HISTORY 102: U.S. HISTORY from the Civil War to present/3 credits
GREAT BASIN COLLEGE- Spring, 2006
SECTION:EO1
T,TH :7:30-8:45 AM
ROOM: GTA 130
Dr. Peter Klem
Office: Lundberg Hall
Office Phone: 753-2128
Email: pkle1@gwmail.gbcnv.edu
Office Hours: 9-10 Tues/Thu [after class] & 4-5 Tues/Thu
OVERVIEW:
This course will examine the development of the United States from the Civil War [and
Reconstruction] to the present. As you may know this is a “survey” course – your basic,
straight-forward, “generic” history class [or as some have dubbed it, “the one darned
thing after another” course]. It is designed to be accessible to all students, including nonhistory majors, seeking an introduction to the field of American History and will focus on
the political, social, economic, diplomatic, and cultural elements of the time period.
Prerequisite: ENG 101 reading level.
Objectives:
On the most basic level I hope to provide you with useful information which will better
your understanding of both the past and the present thereby enabling you to place people
and events in the proper historical context – that is where all those facts and figures come
into play.
But there is more to the story than just these “factoids”. The issues we will discuss in this
class – such as the struggles of minorities and immigrants to better themselves, the rise of
our urban industrial society, the birth of the modern corporate culture, and so on – have a
direct relevance to the issues we struggle with everyday. In other words, I believe that
history is a method of understanding, not merely a collection of information about the
past, and I feel obliged to not simply describe what happened, but to try and explain it, to
make clear why things developed as they did.
Finally, let me point out the inherent drama here – for drama grows out of tension and
tension is a fact of life in America from its earliest days to today’s newspaper. No one
can doubt the greatness of our nation if it is measured in terms of the size and natural
bounty of our geographic domain, the remarkable economic productivity of its people, or
the stability of our governmental institutions. Less certain has been its greatness in the
areas of culture, its use of power, or in its distribution of social/economic justice. Thus, I
feel, the best way to explain the present condition of our national life is to confront the
good and the bad historically, stage by stage to gain a better understanding of ourselves.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Although primarily a lecture course handouts, videos, and class discussions/assignments
will be used to reinforce and compliment the lectures. To receive full credit for the class
the following must be completed.
1. Attend lectures on a regular basis. Students will be allowed TWO absences for any
reason, but after that only excused absences are allowed. Beyond this point students will
be withdrawn from the class. However, keep in mind that whether an absence is
excused or not any absence will result in a loss of participation points. Thus, if you
miss a discussion class, or activity, you are hurting your final grade when you miss
class!
2. KEEP UP WITH THE READINGS! This class will use the following books:
America Past and Present by Divine, Breen, etc. BRIEF 6TH EDITION [NOTE: we use
the full, two volume text. If that is not available make sure you get the BRIEF 6TH
EDITION VOLUME TWO].
The Good War by Studs Terkel
3. STUDENT ASSESSMENT: Students will be assessed points, in keeping with the
General Education Objectives (see adjoining text “General Education Objectives”
at the end of syllabus), according to their proficiency on the following tasks.
EXAMS: (100 points each) There will be two mid-terms and one final examination
each covering approximately 5 chapters worth of material from the Divine text and the
lectures and class assignments. These will each consist of one essay, and a mixture of
multiple choice and short answer questions. NOTE: MISS EXAM = LOSE POINTS!
4. Writing assignments. During the course of the semester you will be assigned brief
writing assignments revolving around the readings for a specific class. We will discuss
them and they will be collected and graded. Depending on our progress, the precise
number and point total for these tasks will vary. More on this later, but they will mostly
be centered on the Divine textbook. POINTS WILL BE LOST FOR LATE WORK.
5. PAPER: (100 points) One formal paper is required. Like all writing assignments it will
be typed, double-spaced, have one inch margins and use a 12 point font. The length will
be 3 to 5 pages and will be based on Studs Terkel’s “The Good War”. You will be
graded upon creative/critical thinking, your construction of a logical argument, your
ability to compare and contrast t, and, of course your writing abilities. You will lose
points for poor grammar and spelling. PROOFREAD! NOTE: Late papers will be docked
one letter grade immediately and one more each day thereafter. PLAGIARISM is the
attempt to pass someone else’s work off as your own and is strictly prohibited. Feel free
to get together outside of class and kick around ideas, but no cheating – do your own
work! Failure to do so not only gets you an F, but could get you reported to the school for
further disciplinary action.
6. CLASSROOM CONDUCT: You will please conduct yourself with consideration of
your fellow classmates. Comments, criticisms, questions are more than welcome, but
please note all thoughtful opinions are valid and mean-spirited bullying and abuse of
others are NOT in keeping with collegiate discourse. Some folks are more shy than
others and if my attempts at getting some students to open up and speak their minds are
foiled by others, I’ll loose my temper! Hey, we’ve all got anxieties about public
speaking, but if you do the reading, attend class, and make an effort to participate in the
discussions this class may well turn out to be one of your favorites [one can hope!]
NOTE: questions not related to topics under discussion should be directed prior to or
after class [or simply stop by my office in Lundberg Hall].
7. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION POLICY: Any student in this course who has
a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities
should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations
necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities. ADA
Statement- Qualified students with physical or documented learning disabilities have the
right to free accommodations to ensure equal access to educational opportunities at
Great Basin College. For assistance contact the Disabled Student Services Office at 7532271.
NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus as necessitated by
circumstances. Please turn off your cell phones/pagers [unless emergency worker]
No sleeping in class. THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT. If you disrupt our learning
community you will be dropped from class!
GRADES: The final grades for this class will be decided on a 450 point scale.
First mid-term
100 points
Second Mid-term
100 points
Final
100 points
Paper
100 points
In class assignments
50 points
At the end of the semester:
450-426 points will be an A.
425-406 points will be an A405-391 points will be a B+
390-375 points will be a B
374-360 points will be a B359-346 points will be a C+
345-328 points will be a C
327-315 points will be a C314-301 points will be a D+
300-297 points will be a D
296-270 points will be a D-
Below 270 is an F
CLASS SCHEDULE:
(Note: below are readings for Divine Text book only; I’ll give you notice on the Terkel
book in class.)
January
24 INTRODUCTION: WELCOME! Syllabus, etc.
26 SECESSION AND CIVIL WAR: chp.15 [not on exam]
January
February
31 &
2 RECONSTRUCTION: chp.16
7 & 9 THE WEST; chp.17
14 & 16 THE INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY: chp.18
21 & 23 TOWARD AN URBAN SOCIETY; chp.19
February
March
Tues. 28th – POLITICAL REALIGNMENTS, 1890’S; chp.20
Thurs. 2nd – FIRST EXAM
7 & 9 TOWARD EMPIRE; chp.21
14 & 16 THE PROGRESSIVE ERA; chp.22
March
21 & 23 FROM ROOSEVELT TO WILSON; chp.23
MARCH 27-APRIL 1 NO CLASS – SPRING RECESS
April
4 & 6 THE NATION AT WAR; chp.24
11 [Tues] TRANSITION TO MODERN AMERICA; chp.25
13th [Thurs] SECOND EXAM
18 & 20 FDR AND THE NEW DEAL; chp.26
25 & 27 AMERICA AND THE WORLD; chp.27 [Good War paper due
Thursday April 27th].
May
2 & 4 COLD WAR; chp.28
9 & 11 AFFLUENCE & ANXIETY/1960’s; chps.29/30
TUESDAY, MAY 16TH FINAL EXAM, SAME TIME AS USUAL