Website: [Link]

com/wsc/us2
LASC: USW, CON
Required texts: James West Davidson et al, Experience History: Interpreting Americas Past Volume 2, From 1865
(McGraw Hill 2011), ISBN: 978-0077368326
David Emory Shi and Holly Mayer, For the Record: A Documentary History of America: From Reconstruction through
Contemporary Times 4th edition (WW Norton), ISBN: 978-0393934045
course details
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HI 112-02
HI 112-H2
SPRING 2011
MWF 9:30 AM
ROOM S-105
WORCESTER
STATE
UNIVERSITY
Course Description and Objectives
In this course, we explore US
history since the end of the
Civil War & Reconstruction
You will learn about broad themes
in the history of modern America,
including immigration, race and
ethnicity, social and political reform,
mobility and population growth,
contested meanings of freedom,
industrialization, cycles of prosperity and
recession, popular culture, modernity,
and rights movements. You will also
develop ways of thinking historically
through critical analysis of primary and
secondary sources; setting events,
documents and people in their historical
contexts; and crafting interpretations
and historical narratives from the raw
material of the past. In this course, you
should expect to do much more than
memorize facts or dates you will be
busy actively doing history, not passively
learning about history.
Since it fullls your Constitutions
requirement, the course will also cover
relevant aspects of the US and
Massachusetts state constitutions. This is
in accordance with MA General Laws,
Chapter 73, Section 2A, which reads:
In all state colleges the constitutions of
the United States and of the
commonwealth shall be taught as
required subjects for the purpose of
tting the students, morally and
intellectually, for the duties of citizenship
and of school teaching.
Whats in this syllabus
How to take this course 2
Course Requirements 2
Grading Scale & Syllabus 3
Details of the Document Duel 4
Policies and Resources 5
One of the iconic faces of the Great Depression, this
unnamed 32-year old mother of 7 was
photographed by Dorothea Lange in a California
pea-pickers camp in 1936.
how to take
this course
Its not what you get in this
course, its how deep you go.
People take a US History
survey for lots of reasons,
usually variations on its
required. Think about why
someone has decided that
learning this material might be
essential to your college
experience, and what that
means for you personally.
It is entirely possible to do well
in the class without being
transformed by your new-
found historical knowledge,
but it would be a darn shame.
I like to think that this (and
indeed, any) course operates
on three levels. Imagine we
are standing on the seashore;
the course is the ocean. Enter
with me and go as deep as
you dare...
wading snorkeling scuba diving how to take
this course
Its not what you get in this
course, its how deep you go.
People take a US History
survey for lots of reasons,
usually variations on its
required. Think about why
someone has decided that
learning this material might be
essential to your college
experience, and what that
means for you personally.
It is entirely possible to do well
in the class without being
transformed by your new-
found historical knowledge,
but it would be a darn shame.
I like to think that this (and
indeed, any) course operates
on three levels. Imagine we
are standing on the seashore;
the course is the ocean. Enter
with me and go as deep as
you dare...
you need the basic
outlines of US history,
the highlights, the main
characters & ideas, the
surface-level knowledge
you have a grasp of the
basics and are ready to
think historically and
explore whats below
the surface
you want to go deeper
into the past, using the
cognitive equipment &
tools of history as a
focused critical thinker
how to take
this course
Its not what you get in this
course, its how deep you go.
People take a US History
survey for lots of reasons,
usually variations on its
required. Think about why
someone has decided that
learning this material might be
essential to your college
experience, and what that
means for you personally.
It is entirely possible to do well
in the class without being
transformed by your new-
found historical knowledge,
but it would be a darn shame.
I like to think that this (and
indeed, any) course operates
on three levels. Imagine we
are standing on the seashore;
the course is the ocean. Enter
with me and go as deep as
you dare...
Theres nothing wrong with
staying in the shallows; this
approach may work for
you if this is likely to be
your only history course,
or if youve never taken
one before & its all new
Perhaps youve taken US
history before, or are a
beginning history major.
You already know that
history is a conversation
among differing and/or
contradictory perspectives.
Experienced? You are well
aware of historical
controversy and how
historical knowledge is
constructed. You actively
seek alternative sources,
interpretations, and voices.
how to take
this course
Its not what you get in this
course, its how deep you go.
People take a US History
survey for lots of reasons,
usually variations on its
required. Think about why
someone has decided that
learning this material might be
essential to your college
experience, and what that
means for you personally.
It is entirely possible to do well
in the class without being
transformed by your new-
found historical knowledge,
but it would be a darn shame.
I like to think that this (and
indeed, any) course operates
on three levels. Imagine we
are standing on the seashore;
the course is the ocean. Enter
with me and go as deep as
you dare...
Waders will tend to assume
that textbook, documents, and
professor are mutually
reinforcing, telling basically
the same story. Waders are
mainly concerned with WHAT
happened in the past.
