History 696BC: U.S. in the 1980s

Dr. Thomas R. Maddux Office--Sierra Tower Office Hours: TBA Telephone: TBA [Course Objectives] [Required Reading] [Course Requirements] ] [Course Outline] [Collections] Course Objectives This graduate readings course will focus on major topics in United States history in the 1980s related to the presidency of Ronald Reagan. The course will emphasize reading and discussion of the available memoir literature, secondary interpretations and historiography. The course will make use of the exhibits, resources and conferences held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The Reagan Center for Public Affairs will hold two conferences during the semester, the first in September on "Debating the Debates: Defining Moments in Presidential Campaigns" before the first 1996 presidential debates, and the second in November on "High Noon at Reykjavik", the 1986 summit conference between President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev at Reykjavik, Iceland. This course will be followed in the Spring semester by History 674 Seminar in Recent United States history which will involve the preparation of a research paper based in part on the use of the records of the Reagan presidential library. In 696BC students who wish to take the Spring seminar will devote some attention to the selection of a research topic while preparing the secondary reading for the course. Required Reading Larry Berman, ed., Looking Back on the Reagan Presidency(1990) Lou Cannon, President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime (1991) Handouts supplied by the instructor from Gary Wills, Reagan's America(1987) and other sources. Course Requirements Discussion: Since this is a graduate-level class, discussion will form the primary focus of our meetings. All students are expected to prepare the weekly readings before each class, so that you are able to participate actively in class discussions. Please note that discussion will count for 25% of your final grade. Precis and Oral Reports: All students will write two precis on books selected in areas of interest and possibly related to the topic for the bibliographical essay. Each precis should be a three page review of which 50% should be a summary presentation of the focus and major interpretations of the book and 50% should represent a brief critique on the pros and cons of the book, the perspective and possible bias of the author, the relationship of the book to other interpretations and topics discussed in the class. Each student will present an oral report on each precis that summarizes the nature of the book and attempts to stimulate and lead discussion related to the book. The precis and oral reports will count for 25% of the final grade. Bibliographical Essay: All students will prepare a bibliographical essay of fifteen to twenty pages in length with appropriate endnotes and bibliography. This essay will count for 50% of the final grade. The essay should focus on a selected topic and review the pertinent memoirs and secondary sources. The essay should identify the main issues on the topic and evaluate the different interpretations. Students who wish to take History 674 in the Spring should focus their essay on the general area in which they would like to do primary research. During the semester the class will discuss topic selection and the nature of a bibliographical essay and all students are required to submit a preliminary bibliography and outline of the paper before the final draft. Course Outline August 28: Introduction and PBS Frontline video "The Real Life of Ronald Reagan" Sept. 4: Introduction to the Reagan Library Sept. 11: Legacies and Reagan Berman, 3-29, 319-325 Cannon, 5-87 Sept. 18: Supply-Side Economics Berman, 93-121 Cannon, 88-171 Wills, "Reaganomics" Sept. 25: Inflation, Recession, Taxes, Deficit Berman, 122-171 Cannon 172-279 William Grieder, "The Education of David Stockman", Atlantic Monthly (December, 1981), 27-54. Oct. 2: 1st Precis paper and discussion Oct. 9: Reagan, Congress and Politics Berman, 195-316 Cannon, 493-588 Oct. 16: Reagan and the Cold War Cannon, 280-333 Berman, 71-89 Wills, "Silver Bullet" Oct. 23: Central America, Middle East, and Iran Contra Berman, 33-70 Cannon, 334-492, 589-738 Oct. 30: 2nd Precis paper and discussion Nov. 6: Geneva Summit, Arms Control and Gorbachev Cannon, 739-791 Video of Tenth Anniversary of Geneva Conference, "The Cold War: Ten Years Later," Nov. 13, 1995 at Reagan Library Nov. 13: Reykjavik Summit (October 1986) Wills, "Innocents Abroad" George Shultz, "What Really Happened at Reykjavik" Nov. 20: Moscow and Washington Summits Shultz, "The Long Road to a Washington Summit" and "The Last of the Superpower Summits: Making the Most of It" Nov. 27: Reagan and Conservative Social Agenda Cannon, 792-837 XV. Dec. 4: Submission of essay and introduction to primary research at the Reagan Library Collections of Essays and Conference Sessions on Reagan and U.S. in the 1980s Larry Berman, ed., Looking Back on the Reagan Presidency (1990). Sidney Blumenthal and Thomas Byrne Edsall, eds., The Reagan Legacy (1988). David Boaz, ed., Assessing the Reagan Years(1988). Martin Feldstein, ed., American Economic Policy in the 1980s (1994). Dilys M. Hill, Raymond A. Moore, and Phil Wiklliams, eds., The Reagan Presidency: An Incomplete Revolution?(1990). Roger E. Meiners and Bruce Yandle, eds., Regulation and the Reagan Era (1989). Anandi P. Sahu and Ronald L. Tracy, eds., The Economic Legacy of the Reagan Years: Euphoria or Chaos? (1991).

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Last updated: August 19, 1998