The United States
Since 1865 – Syllabus and Survival Guide
Honors History
371 – Fall 2014
TuTh 11:00 –
12:15 pm, Sierra Hall 184
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; Thursdays
2:30-3:30 pm and by appointment gladly given.
Email: tom.devine@csun.edu Phone:
(818) 677-3550
Teaching
Assistant: Rebecca Thompson Email: rebecca.thompson.920@my.csun.edu
Required Reading
• Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
• David Nasaw, Children of the City
• Sloan Wilson, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
• Michael Patrick MacDonald, All Souls: A Family Story from
Southie
To avoid the inflated prices at the
Matador Bookstore, you should buy your books on line. You are likely to find
used or discounted copies at the following web sites: http://www.bookfinder.com; http://www.amazon.com; http://www/half.com
Spirit of the Course
Someone, probably a frustrated
student, once complained, “History is just one damn thing after another.”
Unfortunately, many history courses are taught in such a way that one can
easily reach this grim conclusion. In this class, however, you will not
simply be memorizing a series of facts and regurgitating them for exams. This
class is specifically designed 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
in no way related to History per se.
I will not be lecturing at you or reading you text from a powerpoint slide.
Most of the time, I’ll be asking you questions, or, more precisely, asking you
to think. Thinking can be hard work, which explains why most people never
bother, but as college students, you should consider giving it a try. I will
give you the opportunity to do so.
Although we will be learning a good
deal about what happened in the
United States between 1865 and the present, more importantly, we will be trying
to figure out why things happened the
way they did. Why did some Americans gain power, prestige, and prosperity while
others fell behind? Why have Americans been at once so open to “progress” and
“change” and yet deeply uneasy when confronted with change? Why, as James
Baldwin suggests, does our history play such a significant part in determining
the nation and the individuals we are today and where we might be headed?
In addition, the course will provide
you with ample opportunities to improve your writing and analytical skills.
Throughout the semester you will be critically examining historical sources –
both primary (produced at the time of the historical event in question) and
secondary (produced after the fact). Using evidence presented in these sources,
you will be formulating arguments for a particular position (and evaluating the
strength of others’ arguments based on the same evidence). We will also work on
how to write a coherent, logical essay that takes a particular point of view
and makes a persuasive case for it. These skills are invaluable if you are to
succeed in any number of career paths and will serve you well in the world
beyond History 371. In fact, it is no coincidence that many employers in fields
such as finance, marketing, management, advertising, journalism, public
relations, and law now prefer to hire History majors. They know that History
students have been trained to think critically, analyze data effectively, argue
persuasively, and write clearly – all skills in high demand in today’s job
market and in very short supply in our increasingly illiterate culture.
Finally, as someone who believes an
informed citizenry is vital to sustaining the health of our political system, 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.
Today, most Americans are astonishingly ignorant of their own nation’s history
and even more clueless about the world around them. This is not only
embarrassing, but unfortunate, for as George Orwell reminds us in his novel1984,
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.
Themes
One way of making sense of a large
amount of material is to identify major
themes that recur throughout this period of our country’s history.
Looking at a series of events through the lens of a theme, it becomes easier to
see how these events are linked. A coherent “big picture” begins to emerge.
Moreover, this process can reveal connections between the past and the present
that we might not have seen otherwise. Though there are obviously many themes
from which one could choose, I have structured the course around four in
particular:
1. The expanding role of government in
citizens’ lives.
How and under what circumstances
should government exercise its coercive power in order to address social
problems?
2. The
persistence of tensions between the various groups that make up American
society.
What determines and who decides who gets
rich and who stays poor? In a country of multiple races, cultural traditions,
and religions, what does it mean to be American? (Or, for that matter,
“Un-American”?)
3. The United States’
increasing involvement in the international arena and the ramifications this
brought.
To what extent should the United
States involve itself in the affairs of other nations? Over time, what benefits
and detriments has this involvement brought both to the U.S. and to other
nations?
4. The continuing
conflict over what constitutes a “good society.”
How does one strike a balance
between liberty and equality – the two seemingly contradictory
principles upon which the nation was founded?
These
questions 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 five word slogan, or 140 twitter characters. One
needs to exercise one’s brain instead of blindly following a political “line.”
Accordingly, in this class, we will try to do the serious thinking that those
in power understandably do their best to discourage, lest the average person
become too inquisitive or informed.
Requirements
& Grading
Class Participation, Quizzes, and Short Writing
Assignments 25%
1st Paper 10%
Option A on Pudd’nhead
Wilson due September 22nd
Option B on Children
of the City due October 6th
2nd Paper 15%
Option A on Man in the
Gray Flannel Suit due November 17th
Option B on All Souls
due December 7th
Midterm Examination [October 16th] 20%
CLICK HERE FOR MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
Final Examination [December 16th] 25%
CLICK HERE FOR FINAL STUDY GUIDE
Because the
primary source paper was cancelled, you will receive an extra 5% on the portion
of the course in which you have the highest numerical score.
