United States History Survey from 1865

United States History Survey from 1865

History 206

Professor Andrew Kersten

Fall 2008

MAC 217

This is your First Year Seminar in United States History.

This class is a part of the First Year Program at UW-Green Bay and is one of about a dozen that is teaching traditional general education material in a small size seminar environment. As you will see in the syllabus, not only will you be learning about historical issues, but you will also participate in activities with the other classes to help you get a better understanding of interdisciplinarity here at UWGB and to help you get connected to student life at UW-Green Bay.

Description: This course is a general survey of United States history from the end of the Civil War to present. In this class, we will cover both the content of this history and various themes that I wish to emphasize. Among these interpretative emphases are: labor, race, ethnic, and gender relations; immigration; wealth; and the role of the federal government in creating and influencing American history. This course is interdisciplinary. Technically it is an HS3 class, but it will meet informally many of the Social Sciences and Ethnic Studies learning outcomes as well. This course encourages students to improve as critical readers, critical writers, and critical thinkers. This focus will move some students from the normal comfort zone. However, everyone will benefit from your thoughts, engagement, and own personal view of history.

Course Information:

Contact times: Monday & Wednesday, 12:45–2:05 P.M.

Office Hours: 11:00 A.M.–Noon, Monday, Wednesday, and by appointment

Instructor email: kerstena@uwgb.edu

Course email: C11147-fa08@uwgb.edu

Textbook web site: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/henrettaconcise/

Required Books:

Henretta, America

Moran, The Scopes Trial

Olson, My Lai

Sites, In the Hot Zone

General Education Learning Outcomes (http://www.uwgb.edu/catalog/undrgrad/gened.htm):

HS3: Have a fundamental understanding of the humanities including:

∑ the significance and chronology of major events and movements in Western civilization,

∑ a range of literature, representative of different literary forms and historical contexts, and

∑ the role of the humanities in identifying and clarifying individual and social values in a culture and understanding the implications of decisions made on the basis of those values

∑ the role of Humanities in societal issues

Writing Emphasis: This is a Writing Emphasis Course. See http://www.uwgb.edu/lasdean/gened/writemph.html

Intended Student Learning Outcomes for the First Year Experience:

∑ Promote engagement (in class, with faculty, with peers, with the university) and a positive adjustment to college

∑ Understanding of interdisciplinarity

∑ Development of critical thinking and problem solving skills

∑ Development of communication skills (written and oral)

∑ Information literacy

Additional Intended Student Learning Outcomes:

Develop critical thinking skills and exercise problem solving skills especially as they relate to historical analysis and interpretation.
Develop a fundamental understanding of major events, chronology, and movements in United States History.
Develop historical analysis skills including comprehension of primary documents.
Develop critical reading skills including the understanding of historical interpretation.
Identify and clarify individual and social values in the United States.
Develop an understanding and appreciation for cultural diversity.
Develop an understanding of the social sciences including: major concepts of social, political, geographic and economic structures; and the impact that social institutions and values have on individuals and groups in a culture.

Additional Rules:

During class, turn off all pagers, beepers, PDA alarms, telephones, and other electronic or non-electronic communication devices that ring, vibrate, hum, or otherwise annoy.
Never send your written work as an email or email attachment unless specifically instructed to do so.
You are not allowed to bring in outside resources for any take-home exam or essay assignment unless specifically directed to do so. Violating this policy may result in a significantly reduced grade on that exam or assignment.
You are not allowed to use the web site Wikipedia unless specifically directed to do so.
Always keep several updated copies of your files on disk and at least one recent hard copy.
Try to never miss a class immediately following a major exam. In fact, don't skip class at all.
In this class, use your best professional skills while writing, speaking, and communicating with others.
This class welcomes all types of learners. Persons with disabilities that might affect learning should contact me during the first week of class.
Graded papers are returned once during class. If you fail to pick up your paper, you may retrieve it at my office during office hours. After a while, I recycle old class papers.
All written work over two pages must be stapled. Quality staplers are available for under $1. Papers that are not stapled will not be accepted.
Check your UW-Green Bay email twice daily. You are responsible for reading and understanding the email that I send you. Only send me email from your UW-Green Bay email. The campus spam mail filter quarantines mail from yahoo, msn, AOL, hotmail, and other providers.
Store all your papers and notes on a flash drive as well as your computerπs hard drive. Youπll thank me later.
Finally use this syllabus as a class resource. Don't loose it. Refer to it frequently to ensure that you are caught up on reading and studying, that your papers meet the guidelines below, and that you understand when things will happen in this course.

Expectations:

∑ Attend class every day, and be respectful of others during class.

∑ Come to class on time and prepared for the day's work.

∑ Participate in class every day.

∑ Read and understand all materials.

∑ Work hard and honestly and professionally.

