History 2302
American Nation II
Spring 2008
Irby 121, 8:00-9:15 TTh
“As with stomachs, we should pity minds that do not eat. If there is anything more poignant than a body agonizing for want of bread, it is a soul dying of hunger for light.”
-Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
“Surely it is no accident that the study of history has been the solace of many of the noblest minds of every generation.”
-Henry Steele Commager
“Who controls the past now, controls the future.
Who controls the present now, controls the past.
Who controls the past now, controls our future.
Who controls the present now?”
-Zack de la Rocha
Instructor:
Dr. David Welky
404 Irby Hall
450-5634
dwelky@uca.edu
Office Hours: T TH 9:15-12:15, and by appointment
Texts:
-Robert A. Divine, et al., The American Story, vol. 2, 3rd edition. Hereafter referred to as
“Divine.”
-William Bruce Wheeler and Susan D. Becker, Discovering the American Past: A Look at
the Evidence, vol. 2, 6th ed. Hereafter referred to as “Wheeler.”
Course Description and Goals:
This course is a general introduction to the last 120 years of American history. Through lectures and discussions, students should become familiar with the major social, cultural, and political trends and events that have made the United States what it is today. History 2301 (American Nation I) is a helpful prerequisite, but is by no means required.
Attendance:
You, your family, or a state/federal agency paid for you to enroll in this class. I should hope this would provide sufficient incentive for you to attend class on a regular basis. This having been stated, my official attendance policy is to have no policy. If you do not wish to attend class, by all means do not come (it’s your funeral). If you do show up (and I sincerely hope that you do), I expect you to be attentive and reasonably alert throughout the entire period. Be advised that my exams emphasize materials covered in my lectures. Also, I use attendance as a “fudge factor” when determining final grades.
-No laptops in class without the consent of the instructor (me).
-Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and anything else that might go off during class. Please do not use class time to check your e-mail, send text messages, or update your phone book. Failing to uphold these simple rules of common decency will seriously hack me off and may result in you being asked to leave the class.
Class Policies: Please refer to your Student Handbook for academic and sexual harassment policies. The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this Act due to a disability, please contact the UCA Office of Disability Services, 450-3135.
Course Assignments and Grading:
Your grade for this class will be determined by the following:
-There will be three exams during the semester. Each will count for 25% of your final grade.
The final exam will not be comprehensive. In cases of dire family or medical need, I
will allow you to make up a missed exam. To discourage makeups, I make them more
difficult than the original exam. I will work with you to schedule a makeup at the earliest
convenient time.
-You will also be required to write five short (approximately 1 1/2 page) essays based on the
material in Constructing the American Past. See the attached sheet for more information on
this assignment. The five papers will collectively account for 25% of your final grade
Schedule and Readings:
January 10 Introduction
15 Life on the Farm (Divine, 429-435, 450-460)
17 Immigrants and the City (Divine, 486-495; Wheeler, Chapter 1)
22 The Victorian World (Divine, 495-506; Wheeler, Chapter 3)
24 Power and Struggle (Divine, 461-485; Wheeler, Chapter 2)
29 Conflict at Home and Abroad (Divine, 513-540)
31 Imperialism and Progressivism (Divine, 541-566, 506-512; Wheeler, Chapter 4)
February 5 Teddy Roosevelt and Progressivism (Divine, 567-612)
7 World War I (Divine, 612-643; Wheeler, Chapter 5)
12 World War I/Postwar Disillusionment (Divine, 643-654)
14 Exam 1
19 Postwar Disillusionment (Divine, 665-676)
21 The Roaring 20s (Divine, 655-665; Wheeler, Chapter 6)
26 The Great Depression (Divine, 677-683)
28 The New Deal (Divine, 683-701; Wheeler, Chapter 7)
March 4 Coming of World War II (Divine, 702-713)
6 Coming of WWII/World War II (Divine, 714-730; Wheeler, Chapter 8)
11 World War II
13 Origins of the Cold War (Divine, 731-745)
18 The Second Red Scare (Divine, 745-751)
20 Exam 2
25 NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
27 NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
April 1 The 50s: Happy Days? (Divine, 751-770)
3 Kennedy, Johnson, and the Great Society (Divine, 777-787, 791-797)
8 Vietnam (Divine, 797-801)
10 Collapse of Consensus: Civil Rights (Divine, 770-776, 787-791; Wheeler,
Chapter 9)
15 Collapse of Consensus: Social Movements of the 1960s (Divine, 802-811)
17 Nixon and Vietnam (Divine, 816-818, Wheeler; Chapter 10)
22 Watergate and the 70s (Divine, 812-816, 818-835)
24 The Teflon Presidency (Divine, 835-853, Wheeler; Chapter 11)
History 2302
Writing Assignments
You are required to write five short papers based on your readings of the Wheeler book. Each paper should be typed and double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman with a one-inch margin. Papers should be about 1½ pages in length. Your grade on these papers will be based upon your ability to fully answer the question with a well-reasoned yet concise argument that is clearly articulated and backed by evidence and examples from the book. Good thinking and good writing will get you a long way, and not just in this class.
You may choose which chapters to write essays on, with one limitation. You will write three of the first six papers and two of the last five papers. The questions are given below. The papers will be due in class on the dates listed on the syllabus. No makeups or rewrites allowed. Barring extraordinary circumstances, late papers will not be accepted. I will allow you to e-mail one paper (prior to class) if some unusual circumstance prevents you from bringing it class.
Questions to answer:
-Chapter 1 (due January 17): How likely were northern workers and western farmers to be “successful,” as late-nineteenth-century writers understood the term?
