History 110 Section 1 American History Since the Civil War Spring 2013 Lecture: MW 12:00-12:50 p.m. (AL 201) Section: W 1:00-1:50 p.m. (MCN 107) Life must be lived forward, but understood backward Søren Kierkegaard Your Professor: Edward J. Blum, PhD Office Location: Arts and Letters 525 Office Hours: Monday: 1:00 pm 4:00 pm Your Teaching Associate: Matt Cromwell mcromwel@rohan.sdsu.edu Office: AL564 Office Hours: Wed. and Fri. 10:30 11:30 a.m. Section: Wednesdays, 1:00-1:50 p.m. in MCN 107 (Montezuma Classrooms North, the trailers right off College Avenue) Required Texts and Reading: HIST and Major Problems Bundle (sold together at the bookstore) o Kevin Schultz, HIST3: Volume 2 (2013) o Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde, eds., Major Problems in American History, Volume II (2011) Kevin M. Schultz, Tri-Faith America: How Catholics and Jews Held Postwar America to Its Protestant Promise Matthew Avery Sutton, Jerry Falwell and the Rise of the Religious Right: A Brief History with Documents What is this course about? This course begins in 1865 when the titanic American Civil War ended, and it ends with the beginning of this semester. We will romp through economic depressions and world wars, suburban growth and urban riots, political rises and cultural falls. We will wind and twist through Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the 1960s struggles, the 1970s malaise, the Reagan Revolution, and the rise of the Digital Age. We will examine how American society rebuilt itself after the Civil War, how it became an industrial giant, how it helped win two World Wars, how it battled Communism, how it struggled with cultural, social, and political diversity, and how the child of an African immigrant, who was married to the great-great granddaughter of slaves, won the presidency in the same election that featured a woman as the vice presidential candidate for the opposing political party. History is not just in books; it is alive, as pertinent and relevant today as it was in the past. It comes to us in countless ways, through music, movies, novels, comics, speeches, laws, and conversations with others. This class, therefore, will attempt to engage history through a variety
of methods. Examining everything from poetry to personal letters, films to fashion magazines, politicians to professional actors, we will delve into the world of myth, reality, and the American past. By the end of the course, you will not only observe history working all around you, but you will also have a better understanding of how to make decisions now and in the future. This course will be much like the history we study: an adventure. Learning Outcomes: We will be able to identify and discuss main historical themes and time periods, including Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, the 1920s, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the New Conservatism, and the Digital Age. We will learn to differentiate between and analyze the content of primary and secondary sources. We will analyze historical relationships between politics and social justice, war and society, freedom and government, and culture and social change. We will interact with historical content and contexts with a variety of media. We will debate through writing and speaking as professional historians do. We will learn to write and present material as professional historians do. We will recognize diversity of cultures and groups in shaping the American past. Grade Breakdown: Your grade will be based upon four areas: exams, essays, quizzes, and participation. You are required to write two papers and take two exams for this course. Failing to turn in one of the papers or take one of the exams will result in an automatic failure. Your essays will consist of double-spaced, three-to-four-page thesis papers. In them, you will be asked to analyze primary documents from class in the context of the material presented in the textbook, lectures, and discussions. The exams will consist of two sections. The first will be multiple choice and true-or-false section. The second section will contain a historical causation evaluation. Quizzes will be given in large lecture and during section. Participation will be determined within your section. Paper #1: 25% (Due Tuesday, March 5, online by midnight) Paper #2: 25% (Due Tuesday, April 30, online by midnight) Exam #1: 15% Exam #2: 15% Quizzes: 10% Participation: 10% Some Large Lecture Rules: All material presented during class can be used in assignments or be tested on. Professor Blum will discuss superheroes like Spiderman. That is testable material. During lectures, save questions for times when Professor Blum asks if there are any questions or note down your questions and email them to him. Professor Blum cares deeply about your questions, but there is not enough time to discuss and address them all in the class. Also, sometimes questions interrupt the flow of a lecture or the main point and thus detract from the overall classroom experience. Page 2 of 6
