HISTORY 17- Class Syllabus
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1876
3 Units, 3 hour lectures. Prerequisite: None; Co-requisite: None; Preparation: None required
Text: The American Pageant, by Bailey, Cohen and Kennedy, Vol. II: Since 1865, 14th Edition
Course Description: U.S. History from the Reconstruction Period to the present, relating to:
The Industrial Revolution
Reform movements from the Progressive Era to the New Deal
Overseas expansion
Collective security in foreign affairs
Other foreign and domestic issues since World War II
Course Goals:
To communicate in narrative form the major events of American History during this period
To acquaint students with the major personalities of this period
To develop a sense of national identity leading to a greater appreciation of common citizenship
To present a curriculum that approaches a level of intellectual and academic rigor equal to freshman history
courses offered at four year colleges and universities
Saddleback College History Department Learning Objective:
Students who complete History 17 will be able to analyze critically, with reference to historical evidence, the evolution of
US politics, economics, and culture since 1876.
Specific Student Learning Outcomes, History 17: Modern American History:
Students will be able to identify the Factors of Production which contributed to America’s rapid industrialization. (Unit One)
Students will be able to identify the specific responses of the National Government to the crisis of the Great Depression.
(Unit 2)
Students will be able to identify the major military and diplomatic actions of the American Government in response to the
advent of the Cold War. (Unit 3)
Presentations:
Date
January 11
Topic
Industrial Transformation; Political and
Economic Philosophies of the Gilded Age
The Railroads
Readings
Chapter 23
January 18
Life in the New Industrial Age
Chapter 26
January 25
Progressivism – the Response to Industrialism
Chapter 28 & 29
February 1
The Rise of the American Empire; Foreign Affairs, 1876 – 1914
Chapter 27
February 8
To Make the World Safe for Democracy The U.S. in World War I, 1914 – 1920
Chapter 30
February 15
EXAM I
February 22
The Twenties and the Great Depression
Chapter 31 & 32
February 29
The 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt and The New Deal
Chapter 33
March 7
America in the Second World War, 1941 – 1945
Chapter 34 & 35
March 21
Harry Truman, The Fair Deal and the Genesis of the Cold War
Chapter 36
March 28
EXAM II
April 4
The Fifties: Ike and Dulles; Waging Peace,
The Happy Days – America at Home
Chapter 37
April 11
JFK: The Thousand Days
Chapter 38
April 18
The Great Society
to
April 25
Nixon, Ford and Carter – The Seventies
Chapter 39
May 2, 9
The Recent Past
Chapter 40
May 16
EXAM III
Exams are scheduled for the evenings of 2/15, 3/28, 5/16 They are equal in value and composed of multiple choice and
short essay questions. Grading criteria will be discussed in class. The formal written component of History 17 will be a
book report, the format of which is described in an accompanying handout. This paper will have the value of two exam
scores; thus, a student’s grade will be drawn from 3 exams and one paper worth 2 exams. Make-up exams may be
administered for a legitimate or anticipated absence. Irregular attendance may result in a student being dropped from the
class. Drop dates without penalty can be found in the class schedule. This is a student responsibility. Please be punctual
- presentations will begin promptly at 7 o’clock.
Saddleback College: 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92692–3635. Website: www.saddleback.cc.ca.us;
Tel: (949) 582-4500
Professor Timothy Gamble Vargish: Social and Behavioral Sciences Division; Office Hours: Available the hour before class in
the Division Office or by appointment. Voice Mail: 582-4900, ext. 3571; E-mail: tvargish@saddleback.edu.
Computer Sites for The American Pageant, 14th Edition:
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http://college//cengage.com/history/us/kennedy/am pageant/14e/student home.html
http://apusreader.podomatic.com/archive/
course-notes.org
APNotes.net
WikiNotes.com
Computer Sites for The American Pageant, 15th Edition:
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CL ebook
CourseMate at www.centagebrain.com
Please note that any materials or information connected to the text that refers to the 13th Edition of the American Pageant
will be essentially the same and just as useful.