The
United States Since 1865
Syllabus
and Survival Guide
History
271 – Spring 2020 – GE Title V Requirement
Tuesdays/Thursdays
12:30 – 1:45 pm
5122
Chaparall Hall
History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not
merely something
to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even
principally, to the
past. On the contrary, the great force of history
comes from the fact
that we carry it within us, are unconsciously
controlled by it in
many ways, and history is literally present
in all that we do. It could
scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that
we owe our frames
of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.
– JAMES BALDWIN
Instructor
Dr. Thomas W. Devine
Office Hours: Sierra Tower 624, Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 pm;
Wednesdays,12:30-1:30 pm and by appointment gladly given.
Email: tom.devine@csun.edu Phone:
(818) 677-3550
Thanathip Ngoenthanon, Supplemental
Instructor
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11 am-12 noon and 2-4 pm; Thursdays 2-4 pm
Email: thanathip.ngoenthanong.598@my.csun.edu
Spirit of the Course
As someone who believes an informed
citizenry is vital to sustaining the health of a democracy, I hope that by
studying the unfolding of American history since the Civil War, you will leave
this course a more informed citizen than when you entered. Far too many aspects
our contemporary culture – particularly new technologies – enable people to
remain perpetually entertained and distracted, but also keep them docile and very easily
manipulated. We are urged to consume mindlessly and actively discouraged from
engaging in any form of critical thinking. Not surprisingly, people around the
world see Americans as astonishingly ignorant of their own nation’s history and
even more clueless about the contemporary world around them. This is not only
embarrassing but perhaps even dangerous, for as the British author George
Orwell reminds us in his novel 1984, those who have no knowledge of the
past are not only powerless, they inevitably are dominated by those who do
possess such knowledge – something to think about as we begin the semester.
I have specifically designed this course
for the non-History major in an effort to persuade you that a History course,
if well taught, can actually provide you with valuable skills and prepare you
for a career in numerous fields that are unrelated to the discipline of History
per se.
I will not be inundating you with
lists of facts or asking you to memorize random names and dates or expecting
you to mindlessly copy down text from Powerpoint
slides. Most of the time, I’ll be asking you questions, or, more precisely, trying to get you to think critically by
using logic and evidence to solve problems and make judgments. I will ask you why you believe something is so and
challenge you to convince me that you’re right by making an argument based on
evidence (and not on emotion or opinion). This kind of thinking can be hard
work, which explains why most people never bother with it, but as college
students, you should consider giving it a try. Don’t just sit there passively;
try to engage your mind and answer the questions – if not out loud (some of us
are more shy than others) then at least in your own head. A few of you may
someday take jobs in which you will need to do some thinking and problem
solving. In this course, I will give you the opportunity to learn and practice
these skills.
The questions
we will be addressing in class have no simple answers, though today one hears
no end of simple-minded ones. To grapple thoughtfully with these issues, one
needs more than a 20-second sound bite, a four word slogan, or 140 twitter
characters. One needs to exercise one’s brain instead of blindly following a
liberal or conservative political “line.” Accordingly, in this class, we will
try to do the serious thinking that those in power – both liberals and
conservatives – understandably do their best to discourage, lest the average
person become too inquisitive or informed.
Required Reading
You should purchase the books listed
below. All other assigned readings will be posted in pdf format on the web
syllabus and can be accessed using the course password.
Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead
Wilson ISBN 048640885X
Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi
ISBN 0440314887
To subvert the system and save
yourself some money, you should consider buying used copies of the books at any of the following web sites: www.bookfinder.com; www.amazon.com; www.half.com.
You can search each site using the ISBN numbers listed above.
Grading & Requirements
Quizzes (5 total – each worth 5%) --25%
#1 – February 4th
#2 – February 20th
#3 – March 12th
#4 – April 23
#5 – April 30
First Exam [February 25th] --20%
Second Exam [April 7th] --25%
Third Exam [May 14th 12:45-2:45 pm] --30%
Explanation of Requirements
Attendance
Attendance is NOT required. In fact, if you are the kind of person who
just sits in the back of the room (or the front of the room) and plays with
your phone and talks to your friends, I
STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU NOT TO ATTEND CLASS. There is absolutely no
reason for you to be here wasting your time, my time, and your classmates’
time. You will only be distracting those who actually want to learn something
while they’re in college. If you keep up with the work, you can pass the course
without attending. It is perfectly acceptable to appear only for the quizzes
and exams. If you do not intend to stay for the entire class session, do not
come to class at all.
