I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
VI: Historical and Cultural Studies and IX: American and European
Perspectives
Dept/Program
History
Course #
HIST 152
Course Title
Prerequisite
Honors The Americans: 1877 to the Present
None
Credits
4
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
9/10/08
Instructor
Jeff Wiltse/Michael Mayer
Phone / Email
x2987
x2088
Program Chair
Richard Drake
Dean
Gerald Fetz
III. Description and purpose of the course: General Education courses must be introductory
and foundational. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/gened/GEPreamble_final.htm
This course is an introductory survey of United States history from 1877 to the present. It
focuses on major social, political, cultural, intellectual, diplomatic, and economic
developments. The course also exposes students to the practice of historical interpretation.
They do not just read what others have written about the past; they examine historical
documents and texts for themselves and then articulate their own interpretation of the
documents in classroom discussions and paper assignments.
Course objectives:
1. Provide students with a broad outline of U.S. history from 1877 to the present, including
the major social, political, cultural, and economic developments.
2. Provide students with an in-depth understanding of industrialization, immigration and
urbanization, and the Civil Rights Movement.
3. Improve the ability of students to communicate ideas, both verbally and in writing.
4. Develop students’ analytical thinking skills by interpreting primary source evidence and
constructing your own arguments in papers and discussion sections.
IV. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Criteria for Group IV: Historical and Cultural
Studies
History 152 offers an introduction to
American history since 1877. It focuses on
major historical trends that have shaped
modern America, such as industrialization
and deindustrialization, urbanization,
immigration, westward expansion, the
growth of a consumer economy and
consumer society, the impact of war and the
Cold War, political reform movements,
social reform movements, and the role of the
United States in the world. The course
encourages students to examine the causes
and consequences of those trends. Towards
that end, students are provided with a
textbook and series of lectures to provide
necessary background. The lectures also
offer an interpretive framework. In addition,
students examine primary sources and are
encouraged to examine them in their
historical context. Students are presented
with conflicting historical interpretations and
encouraged not only to understand the
different interpretations but to arrive at their
own.
Criteria for Group IX: American and European Students learn about the major social,
Perspectives
political, cultural, intellectual, diplomatic,
and economic developments in U.S. history
from 1877 to the present. Particular attention
is given to the growth of the American state,
the emergence of consumer and mass
culture, industrialization and
deindustrialization, struggles for racial and
gender equality, unionism and class conflict,
the emergence of the U.S. as a global power,
immigration, and social mobility. Students
also learn about the critical contributions
individuals such as Andrew Carnegie, Jane
Addams, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin
Luther King, Jr., and Rachel Carson made to
the unfolding of modern American history.
V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Learning Goals for Group VI: Historical and
Cultural Studies
Through lectures, readings, and particularly
discussion sections, students are encouraged
to consider the information in the textbook
and lectures as well as the interpretive
framework presented in the lectures and to
develop their own understanding of the
topics covered and the sweep of American
history. Students are expected to present
their own conclusions in clearly reasoned
papers and essay examinations. Most of the
readings assigned in this course are primary
sources. Students are encouraged to analyze
the documents within their historical context
and to ponder what they reveal about the
period, the author, and the major trends
emphasized in the course. Students are
required to grapple with the ideas of writers
such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Jane
Addams, Louis Brandeis, Rachel Carson,
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Anne Moody (to
name a few). They are asked to consider
court cases, letters, speeches, memoirs,
political polemics, and literary texts.
Learning Goals for Group IX: American and
Students read a general textbook on U.S.
European Perspectives
history from 1877 to the present and listen
to lectures that focus on key themes and
developments. Students also read primary
source documents in preparation for weekly
discussion sections and are expected to
analyze and discuss the documents in the
context of the textbook reading and lectures.
Students also write two five-page papers
during the semester in which they relate
assigned primary sources to the major
themes covered in class. In short, they learn
to study the past as historians do. The
analytical thinking skills, analytical writing
skills, and critical reading skills that they
learn in this class prepare them for upperdivision coursework in history.
