U.S. History 1877 to the Present
History 2312, Spring 2012
Stabler Hall, Room 407
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Office Location:
Office Phone:
Professor Kori A. Graves, kagraves1@ualr.edu
Monday 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm and by appointment
Stabler Hall, 604N
(501) 569-8782
Course Description
The decades following Reconstruction were years of dynamic change in the United States. The
industrial expansion of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries set the stage for periods
of unparalleled prosperity – and economic decline – that transformed the nation’s domestic
economy and its involvemnet in foreign markets. The U.S. abandoned its noninterventionist
stance and, because of improvements in the nation’s military preparedness, became a principal
player in international conflicts. The nation’s political leaders enjoyed greater influence in world
affairs and promoted the supremacy of U.S. democracy. In less than a century, the nation grew
from a fragile Union recovering from a devastating civil war to a leading world power.
In History 2312, we will examine the cultural, economic, political, and social factors that shaped
U.S. citizens’ experineces of the country’s development into a modern nation. This
chronological survay is organized around five topics that we will use to assess how people –
individually or collectively – attempted to expand or redefine the terms of their citizenship.
Throughout the semester, we will use the terms “Laborers,” “Reformers,” “Producers,”
“Consumers,” and “Protesters” as sign posts to guide our analysis of the ways diverse groups
influenced and were influenced by the major events that occured in the years after 1877.
Required Readings
1. Paul S. Boyer, et al, The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People Volume II,
Since 1865 (Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011).
2. Selected primary and secondary documents to be distributed in class
Course Evaluation
Class participation 10%
Each week, we will have time for large-group or small-group discussions of selected topics
related to that week’s readings or lecture materials. Participating in these discussions and
answering questions raised during lecture will help you fulfill this portion of your grade. In
addition, I will take attendance every week. I know that emergencies arise and you can miss one
class without penalty. If you miss a class, remember to arrange with a classmate to get the notes
from that session. Subsequent absences can lower your overall average by half a letter grade.
Unannounced Quizes 10%
Throughout the semester, I will give several quizes worth 10 points each. There will not be
opportunities to make up quizes.
Document Summery and Analysis Papers 30%
Summarizing and analyzing primary documents are the basis for much of the historian’s work.
In this class, you will have the chance to review primary documents that relate to the five themes
of the course. You will write five summary analysis papers based on these documents and
explain how the ideas expressed in the sources relate to the the ideas we cover in lectures and
course readings. Detailed instructions for the papers, includig style requirements and due dates
will be distributed in class.
Midterm and Final Exam (20% and 30% respectively)
Both the mid-term and the final exam will include fill-in-the blank, identification, short answer,
and an inclass essay. Midterm: March 12th-16th (I will handout possible essay topics the week
before the exam so that you will have time to outline answers in preparation for the exam.).
Final: May 9th, 11th (I will handout possible essay topics the week before the exam so that you
will have time to outline answers in preparation for the exam.).
Grading Scale
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 0-59%
Student Conduct
Do not use cell phones – to talk or text, iPods, video games, radios, or other electronic devices in
class. Do not participate in social media forums (Facebook). If you have an emergency that
requires your attention on the phone, please leave class and take care of your business. The first
time you use any of these elecric devices in class, I will ask you to turn it off. If you use any of
these devices a second time, I will ask you to leave and you will loose credit for that day of class.
Cheating and plagiarism are academic offenses that will result, at minimum, in a lower grade.
To avoid plagiarism, use quotation marks and cite any source from which you use four or more
words. Please see the UALR student handbook pps. 85-86 for more information on the
penalities and disciplinary action that will follow an infraction of the academic integrity and
grivence policy. UALR Handbook:
http://ualr.edu/deanofstudents/assets/archive/HANDBOOK.pdf
Students with Disabilities
Your success in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments consistent with federal and
state law. If you have a documented disability (or need to have a disability documented), and
need an accommodation, please contact me privately as soon as possible, so that we can discuss
with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) how to meet your specific needs and the
requirements of the course. The DRC offers resources and coordinates reasonable
accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established
through an interactive process among you, your instructor(s) and the DRC. Thus, if you have a
disability, please contact me and/or the DRC, at 501-569-3143 (V/TTY) or 501-683-7629 (VP).
For more information, please visit the DRC website at www.ualr.edu/disability.
Email Policy
The best way to contact me is to send an email to my ualr email address (kagraves1@ualr.edu).
When you contact me via e-mail, please allow 24 hours for a response. I usually check my
messages throughout the day but rarely in the evenings. If it is an emergency, know that I will
get in touch with you as soon as possible, but do not panic if I do not reply immediately.
Note: This syllabus is a guide for the class and subject to change throughout the sememster. I
will inform you in a timely manner if any asssignments or due dates change.
U.S. History 1877 to the Present
History 2312, Spring 2012
Stabler Hall, Room 407
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Office Location:
Office Phone:
Professor Kori A. Graves, kagraves1@ualr.edu
Monday 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm and by appointment
Stabler Hall, 604N
(501) 569-8782
Course Schedule
Laborers (1877-1900)
January 18th
Introduction to the Course:
Review Reconstruction
Northern Industrialization and Jim Crow in the New South
Readings: The Enduring Vision, Chapter 18, pps. 542-575
January 25th
Immigration, Urbanization, and Industrialization during the Gilded Age
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter Chapters 19 and 20, pps. 576-640
February 1st
Go West Young Man: Gender and Race in the U.S. West
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 17, pps. 513-541
Document Summary and Analysis Paper #1 due
Reformers (1900-1920)
February 8th
Women, Education and Public Health in the Progressive Era
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 21, pps. 641-674
February 15th
The Roots of Imperialism and America’s Involvement in the First World
War
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 22, pps. 675-708
Document Summary and Analysis Paper #2 due
Producers (1920-1945)
February 22nd
The Challenges of Modernism during the Roaring Twenties
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 23, pps. 709-741
February 29th
The Great Depression and the Cultural and Social Changes of New Deal
Politics
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 24, pps. 742-778
March 7th
World War II
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 25, pps. 779-815
Document Summary and Analysis Paper #3 due
March 14th
Mid Term Exam
March 21st
Spring Break!
Consumers (1945-1965)
March 28th
The Cold War and Domestic Stability
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 26, pps. 816-842
April 4th
Liberalism and the Struggle for Civil Rights
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 27, pps. 843-872
Document Summary and Analysis Paper #4 due
Protesters 1965-1980
April11th
Vietnem and the Antiwar Movement
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 28, pps. 873-904
April 18th
Gay Liberation and Women’s Rights
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 29, pps. 905-938
April 25th
Conservatism and the U.S.’s Turn to the Right
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 30, pps. 938-977
Document Summary and Analysis Paper #5 due
May 2nd
Globalization and the Nation’s New Role in International Affairs
Readings:
The Enduring Vision, Chapter 31, pps. 978-1016
Wednesday May 9th
Final Exam at 6:00pm