HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 1865

History 202-01, Spring Semester 2008

(4 Credits)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

What is this course? In accordance with the catalogue description, "This [course] surveys developments [in the United States] from 1865 to the present with the focus being upon the transformation of the U.S. into a modern urban-industrial society and its emergence as a 20th century world power." Various aspects of North American society and culture, including politics, economics, philosophy, the fine arts, popular mores, and religion, will be examined in historical context.

What will class meetings be like? The course will meet three times a week. In general, lectures will constitute much of in-class time each week. Additionally, however, significant time will be regularly taken in discussion of the readings and viewing relevant documentaries or other types of films.

What will be expected in general of each student? The workload of the course reflects both liberal arts expectations in general and historical method in particular. Attendance at all class meetings is, of course, expected. Some 1300 pp. of assigned reading will be required. Research reading will be required that is in addition to the assigned reading.  Various longer and shorter writing assignments will be central to the course.  Discussion time will be provided for.  There will be three required exams.

COURSE OBJECTIVES (WHAT DIFFERENCE THIS COURSE SHOULD MAKE):

 

1. To become familiar with major elements and examples of American life and thought as they have developed from the end of the Civil War to the present, since to examine America's historical experience is to examine something of ourselves.

2. To further develop skills in analytical reading, critical thinking, and writing through course assignments and activities, since such liberal arts skills are key tools for learning how, with the Apostle Paul, to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).

3. To further develop practice of historical method beyond the level of the Western civilization sequence through deeper attention through course material to the 5 Cs of historical work: change over time, context, causality, contingency, and complexity, since historical method can be a tool for living "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Mt. 10:16).

4. To provide tools and opportunity for integrating a deepened understanding of America's historical experience with a Christian perspective on faith and life, for "in [Christ] all things hold together" (Col. 1:17).

COURSE OUTLINE:

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Reading (in assignment order):

• Carnes, Mark C. and John A. Garraty. American Destiny. 2nd ed.  New York: Pearson-Longman/Penguin Academics, 2006. ISBN 0321316363

• Morton, Marian J. and Russell Duncan, eds.  First Person Past: American Autobiographies.  Vol. II.  St. James, NY: Brandywine Press, 1994.  ISBN 1881089290

• Gump, James O.  The Dust Rose Like Smoke: The Subjugation of the Zulu and the Sioux.  Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.  ISBN 0803270593

• Piehl, Mel.  Breaking Bread: The Catholic Worker and the Origin of Catholic Radicalism in America.  Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2006 (1982 original ed.).  ISBN 0817353275

2. Assignments:

A. A BIOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH PAPER will constitute 30% of the course grade.

1.      The paper TOPIC is up to the student, so long as

• it is about an American individual (not necessarily native born) who is no longer living but significant after 1865 and who produced or led to the production of

• one or more primary document (e.g., a recorded oral account, a memoir, a diary, a collection of letters, a sermon, a speech, a report, an opinion piece, a painting, a composition, a photographic collection, etc.).

2.      The TASK of the biographical paper is to

• provide a biographical overview of the person chosen (biographee),

• critically summarize and assess the primary document(s) content, and

• situate the biographee and the primary document(s) in historical context so that a claim about their significance in the history of the U.S. since 1865 can be clearly made and plausibly supported. This amounts to what could be called the "so what" element: "So what does your document and person tell us about [fill in the blank] in the history of the U.S. since 1865?"

3.      Given the TASK, the completed paper should entail, address, and conform to the following:

A.   Research and reading:

• The bibliography and the paper should reflect usage of primary as well as secondary sources.  Besides using the NWC library, for online links to bibliographies and sources, see Course Links.

• Of primary sources, a minimum of one is required.  (Of course, going beyond the minimum is always welcome.)

• Of secondary sources, at least one book and two articles from refereed scholarly journals and/or book collections of scholarly papers are required.  (Of course, going beyond the minimum is always welcome.)

• Other appropriate secondary sources include specialized reference works such as biographical or period or topic encyclopedias.  (Avoid general encyclopedias, including Wikipedia, as sources.)