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. ⇓ The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
HIST 152: The Americans: 1877 to the Present
Professor Jeff Wiltse
LA 263/x2987
Jeffrey.wiltse@umontana.edu
Course Description and Objectives
This course is an introductory survey of United States history from 1877 to the present. It will
acquaint you with some of the people, events, technologies, ideas, and choices that have shaped
American history during this period. Several overarching themes will guide (but not limit) our
study: social conflict, incorporation and centralization, expansion of government function, the
emergence of consumerism and mass culture, and America's rise as a global power. This class
will also expose you to the practice of historical interpretation. You will not just read what
others have written about the past; you will examine historical documents and texts for yourself
and be expected to articulate your own interpretation of them in classroom discussions and
paper assignments. You will, in short, learn to study the past as historians do.
Course objectives:
·Provide you with a broad outline of U.S. history from 1877 to the present, including the
major social, political, cultural, and economic developments.
·Provide you with an in-depth understanding of industrial labor, immigration and
assimilation, and the Civil Rights Movement.
·Improve your ability to communicate ideas, both verbally and in writing.
·Develop your analytical thinking skills by interpreting primary source evidence and
constructing your own arguments in papers and discussion sections.
Readings
Copies of the following books are available at the bookstore. They are the texts for the course.
James West Davidson, et al., Nation of Nations: A Concise Narrative of the American
Republic (Vol. 2)
David Shi and Holly Mayer, eds., For the Record: A Documentary History of America
(Vol. 2)
Thomas Bell, Out of This Furnace: A Novel of Immigrant Labor in America
Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi
Assignments
Writing is a process, not sudden inspiration. Your skill as a writer and your grades will
improve by writing and re-writing your papers. I strongly encourage you to start early on the
written assignments so you will have time to edit and revise them before handing them in. The
graders will take punctuation, grammar, and style into account when determining your grade.
Midterm 1: In-class exam on Monday, February 25
Paper #1:
Five-page paper analyzing Bell’s Out of This Furnace in the context of
industrialization, immigrant assimilation, and labor. An assignment sheet will be
distributed in class. Due Friday, March 7
Midterm 2: In-class exam on Friday, March 21
Paper #2:
Five-page paper analyzing Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi in the context
of the Civil Rights Movement and Postwar America. An assignment sheet will be
distributed in class. Due Friday, April 25
Final:
In-class exam on Thursday, May 8 at 3:20
Grading
Your final grade will be the weighted average of your individual grades for the term. Final
letter grades are figured at 90%=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D. The dividing line for +s and –s
is _7% for + and _3% for -. You must take this course for a grade. Late papers will
automatically be reduced one full letter grade and must be turned in within one week of the due
date. No paper will be accepted later than one week after it was originally due. No exceptions.
Grades will be weighted as follows:
Paper 1
Midterm 1
Midterm 2
Paper 2
Final
Discussion Section
20%
10%
10%
20%
15%
25%
*Discussion section attendance is required. More than two unexcused absences will result in a
failing grade for discussion.
Academic Honesty
Neither plagiarism nor any form of cheating will be tolerated. The work you submit in this
course must be your own. When you draw from the words or thoughts of others, acknowledge
it in the footnotes. Plagiarism/cheating will result in a failing grade for the course. I take
plagiarism very seriously and consider it easily avoidable. If you have any questions about
what plagiarism is, ask me or your TA.
Add/Drop Deadlines
The last day to add/drop by Cyberbear is February 11. The last day to add/drop with instructor
and advisor signature is March 4. A WP or WF will appear on your transcript for courses
dropped after this date. May 2 is the last day to drop this class.
Course Schedule
Wk 1 Discussion: Introduction
Wed, Jan. 23:
Introduction
Fri, Jan. 25:
Making Sense of Industrialization
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 519-38.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 3-30.
Wk 2 Discussion: Industry and Labor
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 56-62, 65-66.
