348

History 348: The United States since 1945
Fall 2005

Dr. David Krugler

This course provides the student with a detailed historical examination of the United States from the end of World War II to the present time. The course is structured around, though not limited to, these subjects: the US as a world power and its overseas commitments; the stratification of American society along racial, gender, and class lines, and the sustained efforts of millions of citizens to secure equality; the partisanship of US politics and the growing power of the Presidency; popular culture and the media; and the strengths and weaknesses of the economy.

Because this is an advanced undergraduate course, it is assumed that each student has taken and completed at least one course in modern US history. Please know that the lectures, readings, and assignments will require you to draw on this base knowledge.

The course combines lecture with discussion, and each student is expected to participate in regular discussion of the reading assignments, which come from the following sources:

Walter LaFeber, et al, The American Century: A History of the United States since 1941, 5th ed.
Steven F. Lawson and Charles Payne, Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968
Michael H. Hunt, Lyndon Johnson’s War: America’s Cold War Crusade in Vietnam, 1945-1968
Nancy A. Walker, ed., Women’s Magazines 1940-1960: Gender Roles and the Popular Press
Lee Edwards, The Essential Ronald Reagan: A Profile in Courage, Justice, and Wisdom
Mary Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd ed.

Some reading assignments will draw upon handouts, which I will distribute in advance, or web-based articles accessible through the course web site. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the handout.

Assignments: Your grade will be determined by evaluation of your work on the following:

Exams: You will take a mid-term (worth 15% of your total grade) and a final (15% of the grade). The exams will be in an essay format. Study guides will be distributed before the test dates, which are listed below.

Writing: You will write two 5-7 page papers (each worth 20% of your total grade).
Paper 1: You will pick a decade (1940s-1990s) that interests you, find a web site devoted to that decade, and, using outside sources, explain whether or not the web site accurately describes the decade.
           Due date: Monday, October 3
Paper 2: You will write a review essay of Lee Edwards, The Essential Ronald Reagan.
           Due date: Wednesday, December 7

Please note that late papers will not be accepted.

Discussion: In seven classes, we will hold an in-depth discussion of shared reading about significant historical problems related to postwar America. Your individual participation in these discussions is mandatory and is worth 20% of your total grade. Discussion guides will be distributed in advance of each discussion, and you must complete the reading by class time. The date of each discussion is given below. IMPORTANT: Some reading assignments are lengthy, so be sure to set aside sufficient time to complete the reading by the due date. The assignment schedule indicates when you should begin reading for each discussion.

Quizzes: Short-answer quizzes will be given in four of the seven discussions. Together, the quizzes are worth 10% of the total grade. The purpose of these quizzes is to ensure that you will read all of the assignment. The quizzes will not be announced in advance and will be given at the beginning of class; latecomers will not be given extra time to finish.

Attendance: Failure to attend class will adversely affect your grade through poor test performance and loss of discussion points. Except in case of emergencies, makeup tests and extensions will not be given without prior approval.

Grade Components:
    1 Midterm @ 15%            Paper 1 @ 20%           Participation @ 20%
    1 Final @ 15%                  Paper 2 @ 20%        Quizzes @ 10%

Lecture & Assignment Schedule:
Reading assignments are subject to announced changes, which will supersede the reading listed here.

Week 1: Begin reading Walker, Women’s Magazines, 1-19, 34-56, 82-95, 161-66, 215-20.
    W 9/7 Introduction to course; the US and World War II.

Week 2: Finish reading Walker, Women’s Magazines, 1-19, 34-56, 82-95, 161-66, 215-20.
    M 9/12   From war to peace.
    W 9/14 Origins of the Cold War. Discussion #1: Women, the war, and work.

Week 3: Begin reading: LaFeber, 362-69; handout
    M 9/19 Domestic anti-communism and McCarthyism.
    W 9/21 America goes to war in Korea.

Week 4: Reading: LaFeber, 362-69; handout
    M 9/26   Eisenhower and the Republican ascendancy.
    W 9/28 “The Other America”: poverty amidst plenty during the 1950s. Discussion #2: Rock’n’roll and the emerging youth market.
                   Link to Richard Welch article

Week 5: Begin reading: Lawson and Payne, Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 3-42, 99-136
    M 10/3 Paper 1 due. Continuity and change: postwar civil rights movements.
    W 10/5 Kennedy, the New Frontier, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Week 6: Finish reading: Lawson and Payne, Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 3-42, 99-136
    M 10/10 The Great Society attempted.
    W 10/12 Conservatism during the 1960s. Discussion #3: how important was the federal government’s part in the civil rights movements?

Week 7: Begin reading Hunt, Lyndon Johnson’s War
    M 10/17 Midterm Exam
    W 10/19 Women’s rights activism; the New Left.

Week 8: Finish reading Hunt, Lyndon Johnson’s War
    M 10/24 The US and Vietnam.
    W 10/26 1968: year of reckoning. Discussion #4: Choosing war in southeast Asia

Week 9: Begin reading LaFeber, 498-523; handout
    M 10/31   Economic and environmental crises.
    W 11/2    The Nixon Presidency and Watergate.

Week 10: Finish reading LaFeber, 498-523; handout
    M 11/7   Detente and the changing Cold War.
    W 11/9 The Carter Presidency. Discussion #5: Backlash: the “silent majority” speaks up.

Week 11: Begin reading Edwards, The Essential Ronald Reagan; handout
    M 11/14 The Iran Hostage Crisis.
    W 11/16 The Reagan Revolution begins.

Week 12: Finish reading Edwards, The Essential Ronald Reagan; handout
    M 11/21 The US and Latin America during the 1980s.
    W 11/23 Film: “Wall Street.”

Week 13: Continue reading Edwards, The Essential Ronald Reagan; handout
    M 11/28 Social and cultural patterns during the 1980s.
    W 11/30 End of the Cold War.

Week 14: Finish reading Edwards, The Essential Ronald Reagan; handout
    M 12/5 The early 1990s—years of anxiety?
    W 12/7 Paper 2 due. Lecture: The Gulf War, 1990-91. Discussion #6: The Reagan Presidency evaluated.

Week 15: Read handout
    M 12/12 Clinton vs. the Contract with America.
    W 12/14 Turning of the century. Discussion #7: America in the 21st century: lessons from the last half-century.

FINAL: 3-5pm, Monday, December 19, 2005. Note: Graduating seniors must take the exam.