• As an aid in locating appropriate articles, search the database America: History and Life for articles on your topic. (This database is available through the NWC Ramaker Library Homepage.  Find it under Databases/Major-discipline/History.)

B.   Elements of narration, exposition, and analysis:

• Each paper should be written for a general rather than a specialist reader, i.e., explain what would need explaining for someone who has not read the materials that you (the author) have read.

• Each paper should, in part, provide a general reader with an overview of the biographee in historical context, i.e., when and where born and died, major relationships and activities, what things in the time, place, society, and culture were most important in shaping the life, thought, and actions of  her/him, etc.

• Each paper should provide a general reader with a summary and critical analysis in historical context (time, place, society, culture) of one or more primary document by or connected with the biographee.

• Each paper should make and sustain a claim that connects the primary documents and the nature of the biographee’s significance for some appropriate aspect of post-1865 national historical context.  For example, 1) “[Biographee’s] diary is important for helping us understand the complications of immigrants assimilating to the dominant Anglo-American culture”; 2) “[Biographee’s] sermons show how many middle-class Protestants in the early 20^th century were revising traditional understandings of revelation”; 3) “[Biographee’s] argument in support of segregation suggests that even many northerners in the 1950s were not prepared to dismantle 'separate but equal.'”

• Each paper should have foot- or endnotes when quotations are made or when sources need to be noted, or when additional explanation is needed, per Chicago Style (for form, go to Course Links, then Guides to Bibliography and Documentation, then to the appropriate section).

• Each paper should have a bibliography (i.e., works consulted), per Chicago Style (for form, go to Course Links, then Guides to Bibliography and Documentation, then to the appropriate section).  A bibliography includes not only what things are cited, but also what sources were consulted.

C.  Final Form: The paper should be

• typed double spaced,

• have a title page that includes a title for your paper, your name, the date, and your e-address,

• and be 10-15 pp. including foot- or endnotes PLUS title page and bibliography,

• be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (that is, .doc or rtf. files; .docx files occasionally pose problems for our older programs) through Synapse (when in your Synapse account, click on the link to this course, then click on assignments, then click on the appropriate paper, then, in the drop box, search for your Word file, select it, and send it in).  If you encounter trouble in submitting the paper through Synapse, consult with the folks in the Computer Center, especially Paul Beltman (he oversees Synapse).  A graded copy will be returned to you by e-mail attachment.

4. Timeline and stages for research, writing, and completing the paper:

• Jan. 9-Feb. 10: Select topic, do preliminary research for initial working bibliography

• Feb. 11 (Mon.): 1 page TOPIC STATEMENT (handwritten or typed) indicating the biographee, the primary document(s), and any other sources identified by then is due. Failure to submit a statement by the specified due date will mean that the final paper will receive a penalty reduction of half of a letter grade.

• Feb. 11-Apr. 27: Complete research, then outline and draft your paper.

• Apr. 28 (Mon.): The final paper is DUE by midnight. (Note that there is no class that day.)  EARLY PAPERS ARE WELCOME; LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED!

5. The most important FACTORS IN EVALUATING THE PAPER include

• do you in fact meet all the stipulations of the assignment?

• does your paper indicate thorough research within the limits of the assignment and the course?

• how lucid and cogent is your presentation?

• how accurate is your content?

• how insightful is your analysis and interpretation, including the "so what" element?

B. THREE EXAMS on course material will constitute 45% of the course grade.

1. Two unit exams, each worth 13% of the course grade, will be given in class, #1 on FEB. 15 (Fri.) and #2 on APR. 2 (Wed.).

2. A comprehensive exam (#3), worth 19% of the course grade, will be given May 7 (Wed.) during the scheduled final period.

3. The two unit exams will each consist of a long essay question and a short essay question.  The comprehensive exam will consist of a long essay question, a short essay question, and a take-home comprehensive essay question.

4. For each exam, a study sheet will be distributed a week ahead of the exam.  The study sheet for exam #3 will also include the take-home essay question.

