| *Syllabus - HIS 576W - Contemporary America, 1933-Present |
| Graduate Course |
|
Dr. Jeff Littlejohn |
| 3 hrs credit - Summer Session II - 2009 |
|
Office: AB4 472 |
| Sam Houston State University |
|
Phone: 936.294.4438 |
| http://www.studythepast.com |
|
Email: littlejohn@shsu.edu |
This course examines the history of the United States since 1933. In particular, students will focus on the Great Depression, New Deal, World War II, Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, Watergate, and the Age of Reagan.
| *Schedule and Books to Purchase |
Please note: Due to the length and complexity of the books covered in this course, we will extend the closing date of our class until August 21. This will give us six weeks to cover six reading assignments.
Topic 1: The Great Depression and New Deal
Reading: David Kennedy, The American People in the Great Depression: Freedom from Fear, Part One.
ISBN: 0195168925
Review of Amity Shales's The Forgotten Man [ New York Times ] [ New Republic ] [ National Review ]
Writing Prompt: In her recent book, The Forgotten Man,
conservative
columnist
Amity Shlaes argues that Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal did nothing to solve the problems caused by the Great Depression. In fact, she says,
“(f)rom 1929 to 1940 . . . government intervention helped to make the Depression Great.”
What would David Kennedy say about this interpretation? According to his book, Freedom From Fear, what did Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal do?
Response Statement due on discussion board by: July 18
Topic 2: World War II
Reading: Ronald Takaki, Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II.
ISBN: 0316831565
Writing Prompt: In his book, Double Victory, Ronald Takaki offers a compelling, multicultural history of America during World War II. What is the thesis of his book, and how does he prove it?
Response Statement due on discussion board by: July 25
Topic 3: Cold War and Civil Rights
Reading: Mary L. Dudziak, Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.
ISBN: 0691095132
Writing Prompt: In her book, Cold War Civil Rights, Mary Dudziak "examines the impact of Cold War foreign affairs on U.S. civil rights reform"(14). What does she find? How did the diplomatic realities of the Cold War "constrain and enhance civil rights reform"(11)? Be as specific as possible.
Response Statement due on discussion board by: August 1
Topic 4: The Vietnam War
James S. Olson and Randy W. Roberts, Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam 1945-1995.
ISBN-13: 9781405182225 (Barnes and Noble)
Writing Prompt: In their book, Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam, James Olson and Randy Roberts write that Americans have had difficulty "in getting a clear grasp not only of the war itself but of their feelings about it." How do Olson and Roberts portray America's effort in Vietnam? What were the key turning points in the war? And, what lessons are there to be learned?
Response Statement due on discussion board by: August 10
Topic 5: Nixon and Watergate
Reading: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men.
Any edition.
Writing Prompt: All the President's Men has been called the "most devastating detective story" of the twentieth century. What did reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein find as they examined the Watergate break-in and the Nixon Administration? Who helped them, and what was the impact of their reporting?
Response Statement due on discussion board by: August 16
Topic 6: The Age of Reagan
Reading: Sean Wilentz, The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008, pages 1-287.
ISBN: 0060744812
Writing Prompt: Sean Wilentz is a leftist historian who teaches at Princeton University in New Jersey. He has been an active supporter of the Democratic Party and has written a variety of excellent books on the early national period of American history. In his most recent work, The Age of Reagan, Wilentz examines the political era ushered in by Ronald Reagan. For the purposes of this assignment, I'd like you to discuss the first 287 pages of the book by answering the following questions.
1) How does Wilentz portray the presidencies of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter?
2)
What fresh approach did Ronald Reagan bring to American politics?
3) How does Wilentz portray Reagan's domestic policies?
4) How does Wilentz portray Reagan's foreign policy initiatives?
Response Statement due on discussion board by: August 21
1) Course Readings
Students will complete reading assignments as provided in the syllabus.
2) Response Statements
After each reading assignment, students will submit a 750-word response statement. All response statements will be posted to the discussion board in blackboard, where other class members may view them.
Students will submit 6 response statements each worth 25 points.
Total Points: 150.
Grades will be based on a 10 point scale.
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