Turn your cell phones off and do not text during class. It doesn t bother me, but it s distracting to other people. (Susie can wait to know the guy next to you is really cute, but really smells) Do not ask Professor Blum to explain assignments or the syllabus until you have thoroughly read the assignment or the syllabus. Professor Blum refuses to address questions that are clearly answered in the material he has prepared for the class. He will simply delete your email with no response. Learn to figure things out for yourself. If you do not know the meaning of a word or a phrase, look it up. If you need help at the library, go to the library. If you missed a class, get notes from a colleague. If you are late to class, be quiet and respectful when you enter. Do not make a production of it or draw any more attention to yourself. Professor Blum is a fun and happy guy; he ll tell you if he s upset with the class; he ll tell you if you re doing well. Enjoy him because he will definitely enjoy your presence in the class and what you uniquely offer to it! Keep a tally of how many times he says Hooray! and you ll find that he s got a good heart inside somewhere. Plagiarism: ACHTUNG! WARNING!! Monstrous, Evil, Lethal Criminal Acts If you're sick of this institution, one of the best ways OUT of it is to cheat or plagiarize in my class. Any work you claim as your own that comes from another person or lacks what I consider adequate acknowledgment of their contribution is cheating. Copying another person's paper -- copying off their test -- is cheating, too. Crib sheets are cheating, when used during an examination. Anyone caught will RUE THE DAY. He or she will get a zero on the work, an F in the course, and I will do all I can to have them expelled or suspended from this university. I've done it before. I'll do it again. For SDSU s policies on cheating, see <http://infotutor.sdsu.edu/plagiarism/index.cfm> Page 3 of 6
~Schedule~ Week 1: Introduction Monday, January 21: NO CLASS (MLK holiday) Wednesday, January 23: Introductions Sections: Introductions and Tips to survive HIST110 Week 2: Studying History, Being a Historian Monday, January 28: What is history? Wednesday, January 30: What does it mean to be an historian? Sections: How to be a student, Primary versus secondary sources, arguments and evidence Week 3: Reconstruction and the Gilded Age Monday, February 4: Reconstructing the Union Wednesday, February 6: Building an Industrial Power Sections: Primary document analysis o Hist, chapters 16-19 o Major Problems, chapters 1, 2 and 3 Week 4: The Progressive Era Monday, February 11: Oh What an Awful World Wednesday, February 13: Reform Us Again Sections: How to read a monograph, how to ask good questions o Hist, chapters 20 and 21 o Major Problems, chapters 4 and 5 o Tri-Faith America, introduction Week 5: The 1920 s to Great Depression Monday, February 18: The Roaring Twenties Wednesday, February 20: When the Affluence Ended Sections: how to write a paper o Hist, chapter 22 o Major Problems, chapters 6 and 7 o Tri-Faith America, chapter 1 Week 6: The Great Depression and New Deal Monday, February 25: FDR to the Rescue Wednesday, February 27: It Was the Best of Worst Times Sections: Primary Document Analysis Tuesday is the last day to meet Matt in his office to review your essay draft. o Hist, chapter 23 o Major Problems, chapter 8 Page 4 of 6
Week 7: World War II Monday, March 4: War Over There Wednesday, March 6: Captain America Sections: When Life Sucks o Hist, chapter 24 o Major Problems, chapter 9 o Tri-Faith America, chapter 2 Week 8: Cold War Monday, March 11: We Won, Now We re Terrified Wednesday, March 13: Capitalism Versus Communism Sections: Essay 1 review and things to learn from o Hist, chapter 25 o Major Problems, chapters 10 and 11 o Tri-Faith America, chapters 3-5 Week 9: Civil Rights and the 1960 s Monday, March 18: Black Freedom Struggle Wednesday, March 20: A Crusade for Everyone Sections: Summary/Review of Schultz o Hist, chapter 26 o Major Problems, chapters 12 and 13 o Tri-Faith America, chapters 6-end Week 10: Exam Week Monday, March 25 Wednesday, March 27: Exam No sections this week SPRING BREAK Week 11: Stayin Alive in the 1970 s Monday, April 8: The Silent Majority Strikes Back Wednesday, April 10: Stagflation Sections: Intro to Falwell, Persistence in Life o Hist, chapter 27 o Major Problems, chapter 14 o Jerry Falwell, Part One Page 5 of 6
Week 12: The 1980 s and 1990 s Monday, April 15: Ronald Reagan the Me Generation Wednesday, April 17: A Third Way? Sections: Primary Document Analysis READING: o Hist, chapter 28 o Major Problems, chapter 15 o Jerry Falwell, Part Two, sections 1-3 Week 13: The Digital Age Monday, April 22: How the Internet Took Over the World Wednesday, April 24: 9/11 and a New America Sections: Summary and Review of Falwell o Hist, chapter 29 o Major Problems, chapter 16 o Jerry Falwell, Part Two, sections 4-5 Week 14: The Present Monday, April 29: The Rise of Barack Obama Wednesday, May 1: Red States, Blue States Sections: Pleasant Politics Potluck! o Major Problems, chapter 30 Week 15: Wrap Up Monday, May 6: What does the present teach us about the past? Wednesday, May 8: Exam Preparation no sections this week Final Exam: Friday, May 10, 1:00-3:00 Page 6 of 6