5. On exam days, no textbooks or other course material should be used during the exam (on penalty of voiding the entire exam) except for one 8 ½ x 11 inch exam sheet of outlines and notes (typed or handwritten, both sides if necessary).  This exam sheet must be handed in with the exam blue book.

6. Blue books will be required for each exam.  (These are available in the NWC bookstore.)

 

C. COMPARATIVE BOOK ANALYSIS will constitute 12% of the course grade

1. Each student must write a comparative book analysis of Gump and Piehl.

2. The analysis should compare and evaluate the books by discussing the following question: So what do these two books help us understand about the United States since 1865, and how persuasive and/or problematic are they?

3. When quoting from the books or otherwise referring to a specific page or pages in the book, indicate the page(s) quoted or referred to either in a Chicago style end- or footnote or as follows: (Gump, p. 53).

4. The analysis should be 5-6 pages, typed double spaced, with a header of the student’s name, the date, an e-address, and a title (no title page is necessary).

5. The paper should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (that is, .doc or rtf. files; .docx files occasionally pose problems for our older programs) through Synapse (when in your Synapse account, click on the link to this course, then click on assignments, then click on the appropriate paper, then, in the drop box, search for your Word file, select it, and send it in).  If you encounter trouble in submitting the paper through Synapse, consult with the folks in the Computer Center, especially Paul Beltman (he oversees Synapse; belt@nwciowa.edu).  A graded copy will be returned to you by e-mail attachment.

6. The comparative analysis is due Apr. 21 (Mon.), by class time.  In-class discussion will include considering the two books and your observations about them.

7. The most important factors in evaluating each analysis include a) do you in fact meet all the stipulations of the assignment? b) how accurate, thorough, and supported by specifics is your grasp of each book? c) how cogent and insightful is your analysis?

D. PRÉCIS and CLASS PARTICIPATION will constitute 13% of the course grade.

D.1. PRÉCIS will constitute 10% of the course grade

1. A précis is a critical abstract or summary.

2. A total of 5 précis on autobiographies in Morton/Duncan must be completed by each student.

3. Which 5 autobiographies are up to each student.  However, whichever are chosen, each précis is due at the beginning of the class for which the chosen autobiography is assigned reading.  Précis handed in later than this will be considered late and not accepted. (This is so that those who do précis for a given autobiography can "lead" in discussion participation, although all students will, of course, have read the assignment.)

4. Each précis will constitute 2% of the course grade.

5. Each précis should summarize accurately and thoroughly the selection and critically considering it in historical context (Morton/Duncan themselves say, after all, that "Autobiography lives halfway between fact and fiction" [p. xv].) Critical evaluation in historical context should include considering internal evidence, introductory material to the document, and relevant Carnes & Garraty material. It could also include consulting materials on Course Links or in the NWC Reference collection.  Also keep in mind that Morton & Duncan provide you with excerpts, not the entire autobiography. Questions to consider addressing in critical evaluation might include the following: how reliable is this document? what is being left out? what is the significance of the things that are included in the document? what does this document help us to understand historically?

6. Each précis handed in in class should be 2 pages, typed double spaced, with a header of the student’s name, the date, the précis #, an RSC Box #, and, as a title, the author of the autobiography.

7. When quoting from the autobiography or other material, use the Chicago style end- or footnote form.

8. The most important factors in evaluating each précis include a) how accurate and thorough is your grasp of the chosen autobiography excerpt? b) how cogent yet concise is your presentation? and c) how insightful is your critical evaluation of it in historical context?

D.2. CLASS PARTICIPATION will constitute 3% of the course grade

1. Class participation is a portion of the grade based on the instructor’s estimation of the integrity of each student’s engagement with the course material and the classroom environment.
2. Normally, regular attendance and the handing in of complete assignments when due will be taken as at least sufficient for fulfilling this part of the course grade.  Fulfilling this part of the course grade means that this portion of the grade will not pull down the rest of the course grade.  If such fulfillment is of exceptional quality, this will be noted.
3. When appropriate, the instructor is prepared to be flexible with occasional student scheduling problems, but the instructor must be consulted.  “Exceptions” are not an entitlement.
4. Factors that could give the instructor pause about a student for this portion of the grade include (but are not limited to):

• frequent absences.