Writing:

All written work must be at least 600 words, typed or printed in black ink. You must have your name on your paper, follow good writing etiquette, staple your pages together, and use page numbers for papers longer than two pages. Double-space everything. No cover pages or report covers. See the back of the syllabus for a style guide.

Grading:

Grades are not curved. Except in emergency situations, late work will lose one letter grade per weekday (Sunday through Saturday) without prior approval of the instructor. Attendance will be taken and students are expected to attend class for the entire period and are expected to contribute to discussions. Cheating constitutes a violation of University policy and students will be subject to University disciplinary actions. Iπm happy to talk about grades, but not by email. Please see me during office hours or make an appointment.

Grading Scale:

Grading Rubric:

As (90-100)	Bs (80-89)	Cs (70-79)	Ds (60-69)	F (59 and below)
Your essay is well constructed. It has paragraphs, topic sentences, and most importantly a clear thesis. Your essay demonstrates a command of the material. It uses quotes from the readings. You have an exceptional command of the English language. You avoid making many grammatical or stylistic errors.	Your essay is very good. It has paragraphs. You probably need to develop your thesis and/or topic sentences. You have a fair command of the reading materials but could have used more quotes or direct references. You have some grammatical and stylistic problems.	Your essay is good. And yet, your essay needs work to improve its structure. You need to work on your thesis and/or topic sentences. You have a fair command of the reading materials. You could have used more quotes. You have serious grammatical and stylistic problems.	Your essay lacks coherence. You make errors in essay structure, style, and grammar. You lack a command of the reading materials. You make many stylistic and grammatical errors. This paper needs a lot of work.	You failed to complete the assignment.

Course Outline

Week One: [Henretta: Chapters 15; PL: Chapter 1 and 4; Read Scopes book]

September 3 (W): Introduction and Reconstruction

Week Two: [Henretta: Chapters 16, 17, 18, 19; PL: Chapter 5; Read Scopes book]

September 8 (M): Meet in the Phoenix Rooms for Interdisciplinary Exercise

September 10 (W): Second Industrial Revolution

Week Three: [Henretta: Chapters 20, 21, 22; PL: Chapter 2; Read In the Hot Zone]

September 15 (M): Farmers, Workers, and the Unemployed in the Gilded Age

September 17 (W): Populism

Week Four: [Henretta: Chapter 23; Read In the Hot Zone]

September 22 (M): Muckrakers and Progressivism

September 24 (W): First World War and Jazz Age and Discussion of Scopes Book

Paper Due: Essay about the Scopes Book

Week Five: [PL: Chapter 6]

September 29 (M): Discussion of In the Hot Zone

October 1 (W) class time: FYP Large Group event: Discussion with Kevin Sites

October 1 (W) evening event: Kevin Sites Documentary

October 2 (R) evening event: Kevin Sites Lecture

Week Six:

October 6 (M): Great Depression and New Deal

Paper Due: Essay about In the Hot Zone

October 8 (W): Volunteer Fair

Week Seven: [Henretta: Chapters 24, 25, 26; Read My Lai]

October 13 (M): Review

Prospectus Due for Final Presentation

Interdisciplinary Exercise Worksheet Due

October 15 (W): Exam I

Week Eight: [Henretta: Chapters 27, 28, 29; Read My Lai; Meetings with Professor Kersten about Final Presentations]

October 20 (M): Second World War

October 22 (W): Cold War

Week Nine: [Henretta: Chapters 30, 31]

October 27 (M): JFK and LBJ

October 29 (W): Vietnam War

Week Ten:

November 3 (M): Discussion of My Lai

Paper Due: Essay about My Lai

November 5 (W): Interdisciplinary Exercise: Waging Peace Project (Meet in Christie Theater)

Week Eleven: [Henretta: Chapters 29–31]

November 10 (M): Nixon

Interdisciplinary Exercise Worksheet Due

November 12 (W): Carter

Paper Due: Reflection Essay on Peace Project

Week Twelve:

November 17 (M): Reagan

November 19 (W): Review

Week Thirteen:

November 24 (M): Exam II

November 26 (W): Film: Roger and Me

Week Fourteen:

December 1 (M): Clinton

December 3 (W): Bush and the War on Terror

Week Fifteen:

December 8 (M): Student Presentations

December 10 (W): Student Presentations

Final Examination: December 15 (Monday), 1:00–3:00 P.M.

Guidelines and Expectations for the Presentations:

This assignment has five parts:

1. You need to find a group of about five people and pick a topic for historical exploration. You need to commit to a topic and then fill out a presentation prospectus sheet (see the end of the syllabus).

2. You need to find your sources. I will help you with this. I expect 10 primary and 10 secondary sources for this project.