• All grading is based on 100 points
and will be done on the +/ – system.
• You must write 2 papers. If you more than one of the
options for the first or second paper assignment, I will count the highest
grade.
• Late papers will be penalized. Any paper turned in more
than a week after its due date will not be accepted.
• Late short writing assignments will not be accepted.
• Any assignment not
turned in or not accepted will receive a grade of ZERO in the
calculation of the final grade.
Explanation of Requirements
Class Participation and Quizzes
Though this course will include some
lectures, it is not exclusively a “lecture course.” Honors GE sections are
limited to 30 students to facilitate discussion and classroom interaction.
Complete assigned reading BEFORE you
come to class and be ready to comment on it – the class will be far more
enjoyable for you and your classmates if we can sustain a good discussion.
Since not everyone is comfortable speaking in front of others, your performance
on the quizzes and short writing assignments will also be considered as part of
your participation grade. I will drop your lowest quiz score before calculating
your quiz average. I allow make up quizzes, but you must contact me before the quiz to make
arrangements for a make up.
Midterm and Final Examinations
The Midterm and Final Examinations
will consist of 7 short essay questions and 1-2 long essays. A week or so
before each exam, I will distribute review questions that will help you
prepare. You are responsible for bringing an unmarked green book to the midterm and the final.
Paper Assignments
The two analytical papers will focus
on the assigned books. There will be a choice of paper topics, which will be
handed out well before the due date. You will write your first paper based on Pudd’nhead
Wilson or Children of the City. You will write your second paper
based on The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit or All Souls. If you
wish, you may do more than one of the paper options and I will count only the
highest grade. Each paper must be a minimum of 1500 words.
Surviving History 371…
Doing
Well
You have chosen to pursue a college
degree, and therefore – at least in this course – you will have to do college
level work if you expect to pass. Given that you are eligible for an Honors
section, I will assume that you take your studies seriously and that you are
capable of doing something approaching college level work. That said, History 371 is a GE course, it isn’t Rocket
Science. As one student evaluation put it, “If you do the reading, study for
the tests, and pay attention in class, it’s pretty easy to do well. On the
other hand, if you don’t do the reading, don’t come to class, and don’t study,
you’ll probably fail.” That pretty much sums it up.
Attendance
Since active student participation
is crucial to the class’s success, you are expected to be at every meeting. I
do take attendance. Frequent absences will dramatically lower your course
grade.
If you are a person who rarely attends class and relies on copying notes from a
friend, you would be best served by registering for another section of History
371. Or, perhaps more to the point, you might reconsider why you are in college
in the first place. Moreover, if you are accepting tax
payer dollars in the form of grants and/or subsidized loans to fund your education
and you do not attend class, you are engaging in fraud. If you are paying your
own way and you don’t attend class, you are simply throwing your money away
(about $60 a class, but who’s counting?)
History Writing Center
Most CSUN students, like most
Americans, lack college level writing skills. (In fact, recent evidence
indicates that most CSUN students write at a 6th grade level.) To
help address this serious problem, the History Department has established its
own Writing Center. You can make an appointment with one of the writing tutors
by calling the History Department at 818 677-3566 or you can talk to me about
setting up an appointment. The tutor will read a draft of your paper and
discuss with you ways to improve it. You may then resubmit your paper up to a
week after your appointment with the tutor and I will grade the revised
version. If you graduate still unable to write a coherent paragraph, beyond
being embarrassing, it will be difficult for you to advance very far in your
career of choice. Make an effort to improve your writing. I will make every
effort to help you 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 or the TA
know. Do not wait until the end of
the semester when it will be too late. We are more than willing to work
with you to insure you “survive,” but we need to know you are having
difficulties. Come to see me or send an email as soon as a problem arises and
we can work something out
Getting
Help
Contrary to what you may have heard
about professors in large state universities, 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 getting far more from their
college education than those who don’t.
Professors are paid to help you (and you
pay – more each year! – to benefit from our help.) Get your money’s worth.
Laptop Policy
Since “multi-tasking” is a constant temptation,
laptops, tablets, and smart phones end up being more of a distraction than an
aid. I do not allow you to use a laptop, tablet, or any electronic device in my
classroom unless you have a medical note stating that you must have one.
Common Courtesy
You are at a university among
professional people so you should try to act like you belong here. Do not
embarrass yourself by behaving badly. Don’t speak while others are speaking.
Please turn off and put away all cell phones and other electronic gadgets while
you are in class. Texting or constantly playing with your phone during class is
rude and distracts both me and your classmates. Beyond that, it makes you look
foolish, and people – like me – will judge you accordingly. 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. Go to the restroom before class or wait
until class is over. In short, act courteously and professionally. It’s part of
being an educated person.
