Syllabus and Outline for History 208
Instructor: Van Plexico
Contact: (678) 907-8775
Email: vplexico at gmail.com
(The above address is modified to deflect spam. Simply replace
"at" with @ and leave out the spaces.)
Texts: Boyer, et al, The Enduring Vision. This is the main textbook for the course. An additional book will be assigned by the College, containing articles and excerpts from speeches and documents which are representative of the era we are studying. These will be discussed in class.
Paper Assignment: Read the Literature Review Assignment Information.
Course Description: See Module.
Grading: Students will take a midterm and a final exam, participate in study group discussions and class discussions, and prepare a literature review, which will be presented orally. For study group preparation, a series of questions are included in this syllabus which are to be explored collectively by your group. You should formulate an answer for each question, incorporating as much information from the text as you feel is relevant to the question(s). You do not need to write out full answers; simply outline the main points you would include, with page numbers in the text where the full information you want to include can be found. We will discuss the answers in class, so everyone should come prepared with a set of answers.
Component Points
Midterm Exam
200
Final Exam
200
Literature Review 200
Class Discussion
100
Points Grade
630-700
A
560-629
B
490-559
C
420-489
D
below 42 F
Attendance: According to the school’s official policy, a maximum of two absences are allowed from this class. If you must miss a class, please contact me in advance, if possible. I do not generally accept late assignments or allow make-up exams unless arrangements have been made in advance.
Cheating: This includes both copying from someone else’s exam and plagiarism on the literature reviews. Each source used in your papers should be documented using the style shown in your manual. Penalty for violation is a "0" on the exam or paper.
Course Outline
Class 1
The Guilded Age: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Politics in the late 19th Century
Assignments: See your Module.
We will also discuss the "political spectrum," the meaning of "Right" and "Left" in American (and world) politics, and define a few basic concepts of the study of government and modern history. Click here for a quick overview of the Political Spectrum in the US.
Study questions:
Chapter 18
1. What conditions must exist for industrialization to occur? Can it happen anywhere?
2. How did business practices change as a result of American industrialization?
3. How does your textbook account for the difficulties the South experienced in becoming industrialized?
4. In what ways were workers most impacted by industrialization?
5. What were the objectives and strategies of American unions during this period? How successful were they?
6. What were some of the political theories put forth as industrialization swept over the country? How did they differ?
Chapter 19
7. What were some of the major problems of city life and how were they addressed? How successful was America in dealing with these problems?
8. There is a reference to Jacob Riis and his opinions about urban America. Upon what did he place the blame for urban problems? Discuss.
Chapter 20
9. What were the most significant business changes that took place in the U.S. during the late 19th Century as a result of industrialization?
10. What sort of class structure emerged from industrialization? How would you characterize income distribution during this time?
Chapter 21
11. In what ways did America expand as an "imperialist power" during this era, with regard to the rest of the world?
12. How did Americans see themselves during this expansion?
Class 2
Questioning the Laissez-Faire
Assumptions: Progressivism, World War I, the Roaring Twenties,
and the Great Depression, 1900-1939.
Assignments: See your Module.
Study questions:
Chapter 22
1. What were some of the main characteristics of the Progressive movement?
2. How did Progressivism make its way into legislation beginning in 1900?
3. How similar were the policies of President Wilson to those of President Roosevelt?
Chapter 23 (I will go over the main points of the War in class)
4. How would you describe America’s national mood at the close of the war?
Chapter 24
5. America experienced an economic boom during the 1920s. In what major ways did US businesses develop, and who gained the most from this growth?
6. In what ways was this decade a contradictory time for Americans?
Chapter 25
7. How did the Great Depression come to be? How did President Hoover respond to it?
8. What were the major ideas behind the New Deal?
9. How did the Second New Deal differ from the First?
10. How did the base of support of the Democratic party before 1930 differ from what we see today? What happened to the party in the 1930s which made it look more like it does today?
11. What brought about the end of the New Deal?
Class 3
Midterm exam!
I have placed outlines of World War II and the Cold War at
bottom of this week's questions, providing quick overviews of
both.
If you are not too familiar with either, please look them over
and possibly print them out for reference during reading and
class discussion.
Study Questions
Chapter 26
1. World War II has been called "the Good War." How anxious were Americans in general to enter the war at the start? What factors contributed to this feeling on the part of many Americans?
2. What steps did the US take to aid Jewish refugees from Europe?
Chapter 27
3. In what ways did World War II affect the American economy? Do you think the war did more to end the Depression than the New Deal did?
4. What became of Japanese-Americans during the war? How did the government defend this policy?
5. What were some of the challenges faced by African-Americans and other minorities during the War years?
Chapter 28
6. What was the Cold War? Which side was to blame (if either)? What military/political strategy did the US adopt to deal with it?
7. How did the US become involved in a military conflict in Korea? Who would you say won the conflict?
8. How did the Cold War change America?
Chapter 29
9. Eisenhower was the first Republican president since Hoover. He called his ideas "Dynamic conservatism" and "modern Republicanism." This might suggest they were completely the opposite from FDR’s policies. How true is this? How did they compare to the New Deal?
10. What was the Baby Boom? What did it have to do with the Cold War, medical science, and economic prosperity?
11. What, in brief, was the "Other America," and why was it invisible?
Class 4
Literature Review due!
Study Questions
Chapter 30
1. How did President Kennedy fare with domestic politics? Did his personal popularity translate into legislative successes?
2. What were Kennedy’s views and actions in regards to Civil Rights? How much did he accomplish in this area?
3. What were the main events Kennedy dealt with in foreign policy, and how well did he manage them?
4. What were the major elements of the "Great Society?" How successful was President Johnson at bringing the Great Society into reality?
5. How successful was the Civil Rights movement during the Johnson presidency?
6. In what ways did Johnson face a dilemma in Southeast Asia beginning in 1964? How did Johnson respond to the situation?
Chapter 31
7. What were some of the key events of 1968 that made that year so momentous for the US?
8. How did Nixon change America’s approach to the Vietnam War? How successful was this approach?
9. What, essentially, was Watergate all about? What did Nixon do wrong? How would you compare it with more recent scandals such as President Reagan’s "Iran-Contra" scandal and President Clinton’s troubles? (If you don’t have information handy about Iran-Contra, don’t worry—we will discuss in class.)
Class 5
Final Exam!
Study Questions
Chapter 32
1. What does the textbook mean when it describes America during the Ford-to-Reagan period as "turning inward?"
2. How does the text characterize the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter? How does the book’s evaluation compare with the materials you read for your paper assignment?
3. What does the textbook seem to mean when it characterizes Ronald Reagan’s administration as the "Reagan Revolution?" What was so revolutionary about it? Is it similar in any noticeable ways to the late 1800s administrations from week 1?
4. How did Reagan’s attitude toward and relationship with the Soviet Union and its leaders change over time?
5. In what ways could George Bush’s administration be characterized as both a great success and a failure? What were his strengths and weaknesses as president?
6. Between 1969 and 1993, America had only one Democratic president (Carter). How did this situation affect the makeup and behavior of the Supreme Court?
7. Can the Clinton years be seen as a victory for the Right, the Left, both, or neither?
Web Links
Literature Review Assignment Information
The New Australian gives a different view of 20th
Century US Presidents:
Click here for the entire
three-part article.
Original website of ISI Survey of Presidential Greatness
http://www.isi.org/whatsnew/prespoll.asp