HISTORY 13, SECTION 0448:
The United States in the Twentieth Century
Instructor: Glenn W. Britton, Ph.D.
Class Meets: VLGE 8344 TTH 12:45-2:10 pm
Office Location: Old Library 3 (in the basement)
Office Hours: T 11:45-12:20 pm
Email: brittogw@lacitycollege.edu (This is the best way to reach me.
Please indicate which college, class, and section you are in.)
Phone: TBA (During office hours only.)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students analyze the main events, actors, and themes of the 20th
century, primarily focusing on their impact on American history (i.e.
cultural, political, and social movements), including a discussion of
America’s central institutions.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Students will be able to assess the causes and ramifications of social,
cultural, political, legal, and foreign policy change in the United States during
the twentieth century.
2. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of
diverse groups and personages including women, African Americans, Native
Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, and Europeans to the
culture of the United States.
3. Students will be able to develop critical thinking skills by learning how
to analyze, evaluate, and interpret the historical evidence of primary sources.
ADVISORY: Successful completion of English 28 is strongly
recommended.
REQUIRED READING:
--George Donelson Moss, America Since 1900, 7th edition.
--Check Moodle for additional readings and assignments.
GRADING STRUCTURE:
Exams
2@100 points each
Final Exam
Assignments (this figure may vary)
Class attendance and participation
TOTAL
1
200
200
100
100
600
pts.
pts.
pts.
pts.
pts.
90-100%
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
A
B
C
D
F
COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE
The Historian’s Craft: Theory and Methodology
Introductory Lectures:
The Market Revolution and the Transformation of Labor
Class, Race, and Gender in the Twentieth Century
Reading: “Waging War over Western Civilization”
Chapter 1: A Society in Transition
Chapter 2: The Progressive Era
WEEK TWO
Chapter 2: (cont.)
Chapter 3: The U.S. Engages the World
Reading: The Overcrowded City: The Story of Harriet Vittum
Reading: Edward Bellamy’s Parable of the Prodigious Coach
WEEK THREE
Video Assignment: The Corporation
Chapter 3: (cont.)
Chapter 4: The Twenties
WEEK FOUR
Chapter 5: The Great Depression
Chapter 6: The New Deal
WEEK FIVE
Chapter 6: (cont.)
EXAM 1 (covers lectures, readings, assignments, and videos)
WEEK SIX
Chapter 7: Diplomacy Between Wars
WEEK SEVEN
Chapter 8: World War II
Chapter 9: The Cold War
Video Assignment: Inventing LA: The Chandlers and Their
Times
WEEK EIGHT
Chapter 9: (cont.)
Chapter 10: The Age of Consensus
WEEK NINE
The Sixties
Chapter 10: (cont.)
Chapter 11: The Sixties
2
WEEK TEN
Chapter 11: (cont.)
EXAM 2 (covers lectures, readings, assignments, and videos)
WEEK ELEVEN
Chapter 12: Calming Down
Video Assignment: Food, Inc.
WEEK TWELVE
Chapter 12: (cont.)
Chapter 13: An Era of Limits
WEEK THIRTEEN
Chapter 14: America Revived
WEEK FOURTEEN
Chapter 15: Going Global
WEEK FIFTEEN
Chapter 16: America in the New Millennium
Video Assignment: The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the
Collapse of the American Dream
FINAL EXAM (Thursday, December 17, 12:30-2:30 pm; covers
lectures, readings, assignments, and videos)
Reminder: Check school calendar for important dates such as drop
dates and holidays.
HOW TO DO YOUR BEST IN THIS COURSE:
--Time management, proper diet, and the development of critical
thinking skills are important for your success.
--Check Moodle regularly for announcements, assignments, and
supplemental reading materials. Links will also be provided to help
you with your research.
--Read the required chapters ahead of time and be prepared to discuss
the material in class. Quizzes may be given if necessary.
--Take-home assignments must be typewritten or completed on the
appropriate Scantron form and must be submitted on the due dates.
-- Please show up for exams at the assigned times, and do not be late.
On exam days, use the restroom before coming to class.
--Turn off cell phones before entering class. No eating or drinking
(except water) in the classroom. No talking during lectures. No
headsets are to be worn in class. Courtesy is expected of you at all
times. Class participation is required, but excessive interruptions or
inappropriate comments or behavior are unacceptable.
--Please arrive on time and plan to stay until the end of class.
Attendance counts towards class participation.
Failure to attend
regularly may result in a lowering of your grade. Habitual coming and
going at all times during class creates a disturbance and will not be
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acceptable. If you miss more than four classes, you will be dropped
from the course.
--In an EMERGENCY, dial 4311 or 818 710-4311 from any campus
phone. "The blue emergency phone poles located around the campus
connect you directly to the Station by pressing the red talk button.
Please only use these phone poles for EMERGENCY CALLS.
--Students with a verified disability who may need authorized
accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor
and the Office of Special Services as
soon as possible, at least two
weeks before any exam or quiz. All
information will remain
confidential.
Phone: (818) 719-6430
Email: special_services@piercecollege.edu
--Violations of Academic Integrity include, but are not limited to,
the following actions: cheating on an exam, plagiarism, working
together on an assignment, paper or project when the instructor
has specifically stated students should not do so, submitting the
same term paper to more than one instructor, or allowing another
individual to assume one's identity for the purpose of enhancing
one's grade.
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