• frequent lateness in attending class or excuses for the failure to complete assignments or to complete them when due.

• frequent in-class indications that could give the impression that a student has done little to no work with the assigned materials.

• persistent in-class demeanor or behavior that could give the impression that a student has little respect for themselves, others, and the task(s) at hand.

COURSE MISCELLANY:

1. Late Assignments

1. All assignments are due as stated in the syllabus or announced in class.
2. Extensions due to illness, approved field trips, regularly scheduled games or performances, or other reasons outside the control of the student can be made, but it is up to the student to petition the instructor for such legitimate extensions.
3. Papers (research; book comparison): If a paper is handed in late up to a week after it was due and without a legitimate extension, it will normally receive a penalty of at least one full grade down from whatever score the work merits apart from the penalty.  If a paper is over a week late and without a legitimate extension, it will not be accepted.
4. For précis, see Course Requirements D.1.3.
5. Finals: Finals can only be rescheduled through application to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (aforgett@nwciowa.edu); travel plans are not a legitimate reason for rescheduling finals.  All material must be in to the instructor by the scheduled period; no materials will be accepted thereafter.

2. Academic Honesty

1. It is expected that all reading and written work done in and for the course will be done with integrity.  That is, reading and writing as assigned is to be done with honest single-mindedness by each student, without undue reliance on others to do the work and without deceit about the work's timeliness, authorship, and sources.  Integrity of this sort is not easy or convenient; it does not provide shortcuts or guarantee "As."  Yet it is the best path to growth in wisdom, and wisdom is the fruit of education most to be savored.
2. Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism, as defined in the Student and Faculty Handbooks.
3. Cheating in exams, plagiarizing in papers, and other forms of academic dishonesty, will, when duly determined, lead to a "0" score for the assignment involved and the filing of a report with the Academic Dean (VPAA), per the Student and Faculty Handbooks.

3. Grading

1. We the faculty of the History Department do not believe that "grade inflation" is good for you. Jesus admonishes us to "Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'" (Mt. 5:37); in other words, let grades have integrity as indicators of knowledge and/or competence for a given assignment or course.
2. Therefore, an A=excellent or outstanding work; B=good work (more than adequate but not excellent); C=sufficient work (the assignment or the course’s requirements have been met, but not with any remarkable quality); D=insufficient work (does not fully meet the assignment); F=failing work.

3. Grades for assignments and for the course as a whole are based on a 100% scale, as follows:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

4. Within the 100% scale for letter grades, + and - will be given on the following scale (exceptions: no A+ or F + or F-):

+ = x7-x9

- = x0-x2

5. Remember--grades are NOT a measure of your personal worth; that is already established by God! Grades are measures of the quality of your work for a given assignment and/or course--nothing more and nothing less.

4. Advice for Doing Well in History Courses:

A. READING

• There are three important things you should do with the reading: Read it all; take notes on it so that you can use it; and draw on all of it that may be relevant for each course assignment.
• Reading for history courses is not so much about memorizing data, but about seeing the structure, the argument, and the supporting evidence in a reading, and to also think critically about context, authorship, and audience.  Mark and take notes on these things as you read.  The time you take on making notes as you read will save you time later when you go back to look for material for your writing assignments.
• There is not enough in-class time to go over all the reading, but, if there is something in the reading you wish to ask about or discuss, please, do not hesitate to raise your question or make your observation.  If you become an active, engaged reader, it will help you learn, not just in this course but others as well.