If you do come to class, you should
participate actively. Even though we may be a large group, the emphasis will
still be on discussion and classroom interaction rather than sitting passively
and listening to the professor – or daydreaming, or playing with your phone, or
talking to friends, or sleeping. On days when there is assigned reading, have
it done BEFORE you come to class and
be ready to comment on it. The course will be far more enjoyable for you and
your classmates if we can sustain a good discussion. If you are hovering
between two letter grades at the end of the semester, I will bump up those who
participated actively in class.
Quizzes
There will be five 20-question
quizzes -- one on each assigned book and three additional quizzes on lecture
material and other short reading assignments. A missed quiz will count as a
zero. The quizzes will be given during the first 20 minutes of class. If you
are only attending class to take the quiz, I ask that you leave immediately after the last quiz
has been collected.
Exams
Each of the three exams will consist
of 50 multiple choice questions based on the material covered in class and from
any of the assigned readings. I will post study questions and lecture notes on
the web syllabus. Going over these questions and notes is the best way to
prepare yourself for the exam. If your exam scores improve significantly over the course of the semester, I will award your
improvement if you are hovering between two grades – that is, raise you from a
“C” to a “C+.”
Surviving History 271…
Attention
Freshmen…
Contrary to what you may have heard
about professors who teach large classes such as ours, I go out of my way to be
available for students on a one-on-one basis. So, if you need advice or help –
even if your problem is not directly related to this course – do not hesitate
to email me, come to my office hours, or set up an appointment. Students who
make the effort to get to know their professors end up benefiting far more from
their college education than those who don’t. Part of my job is to interact
with you, and I’m happy to do so.
Problems
If you are feeling overwhelmed, find
yourself falling behind, or are having any problems outside of class that are adversely
affecting your performance in class, be sure to let me know. Do not wait
until the end of the semester when it will be too late. I am not here to intimidate you or to make
you feel uncomfortable. In fact, I am more than willing to work with you to
insure you “survive,” but you need to tell me that you are having difficulties.
Come to see me or send an email as soon as a problem arises and we can work
something out. Also, if you are struggling academically, I will gladly give you
extra help.
No Laptops or Tablets
I do not allow you to use a laptop
or tablet in my classroom unless you have a medical note stating that you must
have one. This is not an arbitrary policy. Nearly all of the research –
excluding that funded by Apple and Microsoft – suggests that using a laptop or
tablet in a class like ours is more of a distraction than an aid. A recent
study concludes, for example, that taking notes by hand is far more beneficial
to students than typing them on a computer. If you cannot stay off your computer
or your phone for 75 minutes, please
do not come to class.
No Textbook
Because I don’t like reading
textbooks any more than you do, and because they are ridiculously overpriced,
there is no textbook for this course. Instead, I will post lecture notes from
each class that largely repeat (and occasionally elaborate on) what is said in
class. Reading these notes after class or before the next class will help you
better retain and understand the information. If you do not attend class, you
should read the notes carefully for meaning and be sure you understand the
arguments being made (and not just memorize facts without context).
Common Courtesy
You are at a university among
professional people. Please try to act like you belong here. Do not embarrass yourself
by acting rudely. Turn off and put away all cell phones and other electronic
gadgets while you are in class. Texting or playing with your phone during class
is rude, disrespectful, and annoys the people around you. Arrive on time and do
not walk out in the middle of class unless it is an emergency or you have
spoken to me about it ahead of time. Do us all a favor and go to the bathroom
before or after class rather than climbing over your classmates in order to
leave during class. Do not talk or listen to music in class. Put your
headphones out of sight as soon as you arrive. Do not distract your
classmates by beginning to gather up your things before the end of class. If
someone around you is acting rudely or distracting you, let me know after class
and I will speak with them. If you are acting rudely and distracting me, don’t
be surprised if I ask you to leave the room. If you find it difficult to pay attention or to sit still in
class, please do not come to class.
Academic Honesty
Do not tell me things that are not
true and expect me to believe you. It is unnecessary and it insults my
intelligence. Do not cheat on quizzes or tests – particularly from the people
in front of you or on either side of you since they are taking a quiz or test
that has the questions in a different order than they appear on your quiz or
test. If you can’t get through college without cheating, you probably don’t
belong in college. More importantly, get in the habit of being honest with
others and with yourself.