Academic Honesty
Do not lie to me about why you
missed class or failed to turn in an assignment. It is unnecessary and it
insults my intelligence. Do not cheat on the quizzes or exams. I will catch you
and you will receive an automatic zero for the assignment. Do not plagiarize
from written sources or from the web. Since plagiarism is always obvious and easily caught (I know how to use Google
too), it is better to hand in your own work and get a C than someone else’s and
get an F. Plagiarized assignments will receive a grade of zero. Beyond that,
your name will be circulated among other faculty as someone who lacks integrity
and you risk being expelled from the University. If you are unsure what
plagiarism is, please consult with me or the TA BEFORE you hand in
an assignment.
Schedule of Topics and Assignments
Tues. 26 Aug. The
Civil War: What was won? What was lost?
Thurs. 28 Aug. “Restoring
the Union: Reconstruction in the North and South”
Reading: John David Smith, “Radical
Terrorism”
Tues. 2 Sept. “The
Iron Horse” – Railroads as the Herald of the Industrial Age
Reading: Burton W. Folsom, Jr., “James J. Hill and the Transcontinental Railroads”
William
Cronon, “Railroads and the Reorganization of Nature and Time”
Thurs. 4 Sept. “Let
us Prey” – Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and the new Corporate Order
Reading: Mark Summers, “Industrialism
Unleashed”
Tues. 9 Sept. “Worse Than Slavery?” – Black Poverty, the Plantation
Economy, and the Rural South
Reading: Jay Mandle, Not Slave, Not Free, Chapters 1-5
QUIZ #1 – Mandle, NOT SLAVE, NOT FREE
Thurs. 11 Sept. “Sharecropping,
Free Labor, and Paternalism” – Northern and Southern Economies Contrasted
[Continue discussion of Mandle, Not Slave, Not Free]
Tues. 16 Sept. “Separate
but Equal?” – Mark Twain and the Irony of American Race Relations
Reading: Mark
Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
Recommended Reading:
Thurs. 18 Sept. Continue
Discussion of Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
QUIZ #2 – Twain, PUDD’NHEAD WILSON
Tues. 23
Sept. “The Four D’s: Duty, Destiny, Defense, Dollars” – Explaining
American Expansionism
Thurs. 25 Sept. Responses
to Immigration and Urbanization: Social Darwinism vs Progressivism
Reading:
David Nasaw, Children of the City, Chapters 1-4
Tues. 30 Sept. “Life
in the Big City” – Street Kids and Progressive Reformers
Reading: David Nasaw, Children of the City, Chapters 5-10
Thurs. 2 Oct. Continue
Discussion of Nasaw, Children of the Ctiy
Reading: David Nasaw, Children
of the City, Chapters 11-end
QUIZ #3 – Nasaw, CHILDREN OF THE CITY
Tues. 7 Oct. “Over There
and Over Here” The US Experience in World War I
Thurs. 9 Oct. “Flaming
Youth”: The Legacy of the First World War and Cultural Conflict in the 1920s
Reading: Joshua Zeitz, Flapper:
A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and
the Women who made America Modern
VIDEO
ON LOIS LONG AND 1920S MANHATTAN
Tues. 14 Oct. “From Harding to Hard Times” – The Origins of the
Great Depression, 1919-1933
Thurs. 16 Oct. MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Tues. 21 Oct. “Nothing to Fear” – FDR and the Culture of the Great
Depression
Thurs. 23 Oct. Class
Cancelled
Tues. 28 Oct. The New Deal and the Emergence of
the Modern Welfare Sate
Reading: David
Kennedy, “What the New Deal Did”
Thurs. 30 Oct. From
Munich to Hiroshima: The Second World War
Tues.
4 Nov. “Anxiety and Anticommunism” – From
World War to Cold War
POWER POINT PRESENTATION – 4 “A”s
Thurs. 6 Nov. “Affluence
and Alienation” – American Life in the 1950s
Tues. 11 Nov. VETERAN’S
DAY – NO CLASS
Thurs. 13 Nov. “Out
of the Army and into the Rat Race” – Adjusting to the Postwar World
Reading: Wilson, Man in the
Gray Flannel Suit
QUIZ #6 – Wilson, MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT
Tues. 18 Nov. Kennedy
and the Promise of the ‘60s
Thurs. 20 Nov. “1968:
The Unraveling of America”
Tues. 25 Nov. “Right
Turn” – Foreign and Domestic Challenges during the 1970s and 1980s
Thurs. 27 Nov. THANKSGIVING – NO CLASS
Tues. 2 Dec. “The
Greatest Place in the World”: Busing, Gangs, and Urban Poverty in South Boston,
1965-80
Reading: MacDonald, All Souls
QUIZ #7 – MacDonald, ALL SOULS
Thurs. 4 Dec. Continue discussion of All Souls
Tues. 9 Dec. “The End of the American Dream?” – Economic Inequality and
Class Mobility in the Early 21st Century
Reading: Tony Judt, Ill Fares
the Land, Charts and Tables
Michael Sandel, “Morality and the Free Market” [Video Clip]
Tues. 16 Dec. FINAL EXAMINATION – 10:15
am – 12:15 pm