B. WRITING

• Writing is the primary method by which you will show me that you have read the assigned material and not only considered it thoughtfully, but also considered in-class discussions, films, and other materials.
• In most history courses, including this one, some research is required.  Research is not, in and of itself, mysterious, but, to be done well, it needs to be done critically (i.e., analytically) and thoroughly.  This criticalness and thoroughness demands time, and also, of course, reading, but the end result is written.
• Since this is a history course, grammar, spelling, syntax, and other such things that might well be graded in a writing course are not the focus in your writing here.  Nonetheless, the better you are at writing a clearly worded, coherently ordered essay with an introduction, a thesis or claim, several main points (with supporting evidence from the reading and other course materials), and a summary conclusion, the better the historical substance of your writing will stand out.  For help with writing, please don't hesitate to see history tutors in the Writing/Academic Support Services Center (VP127).  And, for the research project, please don't hesitate to meet with me or e-mail me about your project.

C. THE PACE OF THE CLASS

• This course may seem "slow" in terms of written assignments, but do not take the slowness for lack of rigor in how the main assignments will be graded.
• As the past itself took time, so this course about the past has to let some things unfold before there can be meaningful interaction with course material.  Moreover, research takes time: to select a topic, to do the research, and write the paper.  Thus, there is no good way around the necessity to have more than 50% of the course grade with assignments due in the second half of the class.
• So, plan ahead! Don't let yourself fall behind; all the major due dates are in the syllabus, and the reading assignments are there as well.  A good habit to cultivate is to read ahead, especially for materials that will be the focus of class discussion.

D. TIME IN AND OUT OF CLASS

• The old wisdom still stands: "you reap what you sow" (Gal. 6:7b).  Sooner or later, what one puts into something is usually directly related to what one receives, whether one is engaging in farming, music, sports, drama, or studying.
• As noted above, reading is central to this class--and reading takes time.  Research also takes time.  (And, history courses are 2/4 credits, further reflecting the importance for work outside class.)  A rule of thumb for humanities courses (history, literature, philosophy, religion) is that spending 2 hours on the class in addition to every hour in class usually brings better fruit than spending less than that.  That is, for a 3-hour-a-week, 4 credit class, an average of 6 hours per week on the class is a reasonable goal if you wish to do well in the class.
• If you signed up for this course, I expect you to be in class.  Yet, I do not take class attendance.  I have other ways I would rather spend class time, and I assume that you are adults and that you will thus be in class unless an emergency intervenes.  I hope that you are interested in the course (or that I can awaken interest in you for the course), and that you will thus want to come.  I will try hard not to waste your time.  Apart from this, someone is paying lots of money for you to attend here, and presumably you (and whoever else is involved) are interested in getting your money's worth from your investment.  And, the less you are in class, the more you miss opportunities for understanding the course material: discussions; concepts explained; themes noted; issues to ponder; connections to make; additional material presented; explanations of assignments or other things; etc.  Someone else's notes seldom do a good job of capturing such things.  Finally, I (and other faculty) notice more than you might think.  If you are absent a lot, and with no legitimate explanation, then when it comes time for me to total up your work for a course grade, I will have little to no reason to give you any benefit of the doubt.

E. Study Advice 

• Rule of thumb: If you wish to do well in history classes, generally plan on two hours of outside work for every in-class hour. Much reading and some writing is involved, and this takes time to do adequately, let alone well.
• Spirituality: Approach your studies with a prayerful attitude. Pray for discipline, for attentiveness, for discernment and understanding. Christ is Lord of all of life, so is he Lord of our learning. Give him the glory with the mind he has given you. We don't think of playing an instrument or playing basketball without practice; why would anyone think that glorifying God with our minds takes any less time--any less prayer and disciplined action?
• Reading: READ ATTENTIVELY AND INTELLIGENTLY. For history courses, the point of reading is to gain information AND to put that information within some context, or thesis, or pattern. For the main text for the course, watch for all the cues authors give you as to 1) what detail is more important than others and 2) how the details are marshaled into larger patterns that "tell a story" or "make a point."
• Further Help: You should be able to handle this course with sufficient time and attention. After all, hundreds of other students have. However, if you run into problems, DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP: me, my student assistant, folks in the Writing Center.