History 502 – The
Syllabus and Survival Guide
Spring 2001
Thursday 7:00 pm – 9:50 pm,
Sierra Hall 198
Dr. Thomas W. Devine
Office Hours:
Phone: (818) 677-3550 (office) Email: tom.devine@csun.edu
The following books – listed in the order in which we will read them – are available at the Matador Bookstore. Any other readings will be provided in class or put on reserve at the library.
We will be reading selections from David Frum, How We Got Here: The 70’s – The Decade That Brought You Modern Life – For Better or Worse. This is also available at the bookstore as an “optional” title.
To subvert the system and to save yourself some money, you might consider buying used copies of the books. I would suggest the following web sites where you are likely to find used or discounted copies at significantly lower prices:
www.bookfinder.com;
www.half.com; www.alibris.com; www.mysimon.com; www.abebooks.com
--This course will offer an interpretive survey of
political, cultural, and social trends in the
--You will also have the opportunity to become familiar with the historiography of this period. Though the emphasis of the course will not be on historiographical issues, I will introduce and we will all discuss scholarly controversies where appropriate. Each of you will also write a brief historiographical essay on a topic of your choice and read and comment on others’ essays.
--Since several of you are contemplating teaching careers, on occasion we will also address how the material we are studying could best be presented to high school and college students.
Requirements and Grading
Class Participation and Attendance --50%
Historiography Essay [5-7 pages] --25%
Thematic Essay [5 pages] --25%
All grading will be done on the +/ – system.
Though I will make grammar and spelling corrections on your papers, you are not being graded on grammar and spelling per se. A poorly written paper, however, usually fails to convey ideas effectively, so in this sense good writing does matter. There is no way of separating “the writing” from “the ideas.”
As you will
find out, I read your papers very thoroughly and offer detailed constructive
criticism. Do not be discouraged by my
“heavy edits” of your work. Many
students who recoil in horror at the “red ink” all over their essays are
surprised to find that when they get to the last page, their work has received
a decent grade. My goal is to insure
that every one of you leaves this class a better writer than when you
entered. You should make this your goal
as well.
I also
encourage you to ask me for assistance.
I have extensive experience in teaching writing skills and am willing to
work with you one on one, sentence by sentence to improve your essays. Take advantage of my offer – you may not get
another like it in your graduate career.
Surviving
Course
Format
--This is a seminar-style course in which active participation in the weekly discussions is crucial to the class’s success. Our meetings will in fact be conversations – free, open, and informal exchanges of ideas – and I expect everyone to take part. I have deliberately minimized the writing assignments and other “busy work” to give you adequate time to complete the assigned reading and to think about it critically BEFORE coming to class. I have also chosen books that are approximately 200 pages of text so that you can realistically complete them in a one week period.
--One person will be responsible for leading the discussion each week. That person will compose a list of 8-10 questions that address the major themes and issues raised in the reading. The discussion leader will meet with me briefly before class to go over his or her questions. He or she will also provide each member of the class a copy of the questions before the seminar begins. These questions will be the basis for discussion, though we will likely move on to other topics as well. The discussion leader will also prepare a 2-page single-spaced précis of the reading and distribute that to the class. (I can handle the Xeroxing if you have your questions and précis to me shortly before class.) I also encourage you to compose a list of questions on the reading even when you are not the scheduled discussion leader, since formulating questions as you read will help you frame your ideas and assist you in articulating your arguments.
--In the last part of class each week, one person will present the findings of their historiography essay. This will likely take the form of a 10-15 minute oral presentation with time for questions. On those days when there is no presenter, I will give a brief summary of the relevant scholarship on that week’s topic.
Attendance
--Since class meets only once a week, it is important, and it is expected, that you will be at every session. Inevitably, an occasion may arise when you are unable to attend. Out of fairness to your classmates who do attend every week, however, each absence past the first two will adversely affect your final grade. Also, given the heavy weight placed on in-class discussion, any absence is likely to detract from your participation grade.
Problems
--I appreciate that most CSUN graduate students are stretching themselves quite thin, often working full time while taking classes at night. 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 more than willing to work with you to insure you “survive,” but I need to know you are having difficulties. You will find that as long as you keep me up to speed, I will be very sympathetic.
Discussion Topics and
Assignments
Schedule
29 January Introduction: An explanation of course objectives, mechanics, and procedures.
5 February Migration and Cultural Formation During the Great Depression
Discussion
Leader: _______________________
12 February Political
and Ideological Responses to the Great Depression
Discussion Leader: ___________________________
19
February FDR and the
New Deal
No
26 February Over Here and Over There:
Discussion
Leader: ______________________
5 March The Origins of the Cold War
Robert Dallek, “Cold War Parochialism: The Truman Years”
David Reynolds, ed., The Origins of the Cold War in
Thomas G. Paterson, ed., The Origins of the Cold War, 3rd ed., pp. 148-56, 204-212.
Discussion
Leader: ______________________
12 March Anticommunism
Reconsidered
Haynes
& Klehr, Venona:
Decoding Soviet Espionage in
Discussion
Leader: _________________________
19
March Anticommunism
as the “
Discussion
Leader: _________________________
26
March
Discussion
Leader: _________________________
2
April Changes
in the Land: The Postwar West
Roger
W. Lotchin, Fortress
Kevin Fernlund, ed., The Cold War American West, Chapter 5
Discussion
Leader: _________________________
9
April SPRING BREAK
16
April Homeward
Bound: Family Life During
the Cold War
Discussion
Leader: ______________________
23 April Civil
Rights, Student Unrest, and the Challenge to Postwar Liberalism
Discussion
Leader: _______________________
30 April
Discussion
Leader: ______________________
7 May “That
Slum of a Decade:”
Discussion
Leader: ______________________
14 May America’s
Right Turn: The Reagan Years
Discussion
Leader: ______________________
19 May Dinner at Chez Devine 7pm