History 17b: A History of the United States since 1877 Dr. Patrick ...

History 17b: A History of the United States since 1877Dr. Patrick Ettinger Fall 2008, MW 12:00-1:15Office: Tahoe Hall 3097 Phone/Voice: 278-6589Email: ettinger@csus.eduWeb: http://webpages.csus.edu/~ettinger/Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00-11:00, Wednesdays, 10:00-11:00, or by appointmentCatalog Description:Basic historical survey of the growth of urban-industrial American civilization and its rise to world power,1877-present. Note: Fulfills state graduation requirement for U.S. History. 3 units.GE Category:This course meets GE category D3 and fulfills the “Race and Ethnicity in American Society” requirement.Course Themes:“Are race relations in America better today than when my parents were my age? How did the United Statesdevelop into such an economically and politically powerful nation? What has freedom meant to differentgroups of Americans at different times? Why does the Vietnam War still continue to divide Americans? Whyis the U.S. both hated and loved abroad?”Through an examination of the major social, political, economic, and cultural developments in the UnitedStates from 1877 to the present, this course seeks to provide you with knowledge and tools that will enableyou to pursue answers to these and other questions about the past and present United States. Our main focusin this class will be on tracing the transformation of the United States from a predominantly agrarian, ruralsociety to one of the world’s most powerful industrial nations. Industrialization spawned a complicated webof changes that importantly reshaped American institutional, social, and political life. It lured immigrants,helped create large cities, transformed the workplace, and created great wealth. But it also generated newforms of poverty, fueled political corruption, and introduced a host of problems to American life. We willpay close attention to the differing ways that Americans reacted to these changes and to their search for apolitical order suitable to the new economy.The course will also focus on efforts to make the United States abide by the promises of freedom and equalityenshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The history of the United States, writeshistorian Eric Foner, is partly a “story of debates, disagreements, and struggles over freedom.” In 1877,American women, African Americans, and others remained excluded from full participation as citizens in thepromise of American life. Much of the drama of the nation’s history over the past century has come from theoften-courageous efforts by these groups to expand their civil and political rights. Finally, we will also tracethe development of the United States into a world power. In particular, we will focus on the long and bitterrivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II and the myriad ways in which thisCold War shaped American life.This is a course that encourages you to think about history not simply as “what happened in the past” but asthe stories we choose to tell about the past. I hope, when the course is complete, that you will have come toyour own conclusions about the essential stories and themes in the history of the United States.Learning Objectives: Students enrolled in History 17b will:• Develop an understanding of the social, economic, cultural, and political development of the UnitedStates since 1877.• Deepen their awareness of the historical roots of American ethnic and cultural diversity and struggleswithin the nation to extend economic, civil, and political rights to all citizens.• Gain an understanding of the emergence of the United States as a world power.• Think critically about history, its purposes, and the manner in which historians and others relate thehistory of the United States.

Required Texts: The following texts are required reading. All are available for purchase at the bookstore.Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty: An American History, vol. 2: From 1865 (Seagull edition)Upton Sinclair, The JungleRobert S. McElvaine, Down and Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the “Forgotten Man"Anne Moody, Coming of Age in MississippiCourse Requirements:1. Attendance/Readings: Class attendance is expected. I also expect you to keep up with the schedule ofcourse readings as outlined in the course calendar. Lectures and class discussions will build upon theserequired readings, so they should always be completed before class. When you have done the relevant readingin advance, you will find that you are able to understand and engage lectures more fully. Missing class lectureswill greatly hurt your chances of doing well on the exams.To help you get the most out of the textbook readings, I have posted questions for each reading assignmentto my webpage (http://webpages.csus.edu/~ettinger/) on the “History 17B Reading Questions” link. Iexpect that students will come to class prepared to answer any of that particular day’s reading questions ifcalled upon to do so. These questions will also serve as the basis for the textbook quizzes, discussed below.2. Textbook Reading Quizzes: Over the course of the semester, there will be six unannounced quizzes onthe day’s assigned textbook chapter. The quiz question(s) will be short answer and taken directly from thereading questions posed for that chapter on the website. Each quiz will be worth 5 points, and the two lowestof your six scores will be dropped. Textbook quizzes will be worth a total of 20 points. Because I amdropping the two lowest textbook reading quiz scores, there will be no make-ups for textbook quizzes.3. Book Quizzes: There will be three short in-class book quizzes, given on the dates indicated on thesyllabus, to cover your reading of The Jungle, Down and Out in the Great Depression, and Coming of Age inMississippi. These quizzes, which are intended to give me a sense of whether you are critically thinking aboutthe material that you read, will be either short answer or multiple choice. The quizzes will each be worth 20points, or 10% of your final grade.4. Exams: There will be one midterm exam and one final exam. Each will consist of an essay question andshort-answer identifications drawn from the readings, lectures, and films. The date of the midterm exam ismarked on the syllabus; the final exam will be given during the University-designated period during finalsweek. The final exam will not be cumulative. Students will need to provide blue books for the exams. Eachexam will be worth 60 points, or 30% of your final grade.Grading: Your final grade will be calculated in the following manner:Textbook Reading Quizzes 20 points 10%The Jungle Quiz 20 points 10%Down and Out Quiz 20 points 10%Coming of Age Quiz 20 points 10%Midterm Exam 60 points 30%Final Exam 60 points 30%Total 200 points 100%Percentages for Calculating the Final Letter Grade95%-100% A 83-86% B 73-76% C 63-66% D90-94% A- 80-82% B- 70-72% C- 60-62% D-87-89% B+ 77-79% C+ 67-69% D+ Below 60% FAdditional Notes: As noted above, there will be no make-ups for textbook reading quizzes. Because thedates of the book quizzes and exams are given on the syllabus, and because I wish to be fair to everyone inthe class, I will not allow make-up quizzes/examinations except in instances in which a student had adocumented medical or family emergency. This is a very firm policy. There is no extra credit in this course.

Course CalendarClass Dates and Lecture TopicsReading AssignmentsSeptember 1: LABOR DAY HOLIDAYSeptember 3: Course Requirements and ExpectationsSeptember 8: The Politics of Reconstruction Foner, Ch. 15September 10: The Realities of ReconstructionSeptember 15: An Industrializing America Foner, Ch. 16September 17: Life and Labor in the New Industrial OrderSeptember 22: Gilded Age Politics in Industrial AmericaSeptember 24: The Conquest of the Great PlainsSeptember 29: Settling the American WestOctober 1: Immigrant America (First Quiz)The JungleOctober 6: The Populist Revolt Foner, Ch. 17October 8: An Imperial Republic?October 13: Progressive Visions Foner, Ch. 18October 15: Progressive ReformersOctober 20: “Big Stick” Diplomacy and World War I Foner, Ch. 19October 22: Midterm ExamOctober 27: The 1920s: Rural vs. Urban America Foner, Ch. 20October 29: The Great DepressionNovember 3: A “New Deal” for America (Second Quiz)November 5: The Second New DealFoner, Ch. 21; andDown and Out in the Great DepressionNovember 10: American Life during World War II Foner, Ch. 22November 12: Into a Cold War Foner, Ch. 23November 17: Anticommunism in the United StatesNovember 19: Origins of the Civil Rights Movement Foner, Ch. 24November 24: The Drive for Civil RightsNovember 26: Civil Rights Movement (Third Quiz)Coming of Age in MississippiDecember 1: Visions of “A Great Society” Foner, Ch. 25December 3: The War on PovertyDecember 8: Vietnam and the Student MovementDecember 10: The Modern Women’s MovementsFinal Exam: Friday, December 19 th , 10:15 am - 12:15 pm.