Mon, Jan. 28:
The Consequences of Industrialization
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 538-48, 591-93.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 30-60.
Wed, Jan. 30:
Mass Immigration
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 550-54.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 60-117.
Fri, Feb. 1:
The Rise of Cities
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 554-76.
Wk 3 Discussion: The West
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 47-53.
Mon, Feb. 4:
Three Dilemmas of the New South
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 487-97.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 119-44.
Wed, Feb. 6:
“Ida B. Wells” Video
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 595-98.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 144-90.
Fri, Feb. 8:
The Economic West
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 498-517.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 191-208.
Wk 4 Discussion: An American Empire
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 116-17, 119-23, 128-29.
Mon, Feb. 11:
The United States and Native Americans in the West
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 598-613.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 209-25.
Wed, Feb. 13:
Gilded Age Wrap-up
Readings:
Fri, Feb. 15:
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 225-71.
Jane Addams, Jacob Riis, and the Origins of Progressivism
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 578-91, 615-33.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 272-88.
Wk 5 Discussion: Progressivism
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 130-34, 147-49, 155-56.
Mon, Feb. 18:
No class
(President’s Day)
Wed, Feb. 20:
The 1912 Election and National Progressivism
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 633-46.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 288-305.
Fri, Feb. 22:
Paradoxes of Progressivism
Readings:
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 306-54.
Wk 6 Discussion: Out of This Furnace
Mon, Feb. 25:
Midterm 1
Wed, Feb. 27:
World War I: Diplomatic and Military History
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 648-62.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 354-83.
Fri, Feb. 29:
World War I: The Home Front
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 662-77.
Bell, Out of This Furnace, 384-413.
Wk 7 Discussion: The Paradoxical 1920s
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 188-89, 192-96, 203-205.
Mon, Mar. 3:
Babbitt and the Culture of Consumption
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 681-88.
Wed, Mar. 5:
The Acids of Modernity
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 689-97.
Fri, Mar. 7:
The Interesting Cases of Ozawa and Thind
Paper #1 Due
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 697-713.
Wk 8 Discussion: The New Deal
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 218-20, 236-40, 255-56.
Mon, Mar. 10:
Hard Times
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 715-28.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 3-30.
Wed, Mar. 12:
The Early New Deal
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 728-35.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 31-59.
Fri, Mar. 14:
The Wagner Act and Social Security
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 735-54.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 60-90.
Wk 9 Discussion: World War II
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 275-77, 280-89.
Mon, Mar. 17:
World War II: Diplomatic and Military History
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 756-73.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 90-123.
Wed, Mar. 19:
World War II: Homefront
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 773-94.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 127-55.
Fri, Mar. 21:
Midterm 2
Wk 10 Disc:
No discussion (Spring Break)
Mon, Mar. 24:
No class
(Spring Break)
Wed, Mar. 26:
No class
(Spring Break)
Fri, Mar. 28:
No class
(Spring Break)
Wk 11 Disc:
The Cold War and Red Scare
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 282-87, 288-91, 293-96.
Mon, Mar 31:
Origins of the Cold War and the Red Scare
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 798-825.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 157-221.
Wed, Apr. 2:
Mobility and the Suburban Ideal: Postwar American Society
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 826-37.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 222-49.
Fri, Apr. 4:
Consumption and Conformity: Postwar American Culture
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 837-55.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 250-82.
Wk 12 Disc:
Postwar America
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 316-17, 324-30, 350-52.
Mon, Apr. 7:
Video: “Eyes on the Prize”
Readings:
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 285-334.
Wed, Apr. 9:
Civil Rights Movement
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 857-73.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 335-52.
Fri, Apr. 11:
The Great Society
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 873-78.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 353-90.
Wk 13 Disc:
Coming of Age in Mississippi
Mon, Apr. 14:
The Vietnam War
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 886-97.
Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi, 391-424.
Wed, Apr. 16:
The Tumultuous 1960s
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 878-83, 897-903.
