Political and Social History of the United States, 1894–1945

History 402

MAC 225

Fall 2008

Professor Andrew Kersten

Course Description: In this course, students will trace the development of political and social institutions in the U.S. from 1900 through 1945, emphasizing the evolution of social problems and the responses of political institutions. This is a General Education Writing Emphasis course (http://www.uwgb.edu/lasdean/GenEd/writemph.html). You will write at least 2000 words in this class.

Course Information:

Contact times: Tuesday & Thursday, 11:00 A.M.–12:20 P.M.

Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00 A.M.–10:50 A.M., and by appointment

Instructor email: kerstena@uwgb.edu

Course email: C12011-f08@uwgb.edu

Required Books:

Archibald, Wartime Shipyard

Boyle, Arc of Justice

Cordery, Theodore Roosevelt

Koppes, Hollywood Goes to War

Lewis, Babbitt

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 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. All written work must follow the Chicago Manuel of Style. See http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c10_s2.html

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.

Course Assignments:

1. Read all materials in the course. Take lots of notes.

2. On the days indicated, turn in essays based on the books. These essays will address a question from the handout that corresponds to each book. Your essays must be 1200 words in length. These essays constitute 25% of your grade.

3. The course is organized by topics. In each section, I will give a lecture. Then we will discuss a book. Then we will have a Group Presentation on a related topic. Everyone will have one Group Presentation. This will constitute 15% of your final grade. Expectations for Group Presentations are below.

4. On Group Lecture days, you are to come prepared having listened to some music for our group lecture about music or having read a novel. Be prepared to discuss why your novel or album/songs are significant. You are to write a 300 word essay arguing for your piece of culture. Each essay is 5% of your grade and this assignment is 10% total of your grade.

5. There are three essay exams in this course. Each exam – two midterms and a final – constitutes 10% and thus 30% of your final grade.

6. Each student is expected to participate in a Final Presentation. Unlike the Group Presentations, which investigate an aspect of the course topics, these Final Presentations explore issues of the groupπs choosing. Anything goes from the Gilded Age to the Internet Age. The prospectus for the presentation is worth 5% of your final grade and the presentation itself is worth 15%. Together this assignment is worth 20% of your total grade. Expectations are below.

Summary of Assignments and Weights

Book essays	25%
Group presentations	15%
Group Lecture participation	10%
Midterm Exams	10% each (20% total)
Final Exam	10%
Prospectus for presentation	5%
Final presentation	15%

Grading Scale:

100-93 A

92-90 A/B

89-85 B

84-80 B/C

79-70 C

69-60 D

Student Conduct:

I expect all students to abide by the UW-Green Bay student conduct policies. See http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies_procedures/index.html and especially

http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies_procedures/students/civility_tolerance.html

Disability Notice:

Consistent with the federal law and the policies of the University of Wisconsin, it is the policy of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to provide appropriate and necessary accommodations to students with documented physical and learning disabilities. If you anticipate requiring any auxiliary aids or services, you should contact the Coordinator of Services or me for Students with Disabilities at 465-2671 as soon as possible to discuss your needs and arrange for the provision of services.

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

Labor in the 20^th Century

Week One:

September 2 (T): Introduction

September 4 (R): Lecture: Labor in the 20^th Century

Week Two:

September 9 (T): Discussion of Archibald
September 11 (R): Discussion of Archibald

Paper Due: Essay on Archibald

Presidential Leadership in the 20^th Century

Week Three:

September 16 (T): Lecture: The Legacy of Progressivism

September 18 (R): Discussion of Cordery

Week Four:

September 23 (T): Discussion of Cordery

Paper Due: Essay on Cordery

September 25 (R): Presentation Group #1

Week Five:

September 30 (T): Review

October 2 (R): Exam I

Film and the 20^th Century

Week Six:

October 7 (T): Film: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

October 9 (R): Film: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Week Seven:

October 14 (T): Discussion of Koppes

Paper Due: Essay on Koppes

October 16 (R): Presentation Group #2

Race Relations and the 20^th Century

Week Eight:

October 21 (T): Lecture: The Problem of the 20^th Century

October 23 (R): Discussion of Boyle

Week Nine:

October 28 (T): Discussion of Boyle

Paper Due: Essay on Boyle

October 30 (R): Presentation Group #3

Week Ten:

November 4 (T): Review

November 6 (R): Exam 2

Literature and Social Movements

Week Eleven:

November 11 (T): Group Lecture: Thinking about Books

November 13 (R): Discussion of Lewis

Week Twelve:

November 18 (T): Discussion of Lewis

Paper Due: Essay on Lewis

November 20 (R): Presentation Group #4

Music and Social Movements

Week Thirteen:

November 25 (T): Group Lecture: Thinking about Music

November 27 (R): Presentation Group #5 and Final Presentations

Week Fourteen:

December 2 (T): Final Presentations

December 4 (R): Final Presentations

Week Fifteen:

December 9 (T): Review

Final Exam: Tuesday, December 16, 10:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.

Guidelines and Expectations for Group Presentations:

You will notice that the course is organized by topic. Each section ends with a Group Presentation that will focus on an aspect of our historical discussion. It is up to the group to decide what they would like to present or they can take my suggestion. However, the research is to be based on 5 primary sources and 10 secondary sources (five of which must be journal articles).

How to get started:

Think about a topic that interests you. Come talk with me. Find your sources. For the secondary sources, you can use America: History and Life and the library catalog. For the primary sources, you can use pre-approved internet web sites.

Doing your work, Presenting your findings, and Grading: Same as the Final Presentations. See below.

Here are my suggestions:

Presentation #1: If elected will Barak Obama be a ≥progressive≤ president?

Presentation #2: What have been the five most important U.S. films in the 20^th Century?

Presentation #3: How has the U.S. Supreme Court viewed the issue of race?

Presentation #4: What have been the five most important U.S. novels in the 20^th Century?

Guidelines and Expectations for the Final Presentations:

This assignment has five parts:

1. You need to find a group 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, and Deb Anderson can 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 10 minutes to present. On the presentation day, 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 a CD with: 1) a list of who did what in the group presentation 2) an outline of the talk, 3) a bibliography of sources in Chicago Style Format, and 4) all PowerPoint files.

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.