Syllabus
Tulsa Community College
Fall 2014
Course: U.S. History Civil War-Present (Hist 1493)
Section #: 242
Day and Time: 11:00-12:20 M/W #1336
Course Delivery Method: Lecture, Class Discussion, Assigned Reading, Written Assignments
Instructor: McWilliams, Rebecca A.
Office Hours: Before or After Class
and by appointment
Office Email: rebecca.gunter@tulsacc.edu and rmcwilliams86@yahoo.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will provide an introduction to key themes and events
in the history of the United States from 1865 to the present. The purpose of this course is not to
test your ability to memorize facts and dates. Instead, it focuses more on teaching you to
understand how people have conceptualized past events and the ways their interpretations guide
or influence American society. Thus, this class centers on readings and discussions that push you
to consider the complexity of history.
TEXTBOOK:
Title: America: A Narrative History. Ninth Edition, Vol. Two
Author: George Brown Tindall and David Emory Shi
TEXTBOOK AND SUPPLIES MAY BE PURCHASED AT THE NORTHEAST CAMPUS
BOOKSTORE.
There will be outside readings that will be posted on blackboard as well as two books listed
below that can be purchased or loaned at any bookstore (online included) or library.
Title: Hiroshima
Author: John Hersey
Title: The Jungle
Author: Upton Sinclair
FOOD AND CELL PHONES: Please leave your cell phones on silent during class time. If for
some reason you need to have it available during the class period please speak to me before class
about the situation. There is NO texting during class. A pet peeve of mine is the clicking noise
that the buttons on phones make when people are texting so if I hear it I will call you out. Food
and drink during class time is fine as long as the drinks have caps and the drink is school
appropriate. Snacks are fine but on test day I ask that you do not bring any snacks, though you
can bring a drink. Don’t be the student crunching on chips in a quiet testing room. It’s gross!
TEACHING METHODS: This class will be conducted through lectures and notes and also
discussions on outside reading.
EVALUATION TECHNIQUES:
Final Paper- The final research paper in the class will be 8 pages long, double-spaced, with
Times New Romans 12 point font. You will need at least 6 or more sources for the paper. Two of
the sources should be books and four can be articles. Sources should be academic in nature and
be careful on any web sources that might not be credible (ex. Wikipedia, Buzzle, Huffington
Post). If you are worried that a site is credible please come and ask me. The paper will be worth
400 points and must involve a subject of American history from 1865-present. You topic should
be chosen or at least narrowed down by September 8th so that you will have enough time to do
your research. The first draft of the paper will need to be turned in by October 29th and should
be at least 4-5 pages with an outline and sources so that I may read them before the paper
meetings as posted in the syllabus calendar. The first draft is worth 100 points. Any form of
citation can be used MLA, APA, Turabian, etc. but a bibliography is required as well as citations
on all final papers or they will not be graded.
Tests- There will be two tests each worth 125 points. Tests will be in short essay format about a
major historical figure, department or event (ex. Freedmen’s Bureau, The New Deal, J.P.
Morgan, etc.). There will be six options on the test but you are required to answer only 5 of the
options and you may choose to answer the sixth option for extra credit of 25 points.
Reading Notes- Reading notes are required on days of discussion as labeled in the syllabus
calendar. Notes can be informal in format but must be useful during time of discussion. They
should be one page or more, typed and also contain one discussion question for the class
discussion that day. They will be turned in at the end of discussion and are worth 10 points each.
There will be 9 reading notes in all. The notes are to help you during discussion so make them as
useful as possible.
Participation- Participation is a key part of discussion time. Everyone must participate or it will
affect their grade. This is a time to come out of your shell and engage in discussion with the
other students. Every student will be responsible for leading one class discussion article that
will be included in your participation grade. When leading the class in discussion you will need
to provide a list of 10-15 questions about your article for the class that day. The questions should
be sent to the class at least one day before the day of discussion. Participation will be worth 100
points.
Attendance- Attendance is worth 40 points and excessive absences can also affect your
participation grade.
Presentations- Your presentations will be on the last two classes as posted in the syllabus. You
will present your paper topic to the class. The presentation does not need to be more than 10
minutes long but should include your thesis, a description of the sources you used, your
contribution to the originality of the paper and the final findings. The presentation will be worth
20 points.
GRADING SCALE: 1000/1000 points possible
1000-900
899-800
799-700
699-600
599-0
A
B
C
D
F
ATTENDANCE: Because of the class time format (two days a week for 1 hour and 20 minutes)
it is imperative that students do all that they can to attend all scheduled classes. If, however, an
absence is unavoidable, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor as quickly
as possible. It is the student’s responsibility to acquire any notes from the missed class from the
other students.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS AND MAKE-UP WORK: Assignments are meant to be turned in on
the date shown in the syllabus calendar. The final paper and reading notes cannot be made-up
and will not be accepted late. Notes must be ready for the discussion that day. Tests can be made
up in very particular circumstances. The decision on whether or not you can make the test up and
the time and place will be at the discretion of the instructor.
EXTRA CREDIT POLICY: Extra credit assignments are possible throughout the semester.
Some are due to events that may arrive during the semester and others are at the discretion of the
instructor. If you are interested in some extra credit then please talk to me.
COURSE WITHDRAWAL: The deadline to withdraw from a course shall not exceed ¾ the
duration of any class. Contact the counseling office at any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal
from a course (‘W’ grade) or to change from credit to audit. Check the TCC Academic Calendar
for deadlines. Students who stop participating in the course and fail to withdraw may receive a
course grade of “F,” which may have financial aid consequences for the student.
