History 365 Hybrid Format

 

Purpose

This course examines the evolution of American society since World War II. It examines the rise of America as a world power and analyzes domestic debates about America's role as today's sole superpower. In addition, this course traces the development of American ideology and social life by examining the civil rights moment as well as the women's movement. Using a combination of congressional debates, private correspondence, diaries, and newspaper reports, you will examine the core beliefs of politicians and of the average person in the street. Topics will include: women in American society, Cold War diplomacy, Vietnam, Watergate, music and counter culture, as well as the changing role of the military in contemporary American to name just a few.

 

Textbook

Robert Griffith and Paula Baker, eds. Major Problems in American History Since 1945. 3rd Edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007)

Michael Schaller, Robert D. Schulzinger, Karen Anderson. Past Tense: The United States Since 1945. 3rd Edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994)

George C. Herring. America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam,  1950-1975. 4th Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002)

Document Collections On-line:


Objectives

  • Improve your understanding of American foreign policy by identifying key events and people associated with a particular historical period.

  • Develop your analytical skills and understanding of the study of history by reading primary sources and by writing a research paper.

  • Evaluate internet sites and secondary resources relevant to the study of American society.

  • Analyze historical debates about social change in America in the post World War II period.

  • Learn how to locate academic articles in the UMUC library databases.

Grading

  • Class participation in weekly online discussion (40%).

  • Class presentation (10%) A short fun project on some aspect of American culture, for example clothing style, music, a national monument.

  • Final (20%)

  • A 10-page research paper, approximately 2500 words (30%) Turabian style. (see Bill's rubrics)

 

 

Week

Face-to-Face Lecture

Online Discussion
Week 1. The Cold War
Past Tense, Ch. 1-2,
Herring Ch. 1
From Depression to World War II
Cold War
Electoral Politics
 		 Major Problems, Ch. 1-2.
Week 2. Changing Patterns of Social Life
Past Tense, Ch. 3-4,
Herring Ch. 2
Age of the Bomb
Television and Film
Family Life
 		 Major Problems, Ch. 3
Week 3. The New Frontier
Past Tense, Ch. 5,
Herring Ch. 3.
The Media Presidents
Popular Culture

WWW: American Cultural History 1960-1969

 

 Major Problems, Ch. 5
Week 4.

 

 The Great Society
Past Tense, Ch. 6 & 7.
Herring Ch 4 & 5.

WWW: Civil Disobedience at the 1968 Olympics

 

 Major Problems, Ch. 6.
Week 5.

 

 The 1960s and Social Protest
Past Tense, Ch. 8.
Herring Ch 6.

WWW: Cold War Interviews
 

 Major Problems, Ch. 7-8.
Week 6.

 

 The Nixon Years & Watergate
Past Tense, Ch. 9-10. 
Herring Ch 7.

WWW: National Security Council Meeting Minutes (Ford Administration)
WWW: Digital History 1970s
WWW: Russell D. Renka, Nixon’s Fall and the Ford and Carter Interregnum

 

 Major Problems, Ch. 9
Week 7.

 

 From Carter to Reagan
Past Tense, Ch. 11-12.
Herring, Ch 8.

WWW: American Cultural History 1980-1989
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Main Page

 

 Major Problems, Ch. 10-11
Week 8. The Clinton Years
Past Tense, Ch. 13-14,

WWW: American Cultural History 1980-1989
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Main Page
 

 Major Problems, Ch. 12-14

 

UMUC Library Database [WilsonSelect Fulltext]

Examples of academic articles available:

Beschloss, Michael R., "A tale of two presidents: D.D. Eisenhower and J.F. Kennedy," The Wilson Quarterly v. 24 no 1 (Winter 2000) 60-70.

Flannery, Jeffrey, "Liking Ike: Eisenhower Biographer speaks at Library," Library of Congress Information Bulletin v. 58 no 12 (Dec 1999) p. 290.

Kengor, Paul, "Comparing presidents Reagan and Eisenhower," Presidential Studies Quarterly v. 28 no 2 (Spring'98) 366-93.