United States History since 1877
Department of History
The College of William and Mary

Course Description: In this course we will examine some of the key issues, events, groups and individuals that helped to shape the development of the United States since 1877. We will explore the period from a number of different historical perspectives, including political, cultural, social, economic and military history.

Course Objective: One of my goals in this course is to provide you with a foundation in American history that you can apply to future courses you might take in history or other disciplines. My second goal is to introduce you to the art of historical research and interpretation. Through the use of secondary works, films, and other media, we will examine and critique historical interpretations, orally in class and in written assignments. We will also encounter a variety of primary sources, including written, visual and audio, and you will develop and improve your own historical analysis by interpreting these sources. The skills of critical analysis and clear and persuasive presentation that you will work on in this class will be invaluable for any future studies you pursue.

Required Books:
Text: James Davidson, Nation of Nations Vol. II
Anzia Yezierska, Bread Givers
Patrick Hearden, Roosevelt Confronts Hitler
Tim O’Brien, If I Die in a Combat Zone

Office Hours: Please feel free to stop by my office during scheduled hours, or make an appointment if those hours are inconvenient for you. I welcome any questions or concerns you might have about the readings, the assignments or the course generally. You can also contact me via email or call me at my office number.

Course Requirements:

I: Attendance and Participation

In a condensed, shortened summer class like this one, your regular attendance and participation are essential. If you must miss class, please email or call me ahead of time. If you have more than 2 unexcused absences, your overall letter grade will be reduced by one-third (for example, from a B+ to a B).

Each class will be a combination of lecture and discussion. I will regularly give you short assignments based on the readings for the next day. These assignments are in lieu of a midterm and pop quizzes and are designed to help you prepare for class discussion. I will explain the assignments when I give them out. I will assess your participation and your written assignments each day on scale of 1 to 5. I will give you brief comments on your participation midway through the session. Participation is an important part of your grade, see below. If you have any questions about your participation at any time during the semester, please don’t hesitate to ask me.

II: Papers

You will write 3 review essays, each 3-5 pages in length. The first and last essays are on the books Bread Givers and If I Die in a Combat Zone, respectively. The second paper is a review of the film Dr. Strangelove, which we will watch outside of class. I will provide handouts on the Fridays before the papers are due that will explain the assignments in greater detail. If you receive a grade of C+ or worse on the first paper, you may rewrite and submit it again for reevaluation.

III: Exams

You will have one final exam on the last day of class. It will be a combination of short ids and essay questions. I will provide a number of essay questions on the Tuesday before the exam and then choose 2 of the questions for you to answer on that Friday. You may prepare your answers beforehand but may not bring any notes or other prepared materials to class with you on the day of the exam.

Make-up exams will only be given in cases of extreme emergency or medical illness.

Grading:
1st interpretive essay: 15%
2nd interpretive essay: 20%
3rd interpretive essay: 20%
Participation: 15%
Final Exam: 30%

In determining your final grade, I will take into consideration improvement in your participation, writing assignments, and exams during the course of the semester.

Course Outline