TOURO COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS
NEW YORK SCHOOL OF CAREER AND APPLIED STUDIES
DEPARTMENT:
History and Social Studies
COURSE TITLE:
Critical Issues in Twentieth Century America
COURSE NUMBER:
GHS 208
PREREQUISTES:
None
CREDIT HOURS:
3
DEVELOPERS:
Revised by Professor Leon Perkal, Dr. Jacob Lieberman and The Faculty of the
History Department
LAST UPDATE:
December 29, 2003
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Major forces that shaped Twentieth Century America: Industrialization and the rise of the cities, protest
movements, imperialism, World War II, prohibition, the Depression, the Cold War and détente, the Civil
Rights Movement, poverty and the plight of cities, women’s liberation, and pluralism in America.
COURSE/DEPARTMENTAL OBJECTIVES
The Student will:
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Provide an in-depth analysis of important events in Twentieth Century America.
Develop an understanding of chronology, cause and effect relationships, and to distinguish between
major and minor developments.
Understand the inter-relationship between economic, social and cultural factors which affected
American society in that period.
Be introduced to an appreciation of primary documents as a vital source in the shaping of history.
Be familiarized with the use of historical evidence in reconstructing the past, the methods by which an
historian uses to comprehend the past.
Be encouraged to generalize, to relate the particular events to general prepositions, to compare and
contrast, to rearrange and reorder facts and figures in order to arrive at first conclusions.
Be able to read historical maps and political cartoons.
Integrate within a term paper basic writing skills and an awareness of how history is written.
COURSE/INSTITUTIONAL OBJECTIVES
This course is intended to:
 To promote understanding of intergroup relations in a pluralistic society
 To further pre-professional career interests of students in the fields of community service and work in
cultural institutions
 Promote the study of the traditional arts and sciences
 Foster an appreciation of scholarship and enhance research skills in the fields of history and the other
social studies
 Develop critical reading and listening skills
 Develop students’ critical reasoning skills
 Foster analytical thinking and to develop students’ abilities to solve problems
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Prepare students to communicate clearly in spoken and written forms
Foster students’ abilities to access and evaluate information objectively and effectively
Foster a respect for and an appreciation of cultural diversity
Enhance a global perspective regarding economic, social and cultural issues
TOPICS TO BE COVERED
American Imperialism:
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Origins
Spanish-American War
American Empire
Comparison with other Empires
The 1890’s: The Good Old Days or a Society in Transition?
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Stating the Issue
Evaluating the Prosperity
The Transition
Progressivism: Reform or Conservatism?
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Stating the Issue
The Nature of the Movement
The Case for Reform
The Case for Conservatism
World War I: Idealism: Self-Interest or Folly?
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How America entered World War I
Idealism
Self- Interest
Effects of World War I on America:
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Foreign Policy
Governmental Expansion
Economic Problems
Social Effects
The Twenties: Prosperity or Prelude to Depression?
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Presidents and Policies
Economic Problems
Social Tensions
The Great Depression: What Were the Causes?
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Government Policies
Economic Cislocation
Business Policies
The World Economy
The First Crisis
FDR: Savior, Guardian or Fraud?
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FDR takes Power
The first and second New Deal
Evaluation
World War II: American Participation: Idealism, Self-Interest or both?
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Outbreak of War
American Isolation
Reasons for American Participation
Nature of American Participation
End of the War: Settlement
Cold War: Who was Responsible?
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The World War II Alliance
American-Russian relations during war
Origins of the Cold War
Major Developments
Responsibility of both sides
The 50’s: Quiet Times or Complacency?
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Reason for “Happy Days” myth
Political Developments
Prosperity for most
Outsiders
Evaluation
Kennedy and Camelot:
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The Kennedy Myth: Origins
Developments
The Assassination: consequences
The Johnson Years: The Great Society and Vietnam
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Johnson as Kennedy’s successor
Domestic programs
Vietnam
The Republican Years:
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The Emergence of the Republican Party
Domestic Developments
Foreign Affairs
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Failure of the Democrats
The Future:
Review:
FINAL EXAMINATION:
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE/MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS
Although this is not a course taught on-line, it is expected that the instructor and the students will make
regular use of the facilities available through the Internet and other digital facilities. Appropriate access
should be available to the Computer Lab on-site and reasonable support provided for soft-ware in the field,
including CD-ROM materials.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
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Reading assignments as scheduled
Participation in class discussion
Term paper:
1. Thesis of author summarized
2. Analysis of sources (primary and secondary)
3. Author’s credentials
4. Book’s contribution
5. Strengths and weakness of presentation
The following libraries are recommended for further research:
1. Touro College Library at Main Campus
2. Touro College Libraries at Extension Centers
3. New York Public Library at 42nd and 5th
4. Grand Army Plaza Library
5. Local Public Libraries
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Mid-term Examination
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Final Examination
GRADING GUIDELINES
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Midterm Examination
Final Examination
Class Participation
Out of Class Assignments
25%
25%
25%
25%
METHODOLOGY
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Lectures and discussions
Films, Tapes and Other Media
Digital-based analysis of primary sources and critical articles by historians
Role-playing, debates and other student-based activities
Bibliography:
Touro College contains vast resources in American history. Instructors might want to use the materials to
prepare their courses and recommend the print materials to their students for
supplementary reading, research or to use in specific projects. This bibliography which
was prepared in October, 2002 focuses on recent materials. The “classics” of American
history can be accessed through any text bibliography.
I.
