DEPARTMENT OF HISTORICAL, LEGAL AND LEADERSHIP STUDIES
HIST 2023 American History From 1877 – Classical Conversations
Spring 2016 – Course Summary
Catalog Description
A study of American history from 1877 to the present. Topics include the New South, the New West,
foreign affairs, industrialization, the Progressive Era, the World Wars, the Depression, the Cold War,
and present issues.
Required Course Materials
2015-16 Classical Conversations Challenge III
Schweikart, Larry, & Michael Allen. A Patriot’s History of the United States. New York: Penguin
Group, 2004.
Prerequisites and Credit Hours
Students must be currently enrolled in Classical Conversations Challenge III. The completion of HIST
2023 at Southeastern University will earn 3 credit hours for a letter grade.
Course Evaluators
Dr. Alan Snyder, kasnyder@seu.edu
Professor Rustin Lloyd, rblloyd@seu.edu
Intended Learning Outcomes
As a result of reading, study, and activities in this course, the student should be able to:
1. Analyze and evaluate trends, events, and intellectual currents from 1877 to the present which
have had an impact on the development of the American character.
2. Recall the fundamental elements of the political development of the United States and
understand how those elements relate to the current American political situation.
3. Recognize individuals and groups who have played significant roles in the history of the United
States.
4. Assess the role that capitalistic organization of the American economy has played in
developing American strength and affluence and in determining the interrelationships of
interest groups.
5. Locate specific geographic sites that have played an important part in American history.
6. Demonstrate a broad understanding of the development of American history from 1877 to the
present and be able to relate it to life in the United States today.
Grading Scale
The goals is for students to master all of the intended learning outcomes for this course. Most all of the
assessments are assignments already associated with Challenge III second semester curriculum.
Students will be provided a collegiate-level evaluation of each assessment and assigned a point value
on a 100 point scale. Evaluators will assess the completeness of all assignments and exams in the spirit
of the trivium:
1. Accuracy of facts and content (grammar)
2. Analysis and comprehension of the topic (logic)
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3. Written and/or spoken language (rhetoric)
The university’s general grading scale is provided in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of
the Southeastern University Catalog. All undergraduate courses use the following scale:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
94 – 100%
90 – 93%
87 – 89%
84 – 86%
80 – 83%
77 – 79%
74 – 76%
70 – 73%
67 – 69%
64 – 66%
60 - 63%
0 – 59%
Drop/Add and Withdrawal
The last day to drop this course with no grade is January 19, 2016. The last day to officially withdraw
from this course and receive a grade of “W” is March 18, 2016.
Assessments and Grading
Weighted
Assessment
Course
Brief Description
Percentage
Research Paper
20%
Write a 1,000-word essay on any topic of historical interest from the
#1
“Oregon Trail” to the “Great Crash” (1843–1930). Additional
Due Week 4
research is recommended. Make sure to cite sources appropriately
and follow MLA formatting. See Rhetorical Assignment Key in
Challenge III for parameters.
To meet the SEU ILO this paper must assess the role that capitalistic
organization of the American economy has played in developing
American strength and affluence and in determining the
interrelationships of interest groups within the above time period.
Research Paper
#2
Due Week 10
20%
Write a 1,000-word essay on any topic of historical interest from
FDR through Eisenhower OR any World War II or Korean War
topic. Additional research may be needed and is encouraged.
Remember to cite all references appropriately and follow MLA
formatting.
To meet the SEU ILO this paper must recognize individuals and
groups who have played significant roles in the history of the United
States during the above time period.
Last edited: 11/17/2015, R. Lloyd
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Open
Interpretation
Event
Due Week 10
15%
Original
Advocacy
Speech
Due Week 14
15%
Present a 5-7 minute, memorized speech from one of the important
U.S. historical figures studied in the time frame from 1941–1974
(for example, a presidential speech). Primary Goals: Students should
use this speech to work on expressiveness: not speaking in a
monotone, but delivering the speech clearly and with appropriate
emotion. Introduce the circumstances and the occasion (the reason
and/or purpose) of the speech. Students may take excerpts of the
speech to fit the time limits and edit the speech to make a smoothly
flowing presentation. However, students should not add to or detract
from the original intent of the speech. Students will need to submit
for evaluation via MyFire a video copy of the speech as it was
presented.
To meet the SEU ILO this assignment must recognize individuals
and groups who have played significant roles in the history of the
United States during the above time period.
Write and present a 5-7 minute speech, taking a position on one or
the other of the issues described below. See the instructions in
Challenge III to help in preparations.
1. In President Barack Obama’s first inaugural speech, January 20,
2009, he said the following. Choose a position with historical
research to either affirm or dispute the idea that the size of
government is irrelevant.
“Now, there are some who question the scale of our
ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too
many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have
forgotten what this country has already done, what free men
and women can achieve when imagination is joined to
common purpose and necessity to courage. What the cynics
fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them,
that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for
so long, no longer apply. The question we ask today is not
whether our government is too big or too small, but whether
it works—whether it helps families find jobs at a decent
wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.”
2. On March 6, 2013, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul staged the
longest talking filibuster in recent Senate memory, totaling more
than twelve hours, and put forth a resolution against the use of
drones on American citizens (detailed below in two parts). Take
a position concerning the resolution. Include and detail to the
extent, if any, the use of drones should be allowed against
American citizens.
“Resolved that it is the sense of the Senate that the use of
drones to execute, or to target, American citizens on
American soil who pose no imminent threat clearly violates
the Constitutional due process rights of citizens. The
American people deserve a clear, concise, and unequivocal
Last edited: 11/17/2015, R. Lloyd
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public statement from the president of the United States that
contains detailed legal reasoning, including but not limited to
the balance between national security and due process, limits
of executive power, and distinction between the treatment of
citizens and non-citizens within and outside the borders of
the United States, the use of lethal force against American
citizens, and the use of drones in the application of lethal
force within the United States territory.”
American
History Facts
(AHF)
Notebook and
Timeline
Due at Week 7
and 14
10%
Blue Book
Comprehensive
Exam
Due at Week
15
20%
Transcript: Rand Paul’s Filibuster of John Brennan’s CIA
Nomination [PDF]. TheLaw.net Corporation. Web. 7 March
2013. Pages S1192-S1193.
To meet the SEU ILO this assignment must recognize individuals
and groups who have played significant roles in the history of the
United States during the above time period.
Each student should record significant facts significant events,
important people, dates, and places arranged chronologically enable
the student to commit important facts to memory. Students also
memorize all the U.S. presidents.
To meet the SEU ILO this assignment must:
• Analyze and evaluate trends, events, and intellectual currents
from 1877 to the present, which have had an impact on the
development of the American character.
• Locate specific geographic sites that have played an
important part in American history.
• Demonstrate a broad understanding of the development of
American history from 1877 to the present and be able to
relate it to life in the United States today.
Respond to five essay questions in a proctored environment via
MyFire. The questions require a comprehensive understanding of the
course.
To meet the SEU ILO this assignment must:
• Analyze and evaluate trends, events, and intellectual currents
from 1877 to the present, which have had an impact on the
development of the American character.
• Demonstrate a broad understanding of the development of
American history from 1877 to the present and be able to
relate it to life in the United States today.
Last edited: 11/17/2015, R. Lloyd
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.