HISTORY 152
U.S. History 1877--Present
Summer 2023 Syllabus
TEXT:
Instead of a traditional textbook, I will have
supplementary materials posted online in each of the D2L modules.
CLASS BLOG:
In order to really understand any people and time period,
it's important to look, not just at secondary sources, but at
primary sources as well. Rather than having you purchase an
expensive supplemental reader for this class, I will post links to
useful/interesting supplemental readings on the class blog, Last
Best Hope 2023 (http://lastbesthopesummer2022.blogspot.com).
Do remember that your blog comments are public. Use
appropriate academic diction, and remember that that wonderful gal
or guy who sits next to you in class (and whose entire impression
of you will be influenced by your cyberspace behavior) will be
reading your comments.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND READINGS:
Tue.Introduction
5/30The United
States of America: The Last,
Best, Hope of the World?
Wed.Politics and the
Presidency 1876-1900
5/31Business
and Industry in the Late 19th
Century
Thu.The Labor
Movement)
6/01Urbanization and
its Results
Fri.Agriculture
in the Late 19th Century
6/02The Populists
Mon.
Tears along
the Trail
6/05American Expansion I
Tue.God
Guides: Perhaps it will Pay
6/06The
American Empire
Wed.********REVIEW
AND BEGIN WORK ON MIDTERM I
********
6/07
Thu.********
MIDTERM I (FACE-TO-FACE OR ONLINE
********
6/08
Fri.The
Progressives
6/09Teddy Roosevelt and
the Square Deal
Mon.Gang
Oft Aglay
6/12Woodrow
Wilson and the Law of Unintended
Consequences
Tue.Over There—and
Back Again
6/13World War
I and its Impact on American
Society
Wed.Just What the
People Wanted Done
6/14Harding and Coolidge
Thu.Let us Now
Praise Famous Men
6/15Hoover and
Franklin Roosevelt
Fri.Over
Here—and Back Again
6/16American and World War
II
Mon.Juneteenth Holiday
6/19No Face to Face Class
Tue.Give ‘em—well….
6/20The Cold
War
Wed.********
MIDTERM II (FACE-TO-FACE OR
ONLINE) ********
6/21
Thu.Lyndon Johnson
and the Great Society
6/22The Civil
Rights Movement
Fri.Not Quite
Tricky Enough:
6/23The Nixon
Presidency
Mon.Why
not the Best?
6/26The Ford and
Carter Administrations
Tue.The Unfinished
Revolution:
6/27Reagan,
Bush, and their Conservative
Coalition
Wed.The
Presidents We Deserve
6/28The
Clinton, Bush II, and ObamaPresidencies
Thu.Alternative Facts
6/29The Trump
Administration and the Exciting
Conclusion to This Course!
Fri.********
FINAL EXAM (FACE-TO-FACE OR ONLINE
********
7/01
GRADING:
Your
grade for this course will be based primarily on two "midterm"
exams and a final exam, each of which will count approximately 25%
when I determine your final grade. In addition, I will take into
account attendance and participation—another 25% of your grade.
EXAM FORMAT:
Midterm and Final Exams: 8 ID'S, 1 essay
ID'S will be selected from the terms put on the board at the
beginning of each lecture. You will be asked not only to
identify the terms, but also to explain their historical
significance. I am impressed when students can show how the
ID terms relate to important themes discussed in this class.
Essay questions will deal with major themes discussed in the
lectures. Most often, the exam question will be a
generalization I have made in class with the additional word,
"comment."
A student who studies hard and does the required reading should
have plenty to say in response to each of these questions.
You will be given two hours for each exam. Most students
will need the full time to do a good job.
What is a good job? I tell students over and over again that
a good essay consists of a series of good generalizations based on
the exam question and backed up with specific support from the
lectures and the readings. I am particularly impressed when
students include in their essays references to primary source
material.
ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY:
Please make sure all electronic devices are turned off and
put away before class begins. Cell phones, laptop computers,
MP3 players, and similar devices are all distracting to other
students. I do *not* allow the use of electronic
dictionaries during exams.
NOTES:
There are online notes available for all the lectures.
However, you should be sure to take good notes for yourself. You
almost certainly will not remember the material if you don’t take
extensive notes. You will also find that the time goes much more
quickly if are taking notes rather than just sitting and
listening.
Generally, a good student will have about four pages of notes for
each lecture. It is a good idea to record the title and date
of each lecture. Also, it is a good idea to review and annotate
your notes soon after each lecture while the material is still
fresh in your mind.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT
Cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty and
misconduct run contrary to the purposes of higher
education. Cheating includes the use of any notes
during the midterm or final exam. Please place no marks of
any kind on or in your blue book before I give the signal to begin
taking the exam. All exams must be taken on blank
bluebooks. On at least one exam, bluebooks will be checked
before the exam. Bluebooks that have not been checked, have
missing pages, or pages with large erasures will not be accepted.
It is not cheating to study with another student, to share notes,
or to prepare essays or ID's together. However, if you do study
with another student, be sure you do not sit next to each other
during the exam.
Please be especially careful to observe academic integrity
standards on the take-home quizzes. The quizzes are intended to
make sure you have done the primary source readings, and your
comments should be based on your own observations, not someone
else’s ideas. Plagiarism (e.g. copying material from the internet
or recycling work done by another student) is not allowed. I
do sometimes allow “group work” on quizzes, but unless I have
specifically indicated that you are allowed to work with other
students, make sure your quiz comments are entirely your
own.
Northern State University's official policy and procedures on
cheating and academic dishonesty as outlined in the Northern State
University Student Handbook applies to this course. Students
caught cheating will receive a zero for the assignment, and, since
zeros are worse than F‘s, they are likely to fail the course as a
whole.
NSU DISABILITY POLICY:
Northern State University recognizes its responsibility for
creating an institutional climate in which students with
disabilities can thrive. If you have any type of disability
for which you require accommodations, please contact Karen Gerety
at the NSU Office of Disability Services (626-2371, Student Center
217) as soon as possible to discuss your particular needs.
BOARD OF REGENTS ACADEMIC FREEDOM
POLICY:
Under Board of Regents and University policy student academic
performance may be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on
opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to academic standards.
Students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or
views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about
matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the
content of any course of study for which they are enrolled.
Students who believe that an academic evaluation reflects
prejudiced or capricious consideration of student opinions or
conduct unrelated to academic standards should contact the
academic dean administratively in charge of the class to initiate
a review of the evaluation