Snorkelers notice historical
inconsistencies and they
respectfully challenge
assumptions through lively
debate. Snorkelers are
interested in HOW & WHY
things happened as they did.
Divers dont take any of the
courses structure or content as
natural or inevitable. They see
(and then fill) the courses
gaps. They are curious,
passionate, and concerned
with WHY HISTORY MATTERS.
Your Instructor: Dr. Tona Hangen
Office: Sullivan 327-B
Phone extension: 8688
email: thangen@[Link]
Email is the preferred way to reach me
Office Hours (signup posted on door)
M 2-3, W 1:30-2:30, F 10:30-11:30,
and by appointment
Course Requirements
This course involves reading, writing, and group
discussion. It is fast-paced; you will need to
absorb textbook material on your own outside
of class. You will write the equivalent of 30
pages over the course of the term. You will
need to put in consistent effort throughout the
whole semester. Youll need to have (or learn)
basic library and online research skills. You will
need to speak up in class and demonstrate
active learning, not passive absorption.
Learning is not a spectator sport.
Attendance and Daily Work (20%) I take
attendance in each class. You should be on time
and ready for discussion each day. I expect
class discussion will be lively, respectful,
substantive, and that you will have done that
days assigned reading before class. Theres no
such thing as an excused absence youre
either in class, or youre not. Daily Work may
include pop quizzes, discussion questions, in-
class short writings, and class participation.
These cannot be made up, since they depend
on being present in class.
Exams (30%) We will have 4 exams. The last
one will take place during the nal exam
period, but will be the equivalent of the other
three exams (not a cumulative nal). Your
lowest exam is dropped; there are no makeup
exams.
Youll note at this point that fully half of your
grade involves showing up prepared for class,
participating intelligently, and taking at least 3
of the 4 exams. The other half of your grade is
based on original written work and research.
Document Duel (30%) 2 double-spaced pages,
no more and no less. You can turn in one of
these each week on Fridays. They are short
papers that give you practice working with
primary sources and developing historical
interpretations. You can safely skip one week,
since there are 11 possible Fridays (but you will
get the extra credit if you do all 11). They need
to be turned in DURING CLASS or uploaded to
Digital Dropbox BEFORE CLASSTIME on
Friday. There are NO makeups or late work
accepted on these short papers. See p. 4 for
more information on the DDs.
Projects (20%) you will do two projects of
your own original work, each of which involves
planning ahead, research, and well-crafted,
evidence-based historical writing. For the rst
project you will compare two documents from
the For the Record reader, and then write a
paper that uses these documents as evidence
for a historical argument. For the second
project , youll use and then improve a student-
made packet of sources for studying a recent
event in American history. Each of these
projects is worth 10% of your nal grade.
This President campaigned as a Republican,
a Democrat and for the Progressive Party...
just not all in the same election. Hes also
responsible for a canal, a war, a national
park, and the most popular toy ever.
2
Syllabus Overview
For each class, you will have a
reading assignment, usually a chapter
of the textbook, Experience History
(EH in the syllabus). You need to keep
up with the textbook reading on your
own; we cannot cover everything in
class. I consider the textbook to be
background reading in other
words, read it before class, and if it
covers new or unfamiliar history for
you, then re-read and study it more
carefully on your own time. Pop
quizzes, and the exams, are based on
the textbook and our class discussions
will assume that reading has been
done prior to class. Unless I specify
otherwise you do not need to bring
Experience History with you to class.
Some periods in history we will spend
more time on these are deep units.
They are: 1877-1914 in the South/
North/West; the Depression and
WW2; the Sixties; and the Post Cold
War era.
During the deep units we will read and
analyze primary source documents in
the For the Record reader, which is
also the source for your weekly
Document Duel. You should bring the
FTR with you to class during deep units
(as listed in the syllabus).
Some periods in history we will cover
more quickly than others these are
sprints between each of the deep
units when our pace is faster and our
coverage less deep.
