H106

United States History: 1877 to the Present

Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

MWF 11:00 – 11:50 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 & get ahead 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, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm.  (Room CM 112)