures and societies to the contemporary world, which will result from students viewing and discussing films and web sites, discussing course readings in class, and completing a variety of writing assignments throughout the course, including the final course essay.

COURSE ASSUMPTIONS

The design and teaching methods of this course are based on several assumptions. It is assumed that: 1) students in a college history course have the ability to read college-level books and to take notes from them on the key ideas and developments discussed in those books, 2) students, given at the beginning of the course major trends, questions, and themes in American history, are able to follow and take notes on those trends, questions, and themes in the reading, lectures, and discussions, 3) students have acquired the skills equivalent to those taught in English composition courses at MTSU and are capable of writing effective essays, 4) class time is best spent highlighting and reinforcing the main ideas of the course, becoming familiar with primary documents as they relate to course themes, and discussing those themes with other students and the instructor, and 5) all students have a serious interest in improving their understanding of American history and are willing to work to achieve this understanding by spending an average of two hours outside of class for every hour spent in class. For useful advice about study skills, including note taking, visit the study skills section of the Development Studies web page (www.mtsu.edu/~studskl). Furthermore, as an honors section, this course will seek a more in-depth analysis of American history than a regular section, and students will be asked to perform more complex historical tasks than regular students.

CLASS MEETING EXPECTATIONS AND MEMBERS' RESPONSIBILITIES

These will be discussed on the first day of class and agreed upon by all members of the class.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form in this course. Historians and other academic professionals commit themselves to work within a community of scholars who behave within ethical and professional boundaries. Whether you intend to break the rules is irrelevant. There are no good excuses for committing acts of academic dishonesty.

The most likely way that you can behave dishonestly in this course is to commit plagiarism. There are several types of plagiarism, and you are responsible for understanding all of them. Be particularly careful in this class not to copy word-for-word from one of the books (or any other source) without putting those quoted words in quotation marks or without providing the necessary source notation. If you are found to have committed plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty (such as cheating, fabrication, or facilitation), you will receive a zero on that assignment, and your penalty may increase to failure in the course, depending on the circumstances. Dr. Williams will also notify the assistant dean for judicial affairs and mediation services, who may apply additional sanctions (probation, expulsion, etc.) according to university policy. If you have questions about academic dishonesty and university policy, please consult your student handbook, the student affairs web site, or Dr. Williams.

COURSE TEXTS

Geoffrey R. Stone, Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism, ISBN 0393327450
Andrew Carroll, ed., War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars, ISBN 0743410068
Adam Fairclough, Better Day Coming: Blacks and Equality, 1890-2000, ISBN 0142001295

WRITING CENTER

Students are encouraged to use the University Writing Center to improve their written work in this course. The center is located in Peck Hall 325, and students may use the computer lab is Peck Hall 326. The center is open into the evening and on Saturday. The center staff may be reached by phone at 904-8237 or by E-mail at uwcenter@mtsu.edu. The center's web site is www.mtsu.edu/~uwcenter. The staff of faculty and graduate assistants will work with students at any stage of the writing process on issues such as organization, unity, coherence, opening and closing paragraphs, diction, and grammar, but they will not proofread or edit student writing. Appointments are strongly encouraged but not mandatory; tutoring sessions are in 30-minute blocks.

You may find the following handouts useful and are welcome to copy them:

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have questions related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., please speak with Dr. Williams as soon as possible. Students may also contact the Office of Disabled Student Services (898-2783) with questions about such services.

KEYS TO SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE:

Attend class regularly. Studies galore demonstrate that students with good attendance perform better than students with irregular attendance. In this class, as a practical matter, there is some material that is only available during class activities. Without this information, your graded work will suffer.
Keep up with the work.
Ask questions if you do not understand something.
If you stop attending class, or wish to drop the class, make sure you take the necessary steps to withdraw by the deadline. Otherwise, you will receive an F.

EVALUATION OF HOW WELL YOU REACH THE COURSE GOAL

Your course grade will be determined by how well you convince the instructor that you have developed intellectually and personally through your understanding of the large questions that this course explores and your mastery of the historical skills employed in the categories of work described below. There are 1000 possible points. The plus/minus grading system will be used, as follows: A (910-1000), B+ (880-909), B (830-879), B- (800-829), C+ (780-799), C (730-779), C- (700-729), D+ (680-699), D (630-679), D- (600-629), F (below 600). Everyone who earns an A will receive an A; there are no limits.

I. Class participation (200 points): The instructor will take attendance each day. For each class, the instructor will assign each student either one, two, or three participation points, as follows: one point for silent attendance; two points for some participation; three points for outstanding participation. At the end of the course, the instructor will add each student's points and translate those points into a numerical grade on a scale of 200 using the top students as a guide. Please note: The top student(s) may or may not fall into the A range. This determination is left to the judgment of the instructor.

II. Reading logs (200 points): In the reading log, students identify the main ideas in each section of every chapter of assigned reading, identify points of evidence that support the main idea, and note unfamiliar terms and points of confusion. This assignment will be discussed in more detail in class. Logs will be collected from time to time for examination and scoring and will be used daily in class.

