HISTORY 151 (007) — U.S. SINCE 1876
FALL 2013
T/R 2:00-3:15 pm, Clark A203
Dr. Sarah R. Payne
Office: Clark B363
Email: Sarah.Payne@colostate.edu
Office hours: TR 12:30-2:00 pm; or by prearranged appointment
GTA: Jackie Stiverson
Office: Clark C207c
Email: jackiestiverson@yahoo.com
Office Hours: T 12:30-2:00 pm, and R 9:30-10:45 am; or by prearranged appointment
Course Description and Objectives:
This course examines the history of the United States from the end of Reconstruction to the present. This
period of U.S. history brought tremendous changes to American politics, economy, and culture. Through
lectures, readings, written assignments, and in-class analysis of primary sources, we will examine this
period of history both chronologically and thematically. The primary theme through which we will examine
historical change in the late nineteenth, twentieth, and early twenty-first centuries is that of freedom. As we
learn about the events, people, and places most central to American history, we will continually ask how the
meaning of freedom changed, who gained liberties and who lost them, and how Americans redefined
themselves around the constantly changing, contentious, and powerful idea of freedom. This course,
however, is not solely about learning the events of U.S. history between 1877 and the present; it is also
designed to sharpen students’ critical thinking and writing skills.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students should be able to: (1) demonstrate a firm
grasp of the major events, places, and movements in U.S. history from 1877 to the present, (2) write
concise analytical essays with a clear and convincing thesis, and (3) critically read and interpret
primary and secondary historical sources.
Required Texts:
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Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History. Volume 2, Brief 3rd Edition (Norton: 2012).
Glenn Altschuler, All Shook Up: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America (Oxford, 2004).
Required weekly readings posted on RamCT Blackboard, which include articles, chapters from
books, and primary source material (organized by week readings are due)
One historical monograph of your choosing (see critical analysis essay assignment for more details)
Course Requirements and Expectations:
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Attendance and Participation: Students are required to attend class—attendance will be taken
daily. In addition, students are expected to consistently and meaningfully participate in class
discussions and activities.
Readings: Students are required to complete all assigned readings by the due date listed in the
Course Outline & Schedule below. Each week, you are assigned approximately 50-100 pages of
reading. Information from readings, and our in-class discussion of these readings, will be subject to
testing on the quizzes, mid-term exam, and final exam.
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o Tips for Reading Critically: Provided in the “Support and Study Materials” folder on
RamCT is guidance on how you should approach our readings. I highly suggest you review
this document each week prior to reading the week’s assignment.
o Supplementary Readings: In addition to our required readings, I have uploaded onto
RamCT a supplemental reading for most weeks during the semester. Although these
readings are not required, they can provide deeper insight into an important topic we discuss
that week but don’t have time to explore at length.
o RamCT Blackboard is accessible at: https://ramct.colostate.edu/webapps/login/
You are responsible for understanding how to access and use readings posted on RamCT
Blackboard. If you require assistance with the use of this technology, consult me during the
first week of class to avoid falling behind on readings.
Quizzes: There will be 2 short, in-class quizzes, consisting of multiple choice and short answer
questions. For an example of an A short answer question, see the folder labeled “Support and Study
Materials” on RamCT.
Mid-Term and Final Examinations: Students will complete an in-class mid-term and final
examination; both exams will consist of essay questions and short answer questions. Answers should
demonstrate students’ ability to summarize content from lectures and readings and the ability to
analyze this content and think critically about its meaning. The mid-term is worth 100 points, the
final exam will be comprehensive and is worth 120 points. For an example of an A essay, see the
folder labeled “Support and Study Materials” on RamCT.
o A review sheet for each exam will be posted to RamCT one week prior to the exam date.
Jackie Stiverson will conduct review sessions for each exam (dates and times TBA).
o Students will write exam answers in Blue Examination Books. Bring a bluebook to class on
the day of the exam, make sure nothing is written on the bluebook, not even your name.
Bluebooks can be purchased at the bookstore.
Critical Analysis Essays: Outside of class, students will complete two, typed, 3-5 page critical
analysis essays. The first essay may review either a book of your choice or comparatively review all
4 of the supplemental articles provided on RamCT for weeks 2-5. Students must indicate which of
these options they have selected and the book he/she intends to review by Tuesday, Sept. 3, by
submitting the “Critical Analysis Essay #1 Selection Sheet” located on RamCT. The second essay
must review our required text All Shook Up. The review essays are worth 40 points each.
o Essays will be submitted through SafeAssign on RamCT
o Further explanation of the requirements for this assignment is provided in the document
“Critical Analysis Essay Assignments” in the “Support and Study Materials” on RamCT.
Late work will not be accepted under any circumstances unless necessitated by a documented
emergency or arranged with me at least one week prior to the due date.
