History 4358
Recent American History, 1960-Present
Spring 2008
Irby 122, 12:15 -1:30 TTh
“The question for you Americans is: what are you going to do with all the great things you have?”
-Sir Thomas Huxley
“The public is even more fond of entertainment than it is of information.”
-William Randolph Hearst
“Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals. Except the weasel.”
-Homer Simpson
Instructor:
Dr. David Welky
404 Irby Hall
450-5634
dwelky@uca.edu
Office Hours: TTh 9:15-12:15 and by appointment
Texts:
-Matthew Dalleck, The Right Moment: Ronald Reagan’s First Victory and the Decisive
Turning Point in American Politics.
-Wallace Terry, Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans.
-David Farber, Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and America’s First Encounter with
Radical Islam.
-Thomas Frank, What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of
America.
Course Description and Goals:
This course is an introduction to the social, political, economic, intellectual, and cultural history of the United States between 1960 and (roughly) 2008. Through lectures, discussions, and visual and audio examples, students should become familiar with the major themes and characters of the era. History 2302 (American Nation II) is not a required prerequisite, but it sure would be helpful. Major events and trends that this course should familiarize you with include:
-The Cold War and its end
-The rise of the neoconservative political movement
-American’s evolving relationship with the world
-The explosion of “rights” movements in the 1960s and 70s
-The creation and destruction of the “Imperial Presidency”
Attendance:
The fact that somebody paid for you to be in this class should offer incentive for you to attend on a regular basis. Beyond that, my policy is to have no policy. If you do choose to come to class (and I certainly hope that you do), I expect you to be reasonably alert and to participate fully in classroom affairs. Be advised that my exams generally emphasize material given in class. You should also be aware that I use attendance and participation as a “fudge factor” when determining final grades. In other words, I know who you are, and it’s probably not a good thing if I don’t.
Class Policies: Please refer to the 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.
Assignments and Grading:
Your grade for this course will be based on the following:
-Four quizzes based on the required reading (15% total).
-Three essay exams (45% total).
-One 5-7 page essay on required text (15%)
-One 8-10 page periodical research essay (25%)
-NOTE: Plagiarism is not only a waste of your mind, it is personally offensive to
me. Students caught using all or part of another person’s work (whether in print,
audio, video, or electronic form) without proper citation will be dealt with
harshly. Punishment may include a lowered grade on the plagiarized assignment,
a failing grade in the course, and possible expulsion from UCA. So do me a
favor: DON’T DO IT!
Schedule and Topics:
Week 1 (January 10)
-Introduction
Week 2 (January 15, 17)
-America in 1960
-JFK
Week 3 (January 22, 24)
-The Cuban Missile Crisis: the Thing that Almost Exploded
-Macho Men and the Cold War
-January 24: Topics for periodical research essay due
Week 4 (January 29, 31)
-The Great Society
-Civil Rights
-January 31: Quiz #1—Dalleck, The Right Moment
Week 5 (February 5, 7)
-Civil Rights
-Black Power
-Johnson and Vietnam
-February 7: Dalleck Paper due
Week 6 (February 12, 14)
-The Youth Revolt
-And so does everyone else
-Exam #1—February 16
Week 7 (February 19, 21)
-The Counterculture
-The Women’s Movement
-Nixon
-February 21: Quiz #2—Terry, Bloods
Week 8 (February 26, 28)
-Nixon and Vietnam
-Nixon at Home
-Détente
-February 28: Terry Paper due
Week 9 (March 4, 6)
-“Hey man, where’d my job go?”
-Watergate: “Ok, so maybe I am a crook”
Week 10 (March 11, 13)
-Making sense of the Cold War
-Can we get a president here?
-Exam #2—March 16
Week 11 (March 18, 20)
-Stagflation
-Carter to the Rescue(?)
-March 20: Quiz #3—Farber, Taken Hostage
Week 12 (March 25, 27)
-NO CLASS—Spring Break
Week 13 (April 1, 3)
-Foreign disasters
-Thunder from the Right: Rise of the Neoconservatives
-Reagan
Week 14 (April 8, 10)
-Reaganomics: Take from the who? Give to the what?
-Yuppies on parade
-The Wall comes tumbling down
Week 15 (April 15, 17)
-The vision thing
-Gulf War I: As seen on TV
-You put what, where?
Week 16 (April 22, 24)
-They have oil there, right?
-Who are we?
-April 22: Quiz #4—Frank, What’s the Matter with Kansas?