3. You need to meet with me to talk about your progress. This is a required meeting during the eighth week of class.

4. You need to do the research and work together to assemble your presentation.

5. You need to present your findings to the class. You will have 25 minutes to present. On the presentation day, you need to present me with three items: a. a copy of the PowerPoint on CD-ROM; b. a list of group members with an explanation of what exactly each member did including readings, meetings, and anything else; and c. your bibliography in Chicago Manual of Style format.

How to get started:

First, gather a group of about five people. Then, talk about historical questions that might interest you. Use your textbook or come talk with me to help generate ideas. Then, start dividing up the work. Youπll need a convener (a person who sets up the meetings) and youπll need to make an outline of the presentation and who is going to do what. Next, youπll need to start working with the library resources to generate your 10 primary and 10 secondary sources. Someone needs to be in charge of putting the prospectus together.

How to do your work:

The best way to organize a presentation is to assign concrete tasks to each student. Then meet regularly to make sure that everyone is on track. When there are problems or questions, youπll need to come see me. The key is to meet regularly so that everyone has a chance to show what they have been doing.

How to present your findings:

On presentation day, you will present your findings. Commonly, students use PowerPoint to help. A good PowerPoint presentation does not have lots of text but minimal text and some images. Your group must come up with a historical question and a historical answer. In other words, it must be clear to the audience what you are talking about and what you are arguing. Remember, history is a story with a point. Then each person takes about five minutes to present his/her section of the group presentation. Remember to relate each section back to the theme and thesis. You ought to have introduction and a conclusion as well. Remember to leave enough time for questions. If you do your work correctly, there will be questions.

How I will grade you:

On the grading sheet that I will fill out will be the following categories: Preparation (Research, Outline and Organization); Presentation (clarity, argument, handouts and visuals, and discussion).

Other tips:

This is your chance to shine as a young, professional historian. Be sure to be prepared. Do the little things to get ready: dress nicely, come prepared, be courteous, be interested, and be engaging. Donπt be silly or unprofessional.

Writing Tips for Students

How to Write a History Essay

Most history essays are written in response to a historical question. The best way to answer that question is to use the "five paragraph" essay.

Your first paragraph (that is, your introduction) should provide some general background on the question (and may even restate the question) and then directly answer that question. This statement is your thesis. It is a good idea to add one final sentence, which will allude to the rest of your paper.

Your next three (or so) paragraphs provide a detailed, structured, and concise summary of evidence and ideas that support your thesis.

The conclusion is the place to summarize your thoughts, your essay, and your thesis. It is also the place to talk about how the past might relate to the present.

It is always a good idea to use quotations from the sources that are utilized and discussed in class.

It is always a good idea to review the Guide to Good Writing before and after you write your essay.

Basic Suggestions, Guidelines, and Grading

General Suggestions

Ä Start early.

Ä Have a friend read your early drafts.

Format

Ä Staple your papers.

Ä No coversheets.

Ä No plastic covers or folders.

Ä Always use page numbers.

Ä Use footnotes, endnotes, or in paragraph citation.

Style -- avoid these problems

AFW Avoid Flavoring Words ("very" etc)

AWK Awkward Sentence Structure

COLL Colloquial Language

DA Don't Abbreviate

DP Dangling Preposition

DUC Don't Use Contractions

DUF Don't Use First Person

DWQ Don't Write in Questions

KPP Keep the Past in the Past (use past tense verbs)

MU Meaning Unclear

MVT Mixed Verb Tenses

NAS Not A Sentence

NSB Don't Use History as Your Personal Soap Box

PV Passive Voice

RSS Repetitive Sentence Structure

SC Use Standard Rules of Capitalization

SP Misspelled Word

TAS Throw-away sentence (has no meaning)

TL Sentence, Paragraph, or Quote is Too Long

W Wordy

WW Wrong Word

Documentation

For all documentation questions, refer to Turabian. If you do not own a copy, it is worth the price.

Here are some common formats.

FOOTNOTES and ENDNOTES:

Published

¹Andrew E. Kersten, Race, Jobs, and the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-1946 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000), 1-5.

²Andrew E. Kersten, "Jobs and Justice: The FEPC in the Motor City," Michigan Historical Review 56 (Spring 1999): 1-25.

³Andrew E. Kersten, ed., Reach or Breech: The State and Society, 1865-1945 (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001): 25-50.

⁴ Andrew E. Kersten, "Willie Webb," in Ordinary Women, ed. Kriste Lindenmeyer (New York: Scholarly Resources, 2000): 50-55.

GENERAL RULE: NAME (FIRST, MIDDLE, LAST), TITLE, PLACE IF BOOK, VOLUME IF JOURNAL, DATE, PAGES.

Unpublished

³Letter, Andrew E. Kersten to Bethany R. Kersten, 27 May 1997, Andrew E. Kersten Papers, Box 15, Folder 9, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives.