Cell phone use of any kind during class is prohibited—use of cell phones during class will result in
the removal of the student from the class period and loss of attendance and participation points for
the day. Please remember to silence ringers prior to the start of class.
Email: Please make sure that you either consistently check your CSU email address or have your
email forwarded; all important announcements will be sent to the email address on file for you with
the Registrar’s Office.
Grades:
Attendance and Participation
Critical Analysis Essays (40 each)
Two Quizzes (30 each)
Mid-term Exam
Final Exam
Total Points Possible
40
80
60
100
120
400
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All assignments will be graded on a plus-minus scale: 100-97% A+, 96-93% A, 92-90% A-, 89-87%
B+, 86-83% B, 82-80% B-, 79-77% C+, 76-73% C, 72-70% C-, 69-67% D+, 66-63% D, 62-6%0 D-,
59% and below F.
**Please note, university policy does not allow instructors to assign C-, D+, or D- as final
grades. To earn a C as a final grade, students must earn 70-76% of the total possible points.
Extra Credit will not be available unless, at my discretion, an opportunity is offered to the entire
class. Any such opportunity will be made in writing through an email announcement and/or class
handout, with all requirements and possible extra points stipulated.
Academic Honesty1:
Any work turned in for this class must meet university policies on academic honesty, see the General
Catalog, Section 1.6 “Policies and Guiding Principles” Academic Integrity (available at
http://www.catalog.colostate.edu/Content/files/2012/FrontPDF/1.6POLICIES.pdf).
Academic integrity means, among other things, that no one will use another's work as their own. According
to the CSU writing center plagiarism is defined as:
The unauthorized or unacknowledged use of another person's academic or scholarly work. Done on
purpose, it is cheating. Done accidentally, it is no less serious. Regardless of how it occurs,
plagiarism is a theft of intellectual property and a violation of an ironclad rule demanding "credit be
given where credit is due." (Source: Writing Guides: Understanding Plagiarism. Available at:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/understandingplagiarism/plagiarismoverview.cfm
[Accessed, August 20, 2012])
Plagiarism may result in lost credit for the plagiarized work, failing the assignment, or failing the course.
Plagiarism can also result in expulsion from the university. Each instance of plagiarism, classroom cheating,
and other types of academic dishonesty will be addressed according to the principles published in the CSU
General Catalog. However, be aware that academic integrity means more than avoiding plagiarism—doing
your own reading and studying, regular class attendance, careful consideration of all class materials, and
engagement with the course materials and your classmates are all part of academic integrity. Academic
integrity lies at the core of our common goal: to create an intellectually honest and rigorous community.
Because academic integrity, and the personal and social integrity of which academic integrity is an integral
part, is so central to our mission as students, teachers, scholars, and citizens, we will ask to you sign the CSU
Honor Pledge as part of completing all of our major assignments (discussion question answers excluded).
While you will not be required to sign the honor pledge, we will ask each of you to write and sign the
following statement on your papers and exams:
"I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance."
Disabilities:
Qualified students with disabilities needing appropriate academic adjustments should contact me as soon as
possible to ensure their needs are met in a timely manner. Course materials will be made available in
alternative accessible formats upon request for qualified students.
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Adapted, with permission from Greg Dickinson, Director of Graduate Studies; Professor, Dept. of Communication Studies Statement
on Academic Integrity, available at: http://tilt.colostate.edu/integrity/honorpledge/sampleSyllabi.cfm (Accessed August 20, 2012).
Payne, HIST 151/07 FA13
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Although I do not anticipate the need to make changes to this syllabus, I reserve the right to adjust readings
and due dates as listed below. I will announce changes in class, well in advance of any due-dates or exam
dates, and will post any such changes as announcements (with emails) on RamCT Blackboard.
*Unless otherwise indicated below, all readings are due and discussion of these readings will take
place on Thursdays.
Week 1 (Aug 27, 29): Introduction to course, Reconstruction
Readings:
 “Tips for Reading Critically”
 “Learning to Think Historically”
 “Becoming a Proficient Student of History”
 “How to Analyze and Use Primary Sources”
 Foner, Chap. 15
Week 2 (Sept 3, 5): Gilded Age Industrialization and Transformation of the West
Critical Analysis Essay #1 Selection Sheet due Tuesday Sept 3
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 16
 Primary documents set on women’s health and education
o *Note be sure to also read the analysis worksheet, answer the questions, and come to class
prepared to discuss your answers.
 Supplemental reading = Michael Kazin and Steven J. Ross, “America's Labor Day: The Dilemma of
a Workers' Celebration” The Journal of American History, Vol. 78, No. 4 (Mar., 1992), pp. 12941323.
