Key Moments in US History, 1861 – 1990

HIST204 / Spring 2013

Professor Amy Feely Morsman                     Office Hours: M 1:30 – 3:30

331 Axinn Center                                                            TH 11:00 – noon

amorsman@middlebury.edu                                         & by appointment

443-3223

Course Design

Over the last 150 years, the American nation has experienced dramatic change.  This course examines some of the key moments and conflicts in that process, with particular attention to ones that reflect the broad themes of the modern era.  The main goal of the course is to strengthen your ability to read, write, analyze, and discuss effectively, but we will use the history of modernizing America as the channel for that work, paying particular attention to the diversity and complexity of Americans’ experiences and their change over time.

Course Requirements

Class Participation: 35%

Essay #1: 15%

Take-home Midterm Exam [Week 8]: 15%

Essay #2: 15%

Take-home Final Exam [Exam Week]: 20%

 

Class Participation: Students should attend all lectures held in Axinn 109 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:10 AM.  Students must attend Friday discussion sections in Axinn 109/104 in order to gain passing credit for their participation grade.  I take student participation in discussion sections seriously and expect that you will have completed and thought critically about the assigned readings before our Friday meetings.  From this syllabus you can see that discussion is the single most important component of this class and the largest determinant of your grade.  Though there are not many assignments required for students to submit for a grade in this course, keep in mind that discussion sections provide you an opportunity to earn a grade every week.

Please see the last page of the syllabus for the standards for participation that I use in this class.

The readings for this course can be purchased anywhere, but copies are available at the College Bookstore.  One copy of each reading is also on reserve at the library.  In addition to the books purchased for this class, you can access a number of assigned articles from our course website. Go to sites.middlebury.edu, and after logging in with your Middlebury username and password, you should be able to access all the materials on the HIST204 website.  By clicking on the Readings tab, you will find a link to E-Reserves.  Our course password for E-Reserves is 4205am.

You are expected to have read the assigned readings in their entirety, noted their relevance to the course, and crafted your own discussion comments and/or questions before you come to discussion section on Friday.  Bringing sufficient notes and your own thoughtful comments/questions about these readings to class will, in fact, make you better prepared to participate effectively in discussion than just bringing your highlighted version of the reading itself.  You may also bring your laptops to discussion section to view the readings on your own screen, but I reserve the right to prohibit the use of laptops if I find that students are using them in class for activities that are unrelated to our discussion.  In addition to completing each reading and generating your own thoughtful response, I will often ask you to locate on your own a historical document that relates to the week’s reading. At those times, you should bring this document to discussion section and be prepared to present it and describe its usefulness to our conversation.

The following texts are for sale at the bookstore:

Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, by Nicholas Lemann

From the Deep Woods to Civilization, by Charles Eastman

Out of this Furnace, a Novel of Immigrant Labor, by Thomas Bell

Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American

            Internment, by Linda Gordon & Gary Okihiro

[**Optional Textbook**]  Give Me Liberty: An American History (Seagull Third                           Edition), by Eric Foner

Assignments: You will craft two 4-5 page essays based upon class readings (one before Spring Break, one after Spring Break).  You will also complete a take-home mid-term exam and a take-home final exam. I will provide more specifics about each paper at a later date.

For all students, submitting papers and exams after the deadline will result in a grade penalty.  Assignments will lose 1/3 of a letter grade for each day beyond the deadline.

 Honor Code:

Students are expected to abide by the Middlebury College Honor Code as they engage in every aspect of this course.  Academic dishonesty discovered in any form – written or oral – will be pursued and will be handled according to the rules set forth in the College Handbook.

Please complete and sign the honor pledge on every assignment you submit for this course.

Course Schedule

 Week 1

Monday 2/11:             Introduction to Course & Civil War America

Wednesday 2/13:        The Reality of War

Friday 9/14:                No Discussion Sections meet – Winter Carnival

Read Articles on “Civil War” for In-Class Discussion Monday

__________________________

Week 2

Monday 2/18:             The Consequences of War

Wednesday 2/20:        The Meaning of Reconstruction

Friday 2/22:                Discuss: Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War

____________________________

 Week 3

Monday 2/25:             American Expansion

Wednesday 2/27:        Containment and Civilization

Friday 3/1:                  Discuss: From the Deep Woods to Civilization                  

_____________________________

 Week 4

Monday 3/4:               The Age of Titans

Wednesday 3/6:          The Cost of Industrial Power

Friday 3/8:                  Discuss: Out of This Furnace

_____________________________

 Week 5

Monday 3/11:             Progressive Promise

Wednesday 3/13:        Perils of Progressivism

Friday 3/15:                Discuss: “Progressive Era” Articles                                                                       

____________________________

 Week 6

Monday 3/18:             America’s Global Reach        

Wednesday 3/20:        America’s Global Responsibility

Friday 3/22:                Discuss: “Iron-Jawed Angels”

                                    Articles on “US & World Power”                                   

____________________________

 Week 7                       SPRING BREAK

____________________________

 Week 8

Monday 4/1:               The Great Depression                                               

Wednesday 4/3:          The Obligations of Government

Friday 4/5:                  No Discussion Sections – Midterm Exam due                                   

___________________________

 Week 9

Monday 4/8:               The US role in WWII

Wednesday 4/10:        The War at Home

Friday 4/12:                Discuss: Impounded

____________________________

 Week 10

Monday 4/15:             Postwar Prosperity

Wednesday 4/17:        Postwar Paranoia

Friday 4/19:                No Discussion – Attend the Student Research Symposium      

                                    _________________________________

Week 11

Monday 4/22:             Challenging the Status Quo

Wednesday 4/24:        Social Activism

Friday 4/26:                Discuss: Articles on “Racial Justice”

__________________________________

Week 12

Monday 4/29:             Social Activism II

Wednesday 5/1:          Backlash

Friday 5/3:                  Discuss: Articles on “Social Change”

__________________________________

 Week 13

Monday 5/6:               US as Lone Superpower

Wednesday 5/8:          Effects of the Global Age

Friday 5/10:                Discuss: Articles on “History Battles”

                                                                       ___________________________________

Monday 5/13              Friday Schedule Applies – Meetings about Final Exam

Just Showing Up? What Does Participation Get You?

When speaking to students about the importance of oral expression, a wise member of the Middlebury faculty used to say, “95% of the important transactions we have in life are oral.”  So if we neglect to hone your oral skills now, we will be leaving you unprepared to succeed in the rest of your life.

 Oral Participation in this course constitutes one of the largest portions of your final grade.  Keep that in mind every week as you prepare for Friday discussions.  The following descriptions of students’ oral participation behavior and the grades they earn should help provide some measure of the standards for participation in this course.

 

A=Exceptional  — An A student speaks out often and thoughtfully, does not expect to passively receive an education from the teacher, and recognizes their own active role in the learning process. This student initiates discussion in class but lets others speak, acknowledging the value of others’ opinions, and articulating connections between the points made by others and their own.  The A student attends and is prepared for all classes, does all the reading, takes notes on it, and uses their understanding of the material to enrich group discussion.

B=Above Average – A B student speaks out thoughtfully and occasionally initiates discussion in class.  This student attends all classes and is prepared for all classes by finishing the reading and taking notes on it.  A B student answers questions when asked, follows directions, and lets others speak.

C=Average – A C student attends all classes and speaks out occasionally.  This student does all the reading, answers questions when asked, and follows directions.  A C student does everything that you might imagine is expected for a Middlebury discussion section.

D=Below Average – A D student does not do what is expected.  This student misses class and rarely speaks out, comes to class unprepared, and does not follow directions. [1]