-Chapter 3 (due January 22): According to these sources, what roles are men supposed to play in this society? OR According to these sources, what roles are women supposed to play in this society?
-Chapter 2 (due January 24): Which of these five alternatives was the most likely to help African Americans? Why (this question implies some comparison with the four alternatives you reject)?
-Chapter 4 (due January 31): How did Progressive reformers view and portray working-class children? Why?
-Chapter 5 (due February 7): What is the most important theme in World War I propaganda? How is that theme used in the sources?
-Chapter 6 (due February 21): Did social scientists support the goals of the “new woman”?
-Chapter 7 (due February 28): Understanding that these photographs are posed rather than candid, what messages did the photographers attempt to convey about poor and powerful people?
-Chapter 8 (due March 6): How and why did the United States’ perceptions of Japan evolve between the mid 1930s and 1941?
-Chapter 9 (due April 10): Of the major arguments that persuaded the Supreme Court to reverse its Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which was most powerful, and why?
-Chapter 10 (due April 17): What, if any, impact did social class, education, and race have upon attitudes toward the Vietnam War?
-Chapter 11 (due April 24): What difficulties do “fourth-wave” immigrants face in the United States? Do those difficulties vary because of ethnicity, or are they consistent across ethnic lines?
Guide to Writing an Excellent Paper:
A paper of this length and purpose generally has three parts:
1. Introduction: in a relatively short paragraph, introduce the topic and give a sense of the paper’s specific subject. The classic way to think of an introduction paragraph is as an inverted pyramid—the paragraph travels from the general (broad) to the specific (narrow). The introduction paragraph should end with a clearly stated thesis. A thesis statement establishes the specific argument you will make in the paper. Think of the thesis statement as an “In this paper I will argue that…” kind of statement—although you should phrase it more elegantly and directly than that. Be sure to recognize the difference between a topic statement and a thesis statement. A topic statement establishes subject. For example: “This paper is about the problems fourth-wave immigrants faced in the United States.” A thesis statement, on the other hand, establishes a clear argument. For example: “Fourth-wave immigrants had to deal with this, that, and the other problem.”
2. Body: this should be the bulk of your essay. The body of the paper should clearly follow from the thesis you established in the introduction. It should rely upon a variety of sources drawn from the “Evidence” section of the Wheeler book. The paper should not simply summarize the “Background” or “Method” section of the chapter. Each paragraph of the body section should revolve around a particular subject. A paper consisting solely of one long paragraph shows little effort to organize one’s thoughts around distinct ideas. Organization of paragraphs should revolve around ideas rather than sources. That is, do not turn your essay into a mere list of sources, each with its own paragraph. Your task is to shape the evidence into a cohesive argument centered around ideas.
3. Conclusion: generally the shortest section of an essay, the conclusion typically reiterates and reinforces your main points and, perhaps, points toward a broader relevance or statement.
A Few Notes on Writing:
-Clear communication is important. The quality of writing is therefore an element of the grade you receive on a paper.
-Avoid wordiness and overblown phrasing. Write simply, clearly, and directly.
-Eliminate run-on sentences and sentence fragments.
-Do not use contractions in formal writing. This is formal writing.
-If you do not know the difference between “to” and “too,” “lose” and “loose,” “there” and “their,” and “where” and “were,” I suggest you learn it soon
-Quoting: Use quotes only when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, express ideas in your own words. Good writing is more than linking quotes together. If you do use a direct quote from the text, set it off in quote marks and provide a parenthetical page reference so I can locate the text in the book.
-for example: Fushimi worried that the Axis alliance would make it “increasingly
difficult” for Japan to “import vital materials” (Wheeler, 227).
-note the placement of the quotes, the parentheses, and the period. Also note
how I integrated the quote into my own writing rather than using extraneous words.
Using a quotation as its own sentence is almost always awkward, as it sticks out from your writing and generally leaves the reader with no sense of who said the quoted words.
-Excellent papers seamlessly integrate sources from the book in one’s own writing. There’s no need to refer to “the photo of boys working at a coal mine on page 110 of the Wheeler book,” or “the Wheeler book includes a quote of a letter written to the Children’s Bureau in Chapter 4.” Accept the book as a given—I know where your paper is coming from—you can just say “one parent told the Children’s Bureau that…” or something along those lines.
-No title page is needed, although your paper should have a title.
-Please show some pride in your work. Proofread and spellcheck your writing.
Grading Papers:
Here are some things I look for when grading papers:
-Excellent papers have a clear thesis statement that gives the paper a sense of focus and direction.
-Excellent papers have clear and consistent arguments. They make their point and stick to it throughout.
-Excellent papers demonstrate analytical skills. They show that you have not just cruised over the material, you have THOUGHT about it.
-Excellent papers are based on evidence rather than editorializing. The point is to understand these people on their own terms, not to praise them for being “right” or criticize them for being “wrong.” You need to be as objective as possible.
-Excellent papers focus on the question rather than drifting through the subject. This is a very short paper. You do not have time to fool around with it.
-Excellent papers are well written.
Some other points to be aware of:
-FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS
-Do not spend a lot of time worrying about finding THE right answer—there isn’t one. Focus on creating a compelling argument and backing it with the best available evidence.
-I will be happy to look at drafts or outlines of papers or to listen to your ideas.
-Plagiarism in any form is a waste of your brain, an insult to your instructor, and a serious violation of University policy. Plagiarism includes copying or paraphrasing part or all of another student’s paper or copying/paraphrasing sections of one or more sources for a paper without citing the source. Any offenders will be dealt with harshly; penalties, depending upon the seriousness of the incident, may include a lowered or failing grade on the assignment, removal from the class, and/or referral to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. So do not do it!