Week 3 (Sept 10, 12): Populism, Dissent, and New Imperialism
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 17
 Kenneth H. Marcus and Yong Chen, “Inside and Outside Chinatown: Chinese Elites in Exclusion
Era California” Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 80, No. 3 (August 2011), pp. 369-400
 Visit People’s Party website: http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/1896home.html  Supplemental reading = Pero Gaglo Dagbovie, “Exploring a Century of Historical Scholarship on
Booker T. Washington” The Journal of African American History, Vol. 92, No. 2 (Spring, 2007), pp.
239-264
Week 4 (Sept 17, 19): Progressive Era
Quiz #1 Tuesday Sept 17
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 18
 Read the following primary documents, research their authors, come prepared to discuss
o Story of a Sweatshop Girl, 1902:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/voices/social_history/5sweatshop_girl.cfm
o A Miner’s Story, 1902: http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/gildedage/content/MinersStory.cfm
o Browse photographs of Department of Commerce and Labor, Children's Bureau, (1912 –
1913), be sure to read the original captions:
http://research.archives.gov/search?expression=parent-id-lnk%3A523064+lod-displaylnk%3AItem&pg_src=brief&data-source=archival-descriptions-with-digital-objects
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Supplemental reading = Kristin Hoganson, “Cosmopolitan Domesticity: Importing the American
Dream, 1865-1920” The American Historical Review, Vol. 107, No. 1 (February 2002), pp. 55-83
Week 5 (Sept 24, 26): World War I
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 19
 Elizabeth McKillan, “Ethnicity, Class, and Wilsonian Internationalism Reconsidered” Diplomatic
History Vol 25, no 4 (Fall 2001): 553-87.
 Supplemental reading = Preface and Chap 7 of Norma Smith, Jeannette Rankin: America’s
Conscience
Week 6 (Oct 1, 3): The 1920s and the Great Depression
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 20
 Visit Scopes Trial website: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm
o Peruse the various links, watch the trial videos as:
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopesvideo.html
 Supplemental reading = Intro and Chap 5 in Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry
Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City
Critical Analysis Essay #1 due Thursday Oct 3
Week 7 (Oct 8, 10): FDR and the New Deal
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 21
 Martha Weisiger, “Gendered Injustice: Navajo Livestock Reduction in the New Deal Era” The
Western Historical Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Winter, 2007), pp. 437-455
 Supplemental reading =Visit the following website and look through the primary documents listed
by subject: http://newdeal.feri.org/texts/subject.cfm
Week 8 (Oct 15, 17): World War II
MIDTERM Tuesday Oct 15
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 22
 Alschutz, Chaps. 1-2
Week 9 (Oct 22, 24): Post-war America and the Cold War
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 23
 Alschutz, Chaps. 3-5
Week 10 (Oct 29, 31): Post-war America and the Cold War cont.
Readings DUE TUESDAY Oct 29 – We will discuss entire Alschutz book
 Foner, Chap. 24
 Alschutz, Chaps. 6-Epilogue
Quiz #2, Thursday Oct 31
Week 11 (Nov 5, 7): Dissent, Vietnam
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 25
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David Farber, excerpt of “The Intoxicated State/Illegal Nation,” in The American Counterculture of
the 1960s and 70s, ed. Peter Braunstein and Michael Doyle.
Supplemental reading = Beth Baily, excerpt of “Sexual Revolutions,” in The Sixties: From Memory
to History, ed. David R. Farber.
Week 12 (Nov 12, 14): Decline and Conservatism
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 26
 Supplemental Readings = Andrew Battista, “Unions and Cold War Foreign Policy in the 1980s: The
National Labor Committee, the AFL-CIO, and Central America” Diplomatic History, Vol 26, no 3
(Summer 2002): pp. 419–51.
Critical Analysis Essay #2 Due Thursday, Nov 14
Week 13 (Nov 19, 21): Post-Cold War and Globalization
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 27
 NAFTA website: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/index-b.html
o Read material on all 14 links (they are short)
 Supplemental Readings = Preface and Chap. 1 of Joseph E. Stiglitz, Globalization and Its
Discontents
Fall Recess: No Class November 26/28
Week 14 (Dec 3, 5): 911, and America in the Early 21st Century
Readings:
 Foner, Chap. 28
 Madeleine K. Albright, “Bridges, Bombs, or Bluster? ” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 82, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct.,
2003), pp. 2-19
 Supplemental Readings = information on climate change and 911 at the following websites:
o www.epa.gov/climatechange/
o www.ssrc.org/sept11/
Week 15 (Dec 10, 12): Wrap up, What does Freedom mean today?
Readings:
 President Obama’s 2013 Inaugural Speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama
Week 16 (Dec 16-20): FINAL EXAMINATION WEEK
Date of scheduled exam: Monday, Dec 16, 9:40-11:40 am (subject to change based on any alterations to
final exam schedule made by Registrar’s Office)
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