Syllabus
Type of
Week
# Date Topic What to Read Whats
Due
Sprint 1 W 1/19
2 F 1/21 Reconstruction EH Ch 17 DD 1
Deep Unit 3 M 1/24 New South EH Ch 18 (to p. 480)
4 W 1/26
5 F 1/28 New West EH Ch 18 (480-507) DD 2
6 M 1/31
7 W 2/2 New Industrial Order EH Ch 19
8 F 2/4 DD 3
9 M 2/7 The Urban Order EH Ch 20
10 W 2/9
11 F 2/11 At Home & Abroad EH Ch 21 (no DD)
12 M 2/14
13 W 2/16 Exam #1 Covers Ch 17-21
Sprint 14 F 2/18 The Progressive Era EH Ch 22 DD 4
Monday 2/21, No Class (Presidents Day) Monday 2/21, No Class (Presidents Day) Monday 2/21, No Class (Presidents Day) Monday 2/21, No Class (Presidents Day) Monday 2/21, No Class (Presidents Day) Monday 2/21, No Class (Presidents Day)
15 W 2/23 US & World War I EH Ch 23
16 F 2/25 The New Era EH Ch 24 DD 5
Deep Unit 17 M 2/28 America, 1930-1945 EH Ch 25
18 W 3/2 Primary Source Project
19 F 3/4 EH Ch 26 DD 6
20 M 3/7 Primary
Source
21 W 3/9
22 F 3/11 Exam #2 Covers Ch 22-26 (no DD)
Spring Break, No Classes March 14-18 Spring Break, No Classes March 14-18 Spring Break, No Classes March 14-18 Spring Break, No Classes March 14-18 Spring Break, No Classes March 14-18 Spring Break, No Classes March 14-18
Grading Scale
Attendance & Daily Work
Exams (best 3 of 4)
Document Duels (10)
Primary Source Project
History Now Project
20%
30%
30%
10%
10%
Silent attendance will not earn full credit.
Sleeping or texting in class lowers your grade.
Daily work cannot be made up, it depends on
being in class
Exam dates: 2/16, 3/11, 4/8 and 5/9
Turn in one each week on Fridays as listed.
You need a total of 10 by the end of the term
An analysis & comparison of 2 FTR documents
A project focused on an event since 1980
(continued on next page)
3
Syllabus Overview
For each class, you will have a
reading assignment, usually a chapter
of the textbook, Experience History
(EH in the syllabus). You need to keep
up with the textbook reading on your
own; we cannot cover everything in
class. I consider the textbook to be
background reading in other
words, read it before class, and if it
covers new or unfamiliar history for
you, then re-read and study it more
carefully on your own time. Pop
quizzes, and the exams, are based on
the textbook and our class discussions
will assume that reading has been
done prior to class. Unless I specify
otherwise you do not need to bring
Experience History with you to class.
During deep units we will read and
analyze primary source documents in
the For the Record reader, which is
also the source for your weekly
Document Duel. You should bring the
FTR with you to class during deep units
(as listed in the syllabus).
Some periods in history we will cover
more quickly than others these are
sprints between each of the deep
units when our pace is faster and our
coverage less deep.
Type of
Week
# Date Topic What to Read Whats
Due
Sprint 23 M 3/21 Cold War America EH Ch 27
24 W 3/23
25 F 3/25 EH Ch 28 DD 7
Deep Unit 26 M 3/28 The Long Sixties
27 W 3/30 EH Ch 29
28 F 4/1 DD 8
29 M 4/4 EH Ch 30
30 W 4/6
31 F 4/8 Exam #3 Covers Ch 27-30 (no DD)
32 M 4/11 Film
Sprint 33 W 4/13 America, 1974-1989 EH Ch 31
34 F 4/15 DD 9
Monday, 4/18 No Class, Patriots Day Monday, 4/18 No Class, Patriots Day Monday, 4/18 No Class, Patriots Day Monday, 4/18 No Class, Patriots Day Monday, 4/18 No Class, Patriots Day Monday, 4/18 No Class, Patriots Day
Deep Unit 35 W 4/20 Post Cold War America EH Ch 32
36 F 4/22 DD 10
37 M 4/25
38 W 4/27 History Now Project Day
39 F 4/29 The End of America? Josh Levin, How is
America Going to End?
[Link] 8/09
[Link]
id/2223851/
DD 11
40 M 5/2 History
Now
M 5/9 Exam #4 (8:30 am) Covers Ch 31-32
DD Submission Guidelines
Best = Hand in your DD during Fridays
class, as a printed paper
Acceptable = upload your DD to the
Blackboard Digital Dropbox before class
begins on Friday, including your name in
the uploaded lename
Also acceptable = turn in your DD to me
before Friday, for example in my ofce
mailbox on Thursday or in class on
Wednesday
My least favorite = sending your DD to
me as an attachment to, or in the text of,
an email
Not acceptable = anything else, like
having printer trouble and not bringing it
to class, not uploading it before class
begins and then begging me to let you
print it later that day and drop it in my
mailbox, or forgetting to do them for
several weeks and asking if you can turn
in 3 on the same Friday. My answer will
be: there are no makeups or late work
accepted on DDs.
The Document Duel - One of the features of the Experience History textbook is the
Dueling Documents in each chapter. You will notice that the books editors set two documents in
conversation/argument with each other. Both represent actual evidence from the past, but they
usually take opposing views of an issue or an event. This is useful because historians often need to
weigh conicting pieces of evidence, and you get to see that in action.