Schedule of Topics & Assignments
Unit
1
Thurs. 23 Jan. Introduction: An explanation of course objectives,
mechanics, and procedures.
Tues. 28 Jan. “What
this Cruel War was Over” – Assessing the Results of the Civil War
Thurs. 30 Jan. “Reconstruction
or Restoration?” – The South Rejoins the Union
Reading: K. Stephen Prince, Radical Reconstruction, pp. 2-28
RECONSTRUCTION
STUDY QUESTIONS
Tues. 4 Feb. “The
Iron Horse” Railroads as the Herald of the Industrial Age
Reading: William Cronon, “Railroads and the Reorganization of Nature
and Time”
Burton W. Folsom, Jr., “James J. Hill and the
Transcontinental Railroads”
QUIZ #1 (February 4) –
Reconstruction and Railroad Readings
Thurs. 6 Feb. “The
New Economy” – Railroads and the Rise of Big Business
Tues. 11 Feb. “Let
us Prey” – John D. Rockefeller and the “4 Cs”
Thurs. 13 Feb. “Raise
Less Corn and More Hell!” – The Populist Revolt
SOME
ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIPS TO KEEP IN MIND
Tues. 18 Feb. “Who
is Black? Who is White?” – Mark Twain and the “One Drop Rule”
Reading: Mark
Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
Thurs. 20 Feb. Continue
Discussion of Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
QUIZ #2 (February 20) – Twain, PUDD’NHEAD WILSON
Tues. 25 Feb. TEST ONE
Unit
2
Thurs. 27 Feb. “The
New Empire” – Why American Expansion? Why Now?
Tues. 3 Mar. “A
Splendid Little War” – The Spanish-American War
AMERICAN
EXPANSIONISM/SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR POWERPOINT
Thurs. 5 Mar. “Duty,
Destiny, Defense, Dollars” – Motivations for U. S. Foreign Policy at the Turn
of the 20th Century
Tues. 10 Mar.
“The Search for Order” – The Progressives’ Response to Industrialism
Thurs. 12 Mar. “Over
There” – The Catastrophe of the Great War
WORLD WAR I OVERSIMPLFIED
[VIDEO]
WORLD WAR I OVERSIMPLIFIED
PART II [VIDEO]
Michael Howard,
World War I: A Very Short Introduction
QUIZ #3 (March 12th) – Lectures
2/27-3/10
Tues. 17 Mar. SPRING BREAK
Thurs. 19 Mar. SPRING BREAK
Tues. 24 Mar. “From Harding to Hard Times” – The Origins of the
Great Depression, 1919-1933
Thurs. 26 Mar. Origins
of the Great Depression, Continued
Eric Rauchway,
The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction
Tues. 31 Mar. CESAR CHAVEZ DAY – NO CLASS
Thurs. 2 Apr. “FDR and the New
Deal” – Solving the Problems of the Depression
Tues. 7 Apr. SECOND TEST
Unit 3
Thurs.
9 Apr. Origins of the Second World War –
Europe and Asia
LECTURE NOTES – WORLD WAR II
PART ONE
WARLORDS: HITLER
vs. STALIN (WWII LEADERS DOCUMENTARY)
Tues. 14 Apr. “The
Good War” – The United States Enters the War
LECTURE NOTES – WORLD WAR II
PART TWO
Thurs. 16 Apr. “Anxiety
and Anticommunism” – The Postwar World
LECTURE NOTES –
ANXIETY AND ANTICOMMUNISM
Tues. 21 Apr. “Affluence and Alienation” –
American Culture during the 1950s
LECTURE
NOTES – AFFLUENCE AND ALIENATION
Thurs. 23 Apr.
QUIZ #4 (April 23rd) – April 16 and
21 Lectures
Thurs. 30 Apr. “Shall
We Overcome?” – Anne Moody and the Civil Rights Struggle in Mississippi
Reading: Anne Moody, Coming of
Age in Mississippi, Ch 1-4, 10-12, 18-end
[each chapter number is a separate
link]
MOODY, CHAPTERS 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
[each chapter number is a separate
link]
QUIZ #5 (April 30) – Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi
Tues. 5 May “A
Promising Time” – The Rise of Liberalism during the Kennedy Years
Thurs. 7 May “The
End of the Liberal Hour” – Vietnam, Urban Unrest, and the Fall of Liberalism
BONUS QUIZ ON MAY 5TH LECTURE
FINAL EXAM Thursday, May 14 – 12:45 – 2:45