Fri, Apr. 18:
From Integration to Diversity: The Transformation of American Ideals
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 903-13.
Wk 14 Disc:
Modern Conservatism
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 431-35, 438-41, 455-59.
Mon, Apr. 21:
America in the 1970s
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 915-39.
Wed, Apr. 23:
Ascendance of Modern Conservatism
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 941-56.
Fri, Apr. 25:
End of the Cold War
Paper #2 Due
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 956-64.
Wk 15 Disc:
Contemporary Foreign Policy
Readings:
Shi, For the Record, 443-46, 466-74.
Mon, April 28:
Culture Wars
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 966-83.
Wed, Apr. 30:
Community Life in Contemporary America
Readings:
Davidson, Nation of Nations, 984-1003.
Fri, May 4:
Course Review
Final Exam:
Thursday, May 8 at 3:20
HISTORY 152
THE AMERICANS: 1877 to the Present
Professor Michael Mayer
Office: 253 Liberal Arts
Phone: 243-2088
Required Texts:
Mark Carnes and John Garraty, American Destiny, vol. 2 (3rd ed.)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
Studs Terkel, Hard Times
Merrill Proudfoot, Diary of a Sit-In
Gregory McDonald, The Education of Gregory McDonald (faculty pack)
Arhtur Schleisnger, Jr., The Disuniting of America
History 152 is an introduction to American history since 1877. The purpose of the
course is not to fill students' heads with "facts" (although names, places, events, and even dates
are important and have their uses); rather it will focus on the major historical trends that have
shaped modern America. Understanding and analysis are more important than the ability to
recite a string of facts. Random facts are meaningless. The historian's task is to find meaning
in the past. Thus, students will be expected to learn to gather, organize, and analyze
information and present their findings clearly and in good English.
The textbook provides a chronological outline of events; the lectures will attempt to
convey an interpretive framework by which to understand the compilation of "facts" in the
textbook. Thus, the lectures do not substitute for reading the textbook or vice versa. Students
will benefit far more from the lectures if they have done the assigned reading in advance. The
professor will assume that students are familiar with the material assigned for that day.
When listening to lectures, students should pay attention to the major themes developed
in each lecture and not get bogged down in detail. Consider how the main points of a lecture
relate to the larger themes developed throughout the course.
The supplementary readings offer a more in-depth study of particular events or issues.
All are contemporary with the events they describe; they often reveal as much about their
authors as they do about the events they describe. Read them with the following question in
mind: how does this book or document aid in understanding the period or issues at hand?
For some classes, there is little assigned reading; students are encouraged to use those
times to begin reading the next supplementary book. These books form an essential part of the
course. Do not count on reading them the night before the class is scheduled to discuss them.
Discussion sections meet once a week and provide students with an opportunity to
discuss the lectures, the textbook, and the other assigned reading. These discussion sections are
the place for students to ask questions, to clear up anything that still puzzles them, and to try
out their own interpretations. The discussion sections are also the place to learn historical
skills. The Tas will guide you in all of these endeavors. Although the readings and lectures
form the basis for the discussions, the individual TAs determine the content of each meeting.
In addition, the TAs are responsible for grading. If you are not satisfied with a grade or are
unsure of why you received a particular grade, see your TA. Issues unresolved after meeting
with your TA may be referred to the lecturer.
Finally, a word about courtesy is in order. This is a large class. Out of consideration
for your fellow students, as well as the instructor, please follow these simple rules. If you
arrive late, enter as inconspicuously as possible. Sit near the back and as close to an aisle as
you find available. Do now wander through the class and crawl over half a dozen students who
are trying to pay attention so that you can sit next to a friend. If you must leave early, sit near
the back and sit on an aisle. Leave as quietly as you can. Although this might seem obvious,
do not carry on a conversation in class. Even if you and your interlocutor are not especially
interested in the proceedings, others are, and your conversation makes it difficult for them to
follow the class. TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. One might well think these rules are
unnecessary; past experience at the University of Montana indicates otherwise.