In your Document Duel each week, you will also put two things in conversation/argument with each
other: ONE document of your choice from the FTR reader, and ONE quoted statement (sentence/
paragraph) from the Experience History textbook. Your task will be to discuss how these two pieces
of evidence support each other, or contradict each other, or where they agree/disagree. Your
chosen documents do not have to come from the current time period we are discussing. Especially if
you are a snorkeler or a scuba diver, feel free to wander throughout the FTR book for evidence
to set against your textbook. Let me stress, these are not opinion pieces, but rather brief works of
historical analysis. As you do this weekly, you will develop stronger analytical and critical thinking
skills, approach primary sources with greater condence, and understand how historians use such
sources to construct their interpretations of the past.
DDs are due on Fridays. You turn in 10 throughout the semester, which means you can skip one
week since there are 11 possible Friday due dates. However, if you turn in all 11, you get credit for
all 11 this is entirely up to you you can drop/miss one with no penalty.
Criteria and grading: A DD should be 2 full pages long (double-spaced), and thoroughly proofread
for spelling and grammar. It should contain a correctly formatted footnote to the original documents.
Give your DD a catchy title (not DD #5!). Do not include a title page or a separate Works Cited
page what you turn in should be 2 sheets of paper, no more and no less. Each DD is worth 3
percent of your nal grade, for a total of 30%. I will grade them on a 1-2-3 scale.
3 = demonstrates critical thinking & superior analysis, offers a creative juxtaposition of documents,
contains at least 2 correct footnotes, free of grammatical/spelling errors, has a catchy title.
2 = generally solid work, but might miss the mark in some way such as failing to connect ideas,
containing proofreading errors, not being a full 2 pages long or lacking a title.
1 = sub-standard work, such as being only 1 page long, doesnt analyze or connect, or contains
historical inaccuracies demonstrating poor understanding of the document and its signicance.
4
Help & Resources
If you are feeling lost or
overwhelmed...
1. Make an appointment with me
You are welcome to email me, or make
an appointment to meet during my
office hours. Many questions and
issues can be easily resolved this way.
2. Use online resources
In the sidebar of the website, Ive
linked to some useful online resources,
including Norton StudySpace, a
resource to help with history learning
and studying for the exams (flash
cards, self pre-tests, etc).
3. Get to know the Reference Desk
Our library staff is eager to help guide
your research and to orient you to our
librarys paper and online resources.
4. Use the Writing Center
The Writing Center is a free resource
at any stage of the writing process,
from getting started to revising drafts
to polishing a final essay. Its located
in Sullivan 306, extension x8112.
5. Visit the Academic Success Center
In some cases, students benefit from
tutoring or one-on-one intervention.
The Academic Success Center offers
(free) tutoring in many subjects,
including history, and can also help
you with general study, note-taking, or
textbook reading strategies. They are
located in Admin 130, extension
x8111.
Accommodations
If you have a documented
disability (learning or otherwise),
and you need a reasonable
accommodation made for you in
this course, please consult with me
immediately at the outset of the
course so we can design a solution
that will help you be successful in
the class.
The Fine Print
Regarding plagiarism: On papers and
exams, doing your own work is
absolutely essential. In ALL papers, you
must cite the sources of any information,
quotations or ideas which are not your
own, using standard citation methods
(Chicago Style or MLA). Let me be very
clear. You cannot clip and past text from
the internet into your papers and pass it
off as your own writing. You cannot turn
in a paper that someone else has written
or that you have bought or downloaded
from online. Plagiarized work or exam
cheating will automatically get a zero on
the assignment and may cause you to
fail the class, at my discretion. I take
such violations very seriously. Please
familiarize yourself with and follow the
University policy on Academic Honesty
in the Student Handbook.
Technology Use in Class: We will be
busy in every class session and we dont
need any electronic distractions. Silence
your cell phones before you enter the
classroom. If it rings, I reserve the right
to answer it. You may bring a laptop,
but only for taking notes or accessing
relevant course material during
discussion. Do not use your laptop in
class to surf the internet, check your
email, update your Facebook status, or
the like.
Turning in papers: Ideally, all work
should be handed in, printed on paper,
in class on the day it is due. It is also
acceptable to upload your document to
Digital Dropbox well BEFORE the
assigned due date & time. A distant third
best is to attach it to an email to me, but
if you email work please make sure that
the body of your email includes your full
name and the class you are in, and that
your emailed document has your name
in the title. Document Duels (see p. 4)
cannot be handed in late or uploaded/
emailed after class begins on their due
date. Printer or computer problems are
never an excuse for not having a paper
submitted on time. To avoid losing work,
I recommend that you 1) not keep your
papers on only one computer or ash
drive, and 2) email your papers to
yourself frequently so that you can
access them from another computer in a
pinch. Alternatively, you can use a free
program called Dropbox (learn more at
[Link] to store documents
in the cloud for remote access.
In this 1942 image of a
Chicago Steel Mill, a
cannon from World War
One is headed for
reprocessing into munitions
for World War Two
5