H106
United States History: 1877 to the Present
Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne
MWF 10:00 - 10:50 am; Room CM 112
Professor: David Schuster Email: schusted@ipfw.edu
Office hours: 2-3pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday (CM 277)
History is big. Learning what has happened in the United States during the last 130 years is no small feat. You name it: wars, migrations, political controversies, unemployment, wealth, the telephone, the automobile, music, film, literature, art, sports, education, dating habits, marriage, civil rights, health care—everything that influences your life today has a history. The purpose of this class is to discuss what the past five generations of Americans have gone through. Learning about how others have lived can be entertaining and worthwhile; more importantly, it provides us with a host of complicated situations and experiences from which we can learn, improve our critical thinking skills, and deepen our understanding of the world today.
This class requires students to read the assigned texts, listen to lectures and ask questions, participate in discussions and activities, and complete assignments. Proper classroom behavior is expected; this means arriving on time, turning off cell phones and music devices, no disruptive behavior, and treating others with respect. Plagiarism and acts of academic dishonesty will be dealt with harshly. Grades will be calculated as follows:
Minor Paper: 15%
Midterm I: 15%
Midterm II: 15%
Major Paper: 25%
Final: 30%
Assignment extensions must be negotiated with the instructor at least 24 hours before the due date. Late papers are penalized 10% per week or part thereof. (This means that whether you submit an assignment a day late or a week late, the penalty will be -10%; eight to fourteen days late will be -20%, etc.) Papers must be submitted in hardcopy; emailed papers will not be accepted.
Required texts:
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History, vol. 2 (New York: Norton, 2005).
Eric Foner, Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, vol. 2 (New York: Norton, 2005).
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends & Influence People (New York: Pocket, reissue edition, 1998, originally 1936).
Frederick Downs, The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1978, 1993).
Weekly topics and reading schedule
Week 1 Introduction & Review through Reconstruction
August 20, 22, 24
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 15
Voices of Freedom Ch.15
Week 2 Gilded Age
August 27, 29, 31
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 16
Voices of Freedom Ch. 16
Week 3 Populism & Imperialism
September 5, 7 (Monday = Labor Day; no class)
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 17
Voices of Freedom Ch. 17
Week 4 Progressive Era
September 10, 12, 14
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 18
Voices of Freedom Ch. 18
Friday: Minor Paper due
Week 5 World War I
September 17, 19, 21
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 19
Voices of Freedom Ch. 19
Friday: Midterm I
Week 6 The 1920s: Normalcy?
September 24, 26, 28
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 20
Voices of Freedom Ch. 20
Week 7 Great Depression & New Deal
October 1, 3, 5
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 21
Voices of Freedom Ch. 21
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends & Influence People
Week 8 World War II
October 10, 12 (Monday = Fall recess; no class)
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 22
Voices of Freedom Ch. 22
Week 9 The Cold War
October 15, 17, 19
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 23
Voices of Freedom Ch. 23
Friday: Major paper due
Week 10 The 1950s
October 22, 24, 26
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 24
Voices of Freedom Ch. 24
Friday: Midterm II
Week 11 The 1960s
October 29, 31, November 2
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 25
Voices of Freedom Ch. 25
Frederick Downs, The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War
Week 12 The 1970s
November 5, 7, 9
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 26
Week 13 The 1980s & New Conservatism
November 12, 14, 16
Voices of Freedom Ch. 26
Week 14 Catch-up lecture
November 19 (Wednesday & Friday = Thanksgiving recess)
Class meets Monday
Catch up on reading
Week 15 The 1990s
November 26, 28, 30
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 27
Voices of Freedom Ch. 27
Week 16 Post September 11 & Review
December 3, 5, 7
Give Me Liberty! Ch. 28
Voices of Freedom Ch. 28
Final Exam: Wednesday, December 12, 8-10am. (Room CM 112)