Requirements:
Midterm (take home)---------------------------------20%
(Due February 29)
Midterm (take home)---------------------------------20%
(Due April 11)
Discussion sections-----------------------------------30%
Final exam---------------------------------------------30%
Drop/Add Deadlines: Students may drop or add on Cyberbear until February 8. Students may
drop or add with a form signed by their advisor and the instructor until march 4. After that,
drops and adds are by petition only. The will be granted only for family emergencies, health
problems, etc.
Grading Options: The History Department does not allow changes of grading options after the
30th day.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism, or an other form of academic dishonesty, will result in
automatic failure for the course.
Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for Friday, may 9, from 10:10 to 12:10.
LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENTS
January 23
Politics in the Gilded Age
January 25
The Rise of Big Business
Reading: Carnes and Garaty, pp. 482-509
January 28
New Immigration and the Cities
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 518-526, 530-534
January 30
Lizzie Borden and the Crisis of Middle Class Life
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 510-518, 526-530
February 1
The Rise of Jim Crow
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 445-454, 564-567
February 4
Culture in the Gilded Age
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 535-547, 550-552
February 6
Tarzan and American Empire
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 613-638
February 8
The Reform Impulse: Local Progressivism
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 567-580, 581-590
February 11
The Republican Roosevelt
Reading; Carnes and Garraty, pp. 594-600
February 13
ProgressivismDivided and Triumphant
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 600-611
February 15
From Seneca Falls to Suffrage
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 590-593
Gilman, Herland
NO CLASS
February 18
February 20
World War I
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 640-665
February 22
Republican Rule
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 665-669, 690-692, 697-707
February 25
The Roaring Twenties
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 670-677, 680-688, 692-696
February 27
An American Renaissance
Reading; Carnes and Garraty, pp. 688-690
February 29
Hoover and the Great Crash
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 707-716
March 3
The New Deal
Garraty, 743-746, 749-755, 757-770
March 5
American Society in the Great Depression
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, p. 717
Terkel, Hard Times, pp. 3-244
March 7
Depression Culture
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, p. 729
March 10
All This and World War II
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 746-751, 753-761, 763-765,
768-776
March 12
Cold War
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 776-778, 783-787, 789-794
March 14
Peace is Hell: Truman and the Fair Deal
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 781-782, 787-788
March 17
McCarthy: The Man, the “ism”
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 794-796, 798-799
March 19
From Rosie the Riveter to Harriet Nelson: American Women in War and
Peace
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 761-763, 842-843
March 21
We Like Ike – Again
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 796-798, 799, 802-805
March 31
Happy Days: PoswWar American Society
Reading; Carnes and Garraty, pp. 840-841, 844-847, 857-860
April 2
White Collars and Gray Flannel Suits: Postwar American Culture
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 852-854
April 4
We Shall Overcome: The Civil Rights Movement
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 805-807
Proudfoot, Diary of a Sit-In
April 7
The Myth of Camelot
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 808-809, 810-814, 815-819
April 9
Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society
Reading; Carnes and Garraty, pp. 819-823
April 11
Vietnam: An American Tragedy
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 814-815
April 14
Name the System: Political Radicalism
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 848-852, 854-856
April 16
Drugs, Sex, and Rock ‘n’ Roll
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 856-857
McDonald, The Education of Gregory McDonald
April 18
Sisterhood is Powerful
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 860-862
April 21
Nixon
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 823-838
April 23
Confusion and Drift
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 864-875
April 25
The Reagan Revolution
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 875-888
April 28
Stay the Course
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 890-898
Schlesinger, The Disuniting of America
April 30
Capitol Hillbillies
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 898-908
May 2
Does the Shrub Fall Far from the Bush?
Reading: Carnes and Garraty, pp. 908-924
*Please note: As an instructor of a general education course, you will be expected to provide
sample assessment items and corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.