COMMUNICATIONS: Communication will be made through e-mail so if you use a different
e-mail then your TCC account please let me know. If you miss an assignment because you did
not give me the correct information it will be your fault.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: TCC rarely closes. If extreme weather conditions or emergency
situations arise, TCC always gives cancellation notices to radio and television stations (The
News on 6). This information is also posted on the TCC website (www.tulsacc.edu).
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: Since there will be discussions during class time it is important
that you remain open and respectful of each other’s opinions, beliefs, and perspectives during
classroom discussions. Discussions should encourage the free exchange of ideas so that you may
learn from each other. Please learn the difference between a discussion and an argument. To
ensure the highest level of learning please be respectful to the other students in the class.
SYLLABUS CHANGES: Occasionally, changes to the syllabus may be necessary. Students
will be notified of any changes to the syllabus in writing.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: TCC provides accommodations for qualifying students in
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For information, students may contact the
Disabled Student Resource Center, 918-595-7115, or the Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing, 918-595-7428V, 918-595-7434TTY.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty (cheating) is defined as the deception of
others about one’s own work or about the work of another. Academic dishonesty or misconduct
is not condoned or tolerated at campuses within the Tulsa Community College system. Tulsa
Community College adopts a policy delegating certain forms of authority for disciplinary action
to the faculty. Such disciplinary actions delegated to the faculty include, but are not limited to,
the dismissal of disrespectful or disorderly students from classes. In the case of academic
dishonesty a faculty member may:
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Require the student to redo an assignment or test, or require the student to complete a
substitute assignment or test;
Record a “zero” for the assignment or test in question;
Recommend to the student that the student withdraw from the class, or administratively
withdraw the student from the class;
Record a grade of “F” for the student at the end of the semester. Faculty may request that
disciplinary action be taken against a student at the administrative level by submitting
such a request to the dean of student services.
INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT: Each student is responsible for being aware of the
information contained in the TCC catalog, the TCC student policies and resources handbook, and
semester information listed in the class schedule. All information may be viewed on the TCC
website: www.tulsacc.edu
TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR:
M-8/18: Introduction to syllabus
W-8/20: Reconstruction
Lecture/Notes
Tindall- Pgs. 538-576
M-8/25: New South and The West
Lecture/Notes
Tindall- Pgs. 606-627
W-8/27: New South and The West
Discussion
Readings:
Frederick Turner’s Frontier Thesis
“Buffalo Bill Meet Dracula: William F. Cody, Bram Stoker, and the Frontiers of Racial Decay”
Ida B. Wells- Southern Horrors Excerpt
*Reading Notes Due
M-9/1: NO CLASS- LABOR DAY
W-9/3: Industrialism
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 577-605 & 628-651
M-9/8: Industrialism
Discussion
Readings:
Riis- How the Other Half Lives Excerpts
Darwin Excerpt
Croker- “Tammany Hall and the Democracy”
*Reading Notes and Introduction of Topic for Final Paper Due
W-9/10: Gilded Age
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 652-717
M-9/15: Gilded Age
Discussion
Readings:
Orr- “Mary Elizabeth Lease: Gendered Discourse and Populist Party Politics in Gilded Age
America”
Cassady- “Muckraking in the Gilded Age”
Boas- “Eugenics”
*Reading Notes Due
W-9/17: Progressive Era and World War I
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 718-789
*Test Review Handout
M-9/22: Progressive Era and World War I
Discussion
Readings: Sinclair- The Jungle Chapters 2,3, 5-7, 10,13
Jones- “The Psychology of Killing: The Combat Experience of British Soldiers During the First
World War”
*Reading Notes Due
W-9/24: TEST #1
M-9/29: Great Depression and the New Deal
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 790-887
W-10/1: Great Depression and the New Deal
Discussion:
Readings: Steinback- Grapes of Wrath Excerpt
Carter- “Prohibition and Democracy: The Noble Experiment Reassessed”
Chasar- “The Sounds of Black Laughter and the Harlem Renaissance: Claude McKay, Sterling
Brown, Langston Hughes”
*Reading Notes Due
M-10/6: World War II Movie
W-10/8: World War II Movie
M-10/13: World War II
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 888-944
W-10/15: World War II
Discussion
Readings:
John Murnane- “Japan’s Monroe Doctrine?: Re-framing the Story of Pearl Harbor”
John Hersey- Hiroshima
*Reading Notes Due
M-10/20: Fair Deal and the 1950’s
Discussion
Readings:
Friedan- The Feminine Mystique Excerpt
Bracey- “The First Time Everything Changed”
Schreker- “McCarthyism: Political Repression and the Fear of Communism”
*Reading Notes Due
W-10/22: Fair Deal and the 1950’s
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 945-1013
M-10/27: Change and Rebellion of the 1960’s
Discussion
Readings:
King- “I Have a Dream”
King- “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
*Reading Notes Due
W-10/29: Change and Rebellion of the 1960’s
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 1014-1089
*First Draft Due
M-11/3: Vietnam
Discussion
Readings:
Hall-“Vietnam Era Antiwar Movement”
Clark-“Remembering Vietnam”
Whittaker-“Psychological Warfare in Vietnam”
*Reading Notes Due
W-11/5: 1977-1990
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 1090-1127
M-11/10: American in the New Millennium
Lecture/Notes
Readings: Tindall- Pgs. 1128-1173
*Review Handout for Test
W-11/12: Paper Meetings
M-11/17: Paper Meetings
W-11/19: TEST #2
M-11/24: NO CLASS- THANKSGIVING
W-11/26: NO CLASS- THANKSGIVING
M-12/1: Presentations
W-12/3: Extra Day
W-12/10: Final Paper Due by 11:00 a.m.