History 1B Fall 2009 Section 2308 History 1B History of the United States from 1865 to the Present Course Syllabus Instructor: Emily Rader Office: SOCS 201D Telephone: 660-3593, x3757 Email: erader@elcamino.edu Office hours: Student Contacts: Required Textbooks 1. Binder and Reimers, eds., The Way We Lived: Essays and Documents in American Social History, Vol II: 1865-Present, 6th ed. (2008). (Abbreviated as WWL in the rest of the syllabus.) 2. Gillon and Matson, The American Experiment: A History of the United States, Vol. 1I: 1865- Present, 3 rd ed. (2008), with student passkeys. (Abbreviated as AE in the rest of the syllabus.) Note: These two books are bound together at a greatly reduced price if you buy them new. The single bound text is listed as The American Experiment. If you prefer to buy used copies, you may purchase them separately. At the ECC Bookstore, used copies are listed as optional books for this course. The 3. Benjamin, A Student s Guide to History, 10 th ed. (Abbreviated as SG.) Also Required: 2-3 file folders. ECC student ID, access to computer and internet. Recommended Preparation In order to complete this course successfully, it is recommended that you be eligible to take English 1A. In my experience of teaching this course, I believe that it is best if you have already taken or are concurrently enrolled in English 1A. If you have not yet taken the English placement exam, or if you have scored at a level below English 1A (that is, Eng A, B, 2R or R, or the equivalent ESL classes), I strongly recommend that you wait to take this course until your reading and writing skills have improved. Also Recommended ECC email address.
Course Description The official Course Objectives for History 1B are attached at the end of the syllabus. In organizing this course, I like to condense these objectives into a number of themes that weave in and out of the weekly topics. These themes are 1. Race Relations and Their Impact on Political, Social, Cultural and Economic Issues and Ideas 2. The Role of Class in U.S. Society 3. Democratic Rights and Equality For Whom? When? Where? 4. Important Ideas That Shaped American Culture and Politics 5. Warfare: Why, When, Where? Impacts? 6. Geographical and Population Expansion 7. Events in the U.S. in Their Global Contexts 8. Historical Thinking and Skills In addition to these Course Objectives, there are also Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). These are, in a nutshell, the knowledge and skills we (History Department faculty) hope and expect students to learn during the semester. The SLOs are basically the same for all history courses. There are three of them: 1. Upon completion of this course, students will identify and explain major social, economic, political and cultural patterns in U.S. history in a written or oral assignment. 2. Given a primary or secondary source relating to the history of the United States, students will accurately identify the source and then apply appropriate historical methods to explain what the source reveals about its historical context. 3. Given one or more primary and/or secondary source(s) pertaining to a significant aspect of economic, political, social or cultural patterns in United States history, students will develop and persuasively argue an historical thesis in a written or oral assignment that effectively uses the sources as evidence. Instructors are required to assess whether students have achieved these SLOs. We do this by assigning tests, essays or oral presentations, grading them, and then evaluating the results. 2
Weekly Schedule Notes: I may change, add or delete assignments, so be sure to check with other students or me if you miss a class. Whenever there are reading assignments, bring the book(s) with you to class. Always bring AE to class. Reading assignments are listed with the dates they are due. Weeks 1-7: The United States Enters the Modern World, 1865-1917 Week 1: August 31-September 3 Introduction to Course and to the Study of History Weeks 2-3: September 8-17 (Monday, Sept. 7, is Labor Day Campus Closed.) Strengthening the Color Line, 1865-1890 Sept. 8 (Tuesday class only): In-class work, including Writing Sample. Bring books to class. Sept. 9/10: The Failure of Reconstruction Assignment: WWL, Chap. 1; AE, Chap. 16. Sept. 9 (Wednesday class only): Turn in Writing Sample. Friday, Sept. 11, is the last day for students to add or change classes; last day to drop a class and get a full refund. Sept. 14/15: The Color Line in the West: The California Gold Rush, the Transcontinental Railroad and Chinese Labor Assignment: WWL, Chap. 2; AE, Chap. 17 Sept. 16/17: Seizing Indian Land and Their Children Assignment WWL, Chap. 3; AE, Chap. 17. Weeks 4-5: September 21-October 1 Urbanization, Immigration and Unionization, 1870-1910 Sept. 21/22: Immigrant Women and Sweatshop Labor: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Assignment: WWL, Chap. 4. Skip the documents in this chapter and use the ones in Chap. 5 instead. Sept. 23/24: Urbanization Assignment: AE, Chap. 19 Sept. 28/29: Labor, Unionization and the Color Line Assignment: AE, Chap. 18 Sept. 30/Oct. 1: Graded Discussion and Paper 3
