HISTORY 2020: Survey of American History since 1877
Section 5, Summer 2008 (REVISED)
Dr. Jim Williams
Peck Hall 261
Office hours: Before and after class each day
Office phone with voicemail: 898-2633
E-mail: jhwillia AT mtsu DOT edu
Web page: www.mtsu.edu/~jhwillia
"The only thing new in the world is the history you don't
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 themes. 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 and themes from this era of the American past and
will help them create informed answers to those questions.
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, reading about the role of the United States on the global
stage in the twentieth century and topics such as immigration to the U.S., 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 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.
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).
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. Whether you intend to break the rules is irrelevant. The most likely way that you can behave dishonestly 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. If you are found to have committed plagiarism, or
any other form of academic dishonesty, 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 dean of judicial affairs, 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
- Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler, eds. Letters of the Century: America, 1900-1999 (ISBN 9780385315937)
- Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States (ISBN
0060838655).
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 mastery
of the learning outcomes described above and of the content of this course. Much of what you do for this course will take place outside of class and
will involve an element of choice. The plus/minus grading system will not be used.
There are thirteen class days in this summer session. The instructor will record a separate attendance and participation score in the first and
second half of each day.s class. Thus, there will be twenty-six attendance and participation scores in total. Keep this in mind as you read the grade
requirements below.
For all the written assignments in this course, the instructor will assign a grade of acceptable or unacceptable. If your written work would have
earned a grade of C or higher, it will be recorded as acceptably completed. If your written work would have earned a grade of C- or below, it will
receive no credit. Keep this in mind as you read the grade requirements below.
To achieve a grade of D in this course, a student must earn participation credit thirteen times AND complete the family letters essay.
To achieve a grade of C in this course, a student must earn participation credit sixteen times AND complete the family letters essay AND
complete two document analyses.
To achieve a grade of B in this course, a student must earn participation credit eighteen times AND complete the family letters essay AND
complete four document analyses.
To achieve a grade of A in this course, a student must earn participation credit twenty times AND complete the family letters essay AND
complete four document analyses AND complete the Gore issue mail essay.
Please note: You may not complete more tasks in one category to make up for a deficit in another. You must complete every task in the combination of
tasks in a given category to achieve that total grade. Thus, there is no such thing as extra credit. Also, unacceptable grades do not count against
you. An assignment that receives an unacceptable grade can be resubmitted once for regrading within two class days of its return; in this case, submit
both the original and the revised versions stapled together.
COURSE SCHEDULE
NOTE: In the course schedule below, reading assignments are listed on the line below the day they are due (follow the arrows). Read the assignment
BEFORE class the day it is listed. On some days, multiple assignments may be due. Depending on the choices they wish to make, students may turn in all, some, or
none of the work due on any given day, although everyone is expected to do the assigned reading for each day. It will difficult to earn participation
credit if you have not done the day's reading!
Monday, May 12: Introduction; Meet Howard Zinn--"You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving
Train"
Tuesday, May 13: The Gilded Age, but for whom?
-->Read Zinn, chap. 11
Wednesday, May 14: Imperial America
-->Read Zinn, chap. 12, and Letters, pp. 7-66
Thursday, May 15: Socialism rises and America goes to war
-->Read Zinn, chaps. 13 and 14, and Letters, pp. 67-100
Friday, May 16: The Red Scare and the Roaring Twenties
-->Read Letters, pp. 100-190
Monday, May 19: Down and out in the Great Depression
-->Read Zinn, chap. 15, and Letters, pp. 191-255
Tuesday, May 20: World War II
-->Read Zinn, chap. 16, and Letters, pp. 257-338
Wednesday, May 21: The Cold War and Civil Rights
-->Read Zinn, chap. 17, and Letters, pp. 338-408
Thursday, May 22: Vietnam, America's longest war
-->Read Zinn, chap. 18, and Letters, pp. 409-500
Friday, May 23: The turbulent 1960s
-->Read Zinn, chap. 19
family letters essays due in class
Monday, May 26: MEMORIAL DAY--no class
Tuesday, May 27: The Seventies
-->Read Zinn, chap. 20, and Letters, pp. 501-554
Wednesday, May 28: The Carter-Reagan-Bush years
-->Read Zinn, chap. 21, and Letters, pp. 555-612
Thursday, May 29: The 1990s and Iraq I and II; the future of the U.S.
-->Read Zinn, chaps. 22-24, and Letters to the end
Gore issue mail essays due in class
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