The Atlantic Slave Trade
H. Klein, Atlantic Slave Trade, 1999
B. Solow and S. Engerman, British Capitalism and Caribbean Slavery 1987.
K. Ingikori and S. Engerman, eds. ,The Atlantic Slave Trade, 1992.
II.
The American Revolution:
Alfred Young, The American Revolution, 1976
Joyce Appleby, Capitalism and A New Social Order
Gary Nash, Race and Revolution, 1990
--------------, The Urban Crucible, 1979
III.
The Constitution
Michael Kammen, A Machine That Would Go Of Itself (1986)
Herman Belz et. al. To Form a More Perfect Union (1992)
IV.
The Expanding Nation
Bernard Bailyn, Voyagers to the West (1988)
C. Clark, The Roots of Rural Capitalism (1990)
Eric Hinderaker, Elusive Empires (1997)
I.
Legacy of Reconstruction
Edward Ayers, The Promise of the New South (1992)
David Blight, Race and Reunion (2001)
II.
The Triumph of Capitalism
Gary Cross and Rich Szostak, Technology and American Society (1995)
Stephen Diner, A Very Different Age (1998)
Ruth Milkman, ed., Women, Work and Protest (1985)
Andre Millard, Edison and the Business of Innovation (1990)
Thomas J. Schlereth, Victorian America (1991)
III.
Progressivism
Walter Brauisch, Forerunners of Revolution (1990)
Ellen Chesler, Woman of Valor, The Life of Margaret Sanger (1992)
John Cooper, Jr. The Pivotal Decades (1990)
Ruth Crocker, Social Work and Social Order (1992)
Ellen Fitzpatrick, Endless Crusade: Women Social Scientists (1990)
William Link, The Paradox of Southern Progressivism (1992)
Daniel Rodgers, Atlantic Crossings (1998)
IV.
Imperialism
Edward Crapol, James G. Blaine ((1999)
Paul A. Koistinen, Mobilizing for Modern War (1997)
Walter LaFeber, The American Search for Opportunity (1993)
----------------------The New Empire (1998)
David Pletcher, The Diplomacy of Trade and Investment (1998)
V.
The Great Depression And the New Deal
Anthony Badger, The New Deal (1989)
Michael Bernstein, The Great Depression (1988)
Alan Brinkley, The End of Reform (1995)
Frank Friedel, Franklin D. Roosevelt (1990)
John Garraty, The Great Depression (1986)
David Kennedy, Freedom From Fear (1999)
Susan Ware, Holding Their Own, American Women in the 1930s (1982)
Robert Zieger, The CIO (1995)
VI
The Cold War
Scott Bills, Empire and Cold War(1990)
Warren Cohen, America in the Age of Soviet Power (1993)
John Gaddis, We Now Know (1997)
---------------The Long Parade, (1987)
Robert Immerman, John Foster Dulles (1`998)
Burton Kaufman, America and the Arab Middle East (1996)
Walter La Feber, America Russia and the Cold War (2001)
Charles Neu, ed., After Vietnam, (2000)
Lawrence Wittner, The Struggle Against the Bomb (1998)
Marilyn Young, The Vietnam Wars (1991)
VII.
The Civil Rights Movement
Taylor Branch, Parting The Waters, 1988
David Garrow: Bearing the Cross: M.L.King, and the SCLC.
Manning Marable, Race, Reform and Rebellion, 1990.
Robert Weisbrot, Freedom Bound, 1990.
VIII.
The Women’s Movement
Helen Fisher, The First Sex. 1999
Mary Jo Buhle, Feminism and Its Discontents. 1998
Kathleen Sklar, Florence Kelley and the Nation’s Work, 1995
Glenda Gilmore Gender and Jim Crow 1996
IX.
The New Right
Irving Bernstein, Promises Kept : JFK ‘s New Frontier (1991)
Lou Cannon, President Reagan (1991)
Robert Dallek, Flawed Giant: LBJ (1998)
Leslie Dubar, ed., Minority Report (1984)
David Farber, The Age of Great Dreams (1994)
JR Greene, The Presidency of George Bush (2000)
JR Greene, The Presidency of Gerald Ford (1995)
Burton Kaufman, The Presidency of Jimmy Carter (1993)
Herbert Parmet, Richard Nixon and His America (1990)
James Patterson, Great Expectations (1996)
Ruth Rosen, The World Split Open (2000)
Digital Resources: Once again, Touro students have access to a wide variety of materials on the Internet.
Teachers should access the Virtual Library Web Page under Touro Libraries on the Touro Web Page. On
the home page, link on history, which gives access to a list of wonderful sites, which can be retrieved using
the web page. Only a small sample is given here.
The Department Office in SCAS, Dr. Lieberman’s Office, has a list of other Web Sites in History. Please
request it and make copies.
Students or faculty should feel free to ask the Librarians or the Department for help in bibliographical
research.
This is a sample:
The African American Odyssey.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aohome.html
American Memory (Library of Congress) http://memory.loc.gov.ammem/collections/finder.html
The Presidents of the United States. http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/
Advertisement Access: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/
American historical Images on File: The Native American Experience
http://www.csulb.edu/projects/ais/nae/
Cartoons of the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era http://www.history.ohiostate.edu/projects/uscartoons/GAPECartoons.htm
History Buff
http://www.discovery.com/guides/history/historybuff/historybuff.html
Images of American Political History
http://teachpol.tenj.edu/amer_pol_hist/_browse.htm
Martin Luther King and Others, Speeches on Civil Rights
http://www.nps.gov/malu/documents/speeches_toc.htm
Red Scare http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/redscare/
History and Politics Out Loud: http://www.hpol.org/
Harper’s Weekly: http://harpweek.com/