Weeks 6-7: October 5-15 Race and Class at Home and Overseas, 1890-1920 Oct. 5-8: Race and Class in Domestic Affairs Assignment: WWL, Chap. 6; AE, Chap. 21. Oct. 12-15: Race and Power Overseas Assignment: Website, Historical Thinking Matters, Spanish-American War ; AE, Chap. 22 Weeks 8-16: Domestic and International Power and Conflict Week 8: October 19-22 War and Popular Culture, 1910-1920 Oct. 19-22: WWL, Chap. 7; AE, Chap. 23. Weeks 9 and 10: October 26-November 5 Race, Gender and Class in the 1920s Oct. 26/27 Assignment: WWL, Chap. 8; AE, Chap. 24. Oct. 28/29: Midterm Essay due. Nov. 2/3 Assignment: Website, HTM, The Scopes Trial Nov. 4/5 Assignment: WWL, Chap. 9 Week 11: November 9-12 The Great Depression, 1929-1941 Nov. 9-12: WWL, Chap. 10; AE, Chap. 25; HTM, Social Security Weeks 12-13: Nov. 16-25 (No class on Thurs., Nov. 26 Thanksgiving) World War II and the Post-War Period, 1940-1960 Nov. 16/17: World War II and Japanese Internment Film: From 9066 to 9/11 Assignment: WWL, Chap. 11, read only Conditions in the Camps, pp. 190-192; AE., Chap. 26 Nov. 18/19: The Post-World War II Period: The Cold War and Suburbanization Assignment: WWL, Chap. 12, essay only; AE, Chap. 27; Fri., Nov. 20: Last day to drop with notation, W. Nov. 23/24: The 50s : Consumerism and Civil Rights Assignment: WWL, Chap. 13; AE, Chap. 28; HTM, Rosa Parks Nov. 25 Assignment: Work in class on Nov. 30/Dec.1 assignment. 4
Weeks 14 and 15: November 30-December 10 Decades of Protest, 1948-1975 Nov. 30-Dec. 3 Assignment: WWL, Chap. 14; AE, Chap. 28, pp. 1117-1124. Nov. 30/Dec. 1: Written Assignment due. Dec. 7-10 Assignment: WWL, Chap. 15; AE, Chaps. 29 and 30. Week 16: December 14-17 The Past in the Present Dec. 14/15: Final Project due. Grading Your course grade will be based on the following: Writing Sample 20 Graded Disc. & Paper, Midterm, Written Assign. @ 100 points each 300 Quizzes, 10-30 points each, 6-10 times To be determined Semester Project 150 Attendance and Participation 50 Other Assignments To be determined Minimum requirements for course grades are as follows: To receive an A, B or C, students must do the three assignments specified above. For an A, total accumulated points must equal 87% of total points; or if a slightly lower percentage, students must demonstrate A level work during the last month of the semester. For a B, total accumulated points must equal 77% of total points; or if a slightly lower percentage, students must demonstrate B level work during the last month of the semester. For a C, total accumulated points must equal 67% of total points. To receive a D, students will have submitted the Midterm and Semester Project and most of the assigned work, but points will equal under 60% of the total. Note that many colleges will not accept a grade below C for transfer credit for this course. The college recommends that students spend 2 hours reading, doing assignments, studying, etc., outside of class for each 1 hour the class meets. Thus, for a 3-hour class, each student should spend 6 hours per week on work for that course. 5
Attendance and Participation Your grade in this category is based on, but not limited to, the following: Arriving on time to class Asking questions Staying for the entire class Responding to questions Reading assigned material before class Bringing assigned materials to class Participating in group discussions, debates, presentations Taking notes I take attendance during every class meeting. If you arrive late or leave early, I may not mark you present. If you are present for less than half of the class, I will not mark you present. For the college s attendance rules, see the College Catalog, p. 11. If you must leave class early, I would appreciate it if you would let me know before class begins. If you must miss a class, please tell me if you have a good reason for missing; if so, I will mark you as an excused absence, which will not count against you. Good reasons include family emergencies, illness that lasts more than a week and conflicts with work. I do not keep track of normal absences, such as a brief illness (one week or less), a single doctor s appointment, etc. Extra Credit My official policy is to offer NO extra credit. Sometimes, though, there are limited opportunities for extra credit. Sometimes I include extra credit questions on the tests. Also, at times there may be an event I want to encourage students to attend; if so, I give extra credit points (but you have to turn in a written assignment.) Due Dates All assignments are due on the dates listed in the syllabus, at the start of class (with a 15-minute grace period). Late assignments receive reduced grades, as follows: Assignments turned in late on the due date or the next day = -3 points. Assignments due on Monday that are turned in on Wednesday = - 5 points Assignments that are turned in between 3 and 6 days late = -7 points Assignments that are turned in 1 week late = -10 points Assignments that are more than 1 week late = Required meeting with me & an additional -5 points. The only exception to this policy is in cases of true and documented emergencies or in limited cases when you notify me before the due date and I agree to give you an extension. Missed Graded Class Discussions, Films or Tests Students who miss Graded Class Discussions or films will not be able to make them up except in special circumstances, such as verified illness and family emergencies. In such cases, I will try to work with you so that you do not lose points or miss a film, but you must contact me as soon as possible. If you miss an in-class test, you may take it during my office hours, with points deducted for lateness. Standards of Conduct 6