GENERAL RULE: KIND OF DOCUMENT, TITLE, DATE, COLLECTION, LOCATION WITHIN COLLECTION, PLACE OF COLLECTION.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kersten, Andrew E. "Jobs and Justice: The FEPC in the Motor City." Michigan Historical Review (Spring 1999): 1-25.

Kersten, Andrew E. Race, Jobs, and the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-1946. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000.

Same general rules above but put last names first. Always separate your primary and secondary material in your bibliography. Questions? See me or use Turabian.

Tips:

1) Be consistent and thorough.

2) In your bibliography, separate primary and secondary sources.

3) Remember the purpose of this part of the assignment. One should be able to retrace your research steps back through your footnotes and bibliography

UW-GREEN BAY WRITING POLICY

The faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has adopted the following writing policy for out-of-class assignments.

Acceptable Writing:

1. Clear writing is a reflection of logical thinking; therefore, an acceptable paper must be organized. Every essay should be structured around a thesis and supported by factual evidence and arguments that are organized in a logical progression.

2. Writers must acknowledge their use of data or ideas of others; therefore, an acceptable paper must have proper documentation of all source material, following professional guidelines such as those approved by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), or the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or those published in a standard style manual such as Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.

3. An acceptable paper must reflect control of correct grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation.

4. An acceptable paper must be presented in appropriate manuscript form, with errors neatly corrected and care taken with margins, numbering of pages, spacing, and format.

Unacceptable Writing:

1. A paper without clear organization is unacceptable. Unclear organization includes illogical progressions from one idea to another and the inclusion of unnecessary ideas.

2. A paper without proper documentation is unacceptable. Failure to acknowledge the use of another writer's words or ideas constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is both unethical and illegal. The use of professional editing for student papers is also unacceptable, as is the use of purchased papers, which is also a form of plagiarism.

3. A paper containing frequent errors in grammar, usage, spelling, or punctuation is unacceptable.

4. A paper which does not appear to be carefully done is unacceptable. This includes papers with ragged edges, typographical errors and strikeovers, illegible handwriting, stains, or smudges.

To achieve acceptable writing standards, students should purchase and use a good dictionary and a writing handbook. Assistance in improving writing skills is available through regular courses in composition and from the Writing Center, which conducts writings workshops and provides advice and tutoring (but not editing). All students who wish to improve their writing are encouraged to use these resources.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WRITING

Listed below are some major factors that differentiate good writing from poor writing.

This list may help you identify particular aspects of your writing that need improvement. For further assistance consult with instructors who are familiar with your writing skills. Writing assistance is also available in the Writing Center (CL 109).

1. PURPOSE

Is the purpose of your paper clear to the audience?

Is the purpose appropriate to the assignment and to the audience?

Is the purpose consistently maintained throughout the paper?

2. CONTENT

Are the ideas in the paper interesting?

Do the ideas in the paper reflect independent thought, a new approach, fresh insights?

Is the writer actively engaged with the topic?

3. ORGANIZATION

Are the ideas developed in a logical order?

Is the organizational pattern clear to the readers?

Is the discussion coherent? Are transitional devices used effectively to shift smoothly from one idea to another?

4. DEVELOPMENT

Are the major ideas adequately supported with examples, specific details, and other kinds of evidence?

Are the ideas presented in meaningful paragraphs?

Is there a general sense of completeness and closure?

5. WORDS: CHOICE AND ARRANGEMENT

Have clear, precise, and appropriate words been selected?

Have cliches been avoided?

Have the words been arranged into correct and graceful sentences?

6. STYLE AND TONE

Is the style clear, lively, fluent?

Is the tone appropriate for the purpose and audience?

Are the sentences varied in length and structure?

Is there appropriate use of metaphor, analogy, parallelism, and other rhetorical devices?

7. TECHNICAL QUALITIES: MECHANICS

Does the writing conform to the conventions of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage?

Is the format of the paper appropriate to the assignment?

Has all material from other sources been properly documented?

Has the paper been carefully proofread, with all typos neatly corrected?

Prospectus for Final Presentation

Directions: Reproduce this page on your computer and turn it in. Attach copies of your outline and bibliography. I will return your form and attachments as soon as possible. Remember your form must be typed.

1. Your names:

2. Proposed topic for presentation:

3. Write a 150 word abstract of your presentation.

4. On the back, provide a topic outline which describes the sections and major points which will be discussed in your presentation.

5. Provide your primary and secondary bibliography on a separate page.

Attendance at 3 Co-curricular events (2 mandatory, 1 of your choice). Turn in 300 word summary of the event of your choice.	5%
Reflection essay and worksheets concerning Interdisciplinary Exercise	15% (2.5% + 2.5% + 10%)
Two ≥midterm≤ exams	10% each (20% total)
Final exam	10%
Essays on books	10% each (30% total)
Final presentation	20%