III. Two topical essays based on course readings (100 points each): Instructions will be distributed at the appropriate times. One essay will be based on the Fairclough book, and the other will be based on the Stone book.

IV. War letters project (200 points): Every student will gather a collection of wartime letters from soldiers in their families or from MTSU alumni. Instructions will be distributed at the appropriate time.

V. Course essay (200 points): The longest and most complex of the assignments is the final course essay due during final examination week. Detailed instructions will be distributed. The topic of the essay will be the effects of war on American society during the twentieth century. NOTE: Failure to complete the course essay will result in failure in the course, regardless of one's scores in the other categories.

COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: In the course schedule below, reading assignments are listed on the line below the day they are due. Read the assignment BEFORE class the day it is listed.

Mon., Aug. 28: Introduction

Wed., Aug. 30: How to read a book
-->Read handout through the link above and bring Fairclough book to class

Fri., Sept. 1: The failure of Reconstruction
-->Read Fairclough through the end of chap. 1

Mon., Sept. 4: LABOR DAY--no classes

Wed., Sept. 6: Ida B. Wells and lynching
-->Read Fairclough, chap. 2

Fri., Sept. 8: Background of free speech in wartime
-->Read Stone through the end of chap. 1

Sun., Sept. 10: Last day to drop classes without a grade

Mon., Sept. 11: The significance of 9/11/2001 on free speech in the U.S.
-->Read handouts

Wed., Sept. 13: Free speech in the Civil War
-->Read Stone, chap. 2

Fri., Sept. 15: Industrialization and urbanization

Mon., Sept. 18: Booker T. Washington
-->Read Fairclough, chap. 3

Wed., Sept. 20: The NAACP
-->Read Fairclough, chap. 4

Fri., Sept. 22: African Americans and World War I
-->Read Fairclough, chap. 5

Mon., Sept. 25: Free speech in the era of World War I
-->Read Stone, pp. 135-191

Wed., Sept. 27: Free speech in the era of World War I (continued)
-->Read Stone to the end of chap. 3

Fri., Sept. 29: American involvement in World War I

Mon., Oct. 2: World War I from the soldiers' perspective
-->Read Carroll section on World War I

Wed., Oct. 4: The Roaring Twenties
-->Read Fairclough, chap. 6

Fri., Oct. 6: The Crash and the Great Depression

Mon., Oct. 9: African Americans in the Thirties
-->Read Fairclough, chaps. 7-8

Wed., Oct. 11: The New Deal for African Americans

Fri., Oct. 13: No class--work on family war letters project

Sun., Oct. 15: Last day to drop classes and receive a W grade

Mon., Oct. 16: FALL BREAK--no classes

Wed., Oct. 18: World War II on the homefront

Fri., Oct. 20: World War II on the homefront

Mon., Oct. 23: Free speech in the era of World War II
-->Read Stone, chap. 4

Wed., Oct. 25: Letters from World War II
-->Read Carroll, pp. 175-246

Fri., Oct. 27: Class meets with Dr. Lisa Pruitt in the Gore Research Center
-->Go directly to Todd Hall 128

Mon., Oct. 30: Letters from World War II (continued)
-->Read Carroll, pp. 246-319

Wed., Nov. 1: African Americans in the Fifties
-->Read Fairclough, chaps. 10-11

Fri., Nov. 3: Eyes on the Prize
Essays on Stone book due at the beginning of class

Mon., Nov. 6: African Americans in the Sixties
-->Read Fairclough, chaps. 12-13

Wed., Nov. 8: African Americans since the Civil Rights Movement
-->Read Fairclough to the end

Fri., Nov. 10: The Cold War

Mon., Nov. 13: Free speech in the era of the Cold War
-->Read Stone, chap. 5

Wed., Nov. 15: Free speech in the era of the Vietnam War
-->Read Stone, chap. 6

Fri., Nov. 17: Letters home from Vietnam
Essays on Fairclough book due at the beginning of class

Mon., Nov. 20: Letters from Cold War conflicts
-->Read Carroll section on "Korean War and Cold War"

Wed., Nov. 22: No class--continue work on war letters project

Mon., Nov. 27: Letters from Vietnam (continued)
-->Read Carroll, pp. 387-443

Wed., Nov. 29: Letters from the wars of your lifetime
-->Read Carroll, pp. 443 to the end

Mon., Dec. 4: Class reports from family war letters project
-->Read Stone, conclusion; War letters project due in class

Wed., Dec. 6: Last day of class; finish class reports from family war letters project

Fri., Dec. 8: Final essays due no later than noon in Dr. Williams's office, Peck Hall 261. You may turn in essays early to my mailbox in the History Department office (Peck Hall 223) or to the box on the wall next to my office door. Please do not slide papers under my office door! Under no circumstances will papers be accepted via email.

The instructor reserves the right to amend this syllabus, with proper warning, as the need arises.

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HISTORY 2020 (Honors): Survey of American History since 1877 Fall 2006