The college s Student Standards of Conduct is in the yearly college catalog. In this year s catalog (2009-2010), it is on pages 25-29. These pages include the Standards of Conduct and the grievance procedure for students who think they have been treated unfairly. I recommend that all students read these pages. In addition to the college s standards, I have some that apply to my classes, and I am including them here. I understand that different instructors vary in their expectations of student conduct, and that it may be difficult to remember exactly what one instructor or another tolerates. However, I feel that the rules I have listed here reflect general courtesy and thoughtfulness towards others and are appropriate in any classroom. It is your responsibility to review them until you are familiar with them. As the semester goes on, and we get to know each other better, the class may suggest modifications to these rules. 1. Silence all cell phones and other electronic devices before class begins. Put devices out of sight. 2. Do not respond to cell phones or other devices during class. The only exception is if there is an emergency situation and you notify me before class begins. 3. If you must leave class early, notify me before class begins. Sit near the back door of the classroom, in a seat that allows you to exit quietly and quickly. Students who leave class early without notifying me will be marked absent. 4. If you arrive late to class, enter the room through the back door, quietly, and take a seat that is easy to get to (which may not be your usual seat). Do not enter through the front door; if you do, I may tell you to leave, and you will then be marked absent. 5. If you arrive late to class, do not talk to a neighboring student to find out what you have missed. You can do that at the end of class. 6. On occasion, a student may have to leave class for a few minutes, and return, for example, if she or he feels sick. If this happens to you, please leave quietly, and exit and return through the back door. Some students develop a habit of leaving and returning to class. This is not acceptable, unless you have an important reason that you discuss with me outside of class time. 7. Students sometimes have to ask a neighboring student a question during class. This is acceptable if it happens rarely, and if the conversation is brief and quiet. Please do not habitually talk to each other, pass notes, or engage in other forms of communication with neighboring students. 8. If you are tired, possibly having trouble staying awake, please do not make this obvious to me by yawning widely or audibly, stretching, or falling asleep and out of your chair. 9. Please finish putting on make-up, combing your hair, or other grooming tasks before class begins. 10. The college bans drinking and eating in classrooms. Students who ignore or violate these rules will first be warned. If the behavior reoccurs, the student will be asked to leave class for that day and will be marked absent. Rude or disruptive behavior that continues may be grounds for dismissal from this class. History 1B COURSE OBJECTIVES 7
1. Describe and assess the process by which the United States was economically transformed and modernized in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. 2. Analyze the role of industrialists and inventors during the era of the American Industrial Revolution. 3. Evaluate major American political, religious, and cultural values for the 1877 to 1914 period. 4. Compare and contrast the changing demography of America in the 1877 to 1914 and 1945 to present periods. 5. Determine the processes of assimilation and acculturation expected of immigrants to the United States from 1900 to the present. 6. Discuss and evaluate the interaction of majority and minority groups during the 20 th century. 7. Identify and analyze various American political reform movements such as Populism, Progressivism, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, Civil Rights, and the Great Society in terms of causation, sequence of events, concepts and development. 8. Conceptualize and discuss the meaning of conservatism, liberalism, and radicalism in American history from the post-world War II era to the present. 9. Summarize and analyze the development of American foreign policy since 1945, including the rise of the United States as a world power and leader within a large community of nations. 10. Trace and evaluate United States diplomacy and armed conflict through isolationism, imperialism, and collective security policies of the 20 th century. 11. Compare and contrast the core political and philosophical ideas and modes of expression in American culture in the 20 th century. 8