History 110: America since the Civil War
Instructor:
Fall 2014
Th 7:00-9:40 pm
SH 105
George Gastil
B.A, Earlham College
M.A., UC Santa Barbara
(619) 594-8466
ggastil@hotmail.com
Office Hours in AL 519:
Tuesday: 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Thursday: 12:30-1:30 pm
Course Description:
History 110 provides a survey of major political, social, economic and cultural developments in
the United States from the post-Civil War era to the present. The course also includes an
introduction to California Government. The course is designed to encourage you to read, write,
think, and discuss topics as a historian.
Required Reading:
Roark, The American Promise: A Concise History, Volume II: From 1865. Fifth Edition.
Argersinger, The Triangle Fire: A Brief History with Documents.
Dinnerstein, The World Comes to America: Immigration to the United States since 1945.
Class Participation: Effective participation means coming to class prepared to discuss the
material, and engaging in class activities. Some people talk more than others, which is fine. I
will take off approximately one point for each hour missed. I do not need to know why you
missed class since that is not a factor. Students who miss class can do alternative activities, such
as visiting a museum, to make up points. Students will be allowed to make up two weeks (six
hours) of class.
Self-Assessment: You will assess yourself in four stages. In the first stage you will describe
yourself as a learner and write three goals for how you will develop in this class. Goals will
involve skills related to being a student, such as reading, writing, organization, or social
development. In the second stage, you will assess your progress a few weeks into the course and
consider revising your goals. In the third stage you will reflect on how you are developing in
this course, and consider how the course is helping you prepare for future responsibilities and
challenges. In the fourth stage, you will give a final assessment of your progress and consider
areas for continuing your development beyond this course.
Examinations: Exams will involve short essays on concrete terms and longer essays on broad
questions. The Final will include some questions on themes requiring you to use knowledge
from throughout the class. Exams are done as homework and turned in on Blackboard. Exams
and other essays assignments are best done as a Word or Open Office document with doublespacing between the lines.
Triangle Fire Essay: You will write a reflective essay of at least three pages (double spaced)
based on The Triangle Fire: A Brief History with Documents by Jo Ann Argersinger. This book
relates to the growing movement to help workers in the early 1900s.
Immigration Essay: You will write a reflective essay of at least three pages (double spaced)
based on The World Comes to America: Immigration to the United States Since 1945 by
Leonard Dinnerstein and David Reimers. This book could lead to especially interesting
discussions because we have many immigrants in our region. You will also notice this book
relates to the current political discussion about immigration reform.
California Politics Essays: Our course includes a short unit on California government and
politics. You will write several short essays based on various materials recommended by the
instructor. These essays will cover topics related to the structure of California government,
public participation in government and politics, and policy issues at the state and local level.
Presentation: Working with a partner, you will give a short presentation (8-10 minutes) on a
topic related to one of the chapters in our textbook or related to our unit on California
government. You will need to arrange to give your presentation around the time we are
discussing the related chapter or unit in class. This is not a major research project, but you will
be expected to use at least two high quality sources in addition to the textbook. After you do the
presentation in class you also need to turn in a brief summary on Blackboard. You and your
partner can turn in the same summary; you both need to turn it in for grading purposes.
Grading: Students will earn points from the following (100 points=100 percent):
Participation
Triangle Fire Essay
California Politics Essays
Immigration Essay
First Exam
Second Exam
Third Exam
Final Exam
Self-Assessment
Presentation
18
10
10
10
8
10
10
12
4 (in four stages)
8
Minimum Standard: All essay assignments and exams must be at least C quality to be
acceptable. If any work is below standard you will be given a chance to make improvements.
Points on Blackboard: As assignments are graded, you will see your total points grow on
Blackboard. Written assignments and the Presentation must be turned in on Blackboard to be
graded. Participation points are recorded at the end of the semester. For your grade in the
course, you need 93 points for an A, 90 points for an A-, 88 for a B+, 83 for a B, 80 for B-, 78 for
a C+ or 70 points for a C.
Turning in Assignments: All assignments will be turned in on Blackboard. You will find them
in the Assignments section. When you do an exam or an essay, please send it as a Word
document (.doc or .docx) or as an Open Office document.
Grace Period: If you cannot get an assignment done by the due date, simply turn it in by the
date of the next scheduled class. You do not need a reason. If you must turn in something more
significantly late, you may make individual arrangements.
Cheating/Plagiarism
Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times. You must only turn in your own
work. Students who try to pass off other people’s work as their own will be reported to the
college administration.
Schedule of Discussion Topics and Assignments
Handouts will be posted for each reading assignment. All assignments refer to Roark, The
American Promise, unless specified otherwise.
August 28
Course Overview
September 4
Reconstruction
The Contested West, 1870-1900
Self-Assessment I Due
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
September 11
Business and Politics, 1870-1895
Chapter 18
September 18
The City and its Workers, 1870-1900
Dissent, Depression and War, 1890-1900
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
September 25
Progressivism, 1890-1916
First Exam Due (Chapters 17-20)
Chapter 21
October 2
The Triangle Fire
Triangle Fire Essay Due
Argersinger
October 9
World War I, 1914-1920
From New Era to Great Depression, 1920-1932
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
October 16
The New Deal Experiment, 1932-1939
Self-Assessment II Due
Chapter 24
October 23
The United States and the Second World War, 1939-1945
Second Exam Due (Chapters 21-24)
Chapter 25
October 30
Cold War Politics in the Truman Years, 1945-1953
The Politics and Culture of Abundance, 1952-1960
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
November 6
Reform, Rebellion and Reaction, 1960-1974
Vietnam and the Limits of Power, 1961-1975
Self-Assessment III Due
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
November 13
America Moves to the Right, 1969-1989
Third Exam Due (Chapters 25-28)
Chapter 30
November 20
The World Comes to America: Immigration since 1945
Immigration Essay Due
Dinnerstein
November 27
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
December 4
California Politics and Government
Handout
The End of the Cold War and the Challenges of Globalization Ch. 31
California Politics Essays Due
December 11
Discuss Final Exam Questions (Optional Class)
Self-Assessment IV Due*
Final Exam Due (Chapters 29-31 and Major Themes)*
*The Final Exam and Self-Assessment IV will have a grace period to December 17.