HIST 104 Syllabus PDF

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History 104: Modern American Civilization Fall 2020: Aug. 26 – Dec. 7 Lecture: MW, 1:10-2:10, Zoom To attend class, do one of the following: --click on this link --check MyCourses for each day’s link in the left-hand column under Zoom meetings/lecture (You will need to “register” with your name and email the first time.)

Most of this course takes place completely online. If you have technical difficulties, do NOT email us. Instead, consult the Binghamton University “Zoom at Binghamton” page or the Helpdesk at (607) 777-6420. If you end up missing class, contact your TA. Course Attributes: N = Social Science; P = Pluralism in the U.S.; W = Writing Instructors and Teaching Assistants Dr. Leigh Ann Wheeler Dr. Donald G. Nieman

E-mail Address

Office

Office Hours

[email protected]

by Zoom

Wed., 3:30-5 Thurs., 1-2:30

[email protected]

Join Zoom Meeting https://binghamton.zoom .us/j/92617381050 and by appointment

Zachery Blackmer Jenna Bonner

[email protected]

Zoom

[email protected]

Zoom

Samuel Cummings Yong Hyeon Kim Yue Liang

[email protected]

Zoom

[email protected]

Zoom

[email protected]

Zoom

MWF 12-1 pm TW 3-4:30 pm M 1-4 pm MW 10:30-12:00 MW 8:30-10:00am

Discussion Sections CRN

Day

Time

Section TA

Place

Place

Aug. 28

Sept. 4, 18

18467 A01 18468 A02 18471 A03 18472 A04 18473 A05 18474 A06 18475 A07 18476 A08 19804 A09 19805 A10

Sept. 11, 25 Oct. 9, 23 Nov. 6, 20

Oct. 2, 16, 30 Nov. 13 Dec. 6

Friday

9:40-10:40

Zachery Blackmer

CW 112

Zoom

“

9:40-10:40

Jenna Bonner

CW 214

Zoom

“

10:50-11:50

Yong Hyeon Kim

CW 102

Zoom

“

10:50-11:50

Zachery Blackmer

CW 102

Zoom

“

12:00-1:00

Jenna Bonner

CW 212

Zoom

“

12:00-1:00

Yue Liang

Zoom

“

1:10-2:10

Samuel Cummings

Zoom (Union 215) CW 110

“

1:10-2:10

Yue Liang

Zoom

“

2:20-3:20

Yong Hyeon Kim

Zoom (Academic A) CW 102

“

2:20-3:20

Samuel Cummings

CW 321

Zoom

Zoom

Zoom

General Expectations Because this is a 4-credit course, in addition to regular attendance at the scheduled classes, you should plan to spend at least 9.5 hours each week doing work related to the course—mainly reading and writing. Course Readings You need to obtain the following books—either from the University Bookstore or the on-line bookseller of your choice. *Alan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, Vol. 2, 8th ed. McGraw Hill *Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, Harper Collins *Upton Sinclair, The Flivver King, Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co. *Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of Growing Up Poor and Black in the Rural South (Dell, 1976).

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*Documents posted to Blackboard (please print and bring to class)

Scope and Description of Course No course can offer an exhaustive history of a country and its people. So we have selected topics and themes that we find critical to understanding the development of this country and its residents since the end of the Civil War. You should consider the material that you learn in this and any other history class to be a sampling. Our sampling includes “the basics” of modern American history—industrialization, urbanization, political reform movements, America’s emergence as a world power, social movements such as the civil rights and women’s movements, and the tensions inherent in a multicultural democracy. By presenting them from a variety of perspectives (from the unapologetically leftist Howard Zinn to the rather omniscient Alan Brinkley), it also introduces you to the discipline of history. In other words, our approach will help you 1) understand that historians do not just report on what happened in the past, they interpret it, 2) evaluate historical interpretations, and 3) produce your own historical interpretation. This is the big lesson: history is not just what happened. It’s what we make of what happened—which aspects of it we deem most significant and worthy of study, how we interpret those, and what meaning we find in them for our world today. College history courses are usually very different from their high school counterparts, including advanced placement courses. Previous history teachers may have expected you to memorize names, places, and dates. But we demand something more challenging, creative, and interesting. We require you to use the information we provide to comprehend, critique, and create historical explanations and interpretations. To facilitate this approach, we have organized your reading assignments and our class meetings around key historical questions. As you read for class, please formulate answers to these questions. Doing so will get you into the habit of thinking like a historian. It will also help you see history less as a maddening maze of details than a series of challenging riddles—answers to which will help you better understand past and present. Goals of Course (a.k.a. Learning Outcomes) Our goal is for you to leave this course with the ability to: 1.

Think historically—distinguish between presentist and historical thinking while at the same time use historical knowledge to understand the present

2.

Read, understand, and evaluate historical scholarship—assess how historians use evidence drawn from primary sources to interpret the past

3.

Research—integrate ideas and information from several sources to construct your own historical interpretations in clear, well organized, thoughtful essays

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4.

Understand how broad forces—social, political, economic, cultural, environmental— as well as people acting independently and collectively have shaped the development of the U.S. from 1865 to the present

5.

Appreciate the role pluralism (different ethnic groups and conflict among these groups) has played in developing American society, politics, and culture.

Responsibilities: Ours: Select and present course material Identify important course themes Help you improve your historical understanding and skills, especially with respect to framing historical questions, building historical arguments, and writing Evaluate your historical understanding and skills Communicate our evaluation to you clearly and in a timely manner Yours: Complete and consider (i.e., think about) the reading assignments and questions before each class Attend class regularly and come prepared Participate in class activities and discussions Avoid disrupting the class or distracting your classmates Communicate with us as needed (after—not before—class, during office hours, by e-mail or phone) Complete assignments on time and to the best of your ability Notify your teaching assistant promptly of any situation that affects your ability to fulfill your responsibilities Components of Your Grade Attendance and Participation Quizzes (Best 20 count) Midterm Exam First Paper Second Paper Final Exam TA Discretionary Points Your Total:

A = 920-1000 points A- = 900-919 B+ = 880-899 B = 820-879 B- = 800-819 C+ = 780-799

15% 10% 15% 15% 20% 20% 5%

C = 720-779 C- = 700-719 D = 620-699 F = 0-619

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150 points 100 points 150 points 150 points 200 points 200 points 50 points

Description of Grading Criteria I. Attendance and Participation in “Lecture” and Section Meetings (15%): You will want to attend all class sessions, including “lecture” and section meetings. The work we do in the classroom is essential to your learning and to our evaluation of it. Unexcused absences will hurt your grade. Your presence is only part of attendance—the other part is participation. Come to class prepared to think and talk about the assigned material. The questions we provide for each assignment should help. Read the day’s questions before you begin the reading assignment, and, as you read, look for material that you can use to address the questions. Attendance will be taken in every class. You will receive three “free” absences that will not detract from your overall attendance grade. Sometimes we will disagree with each other—you with us, us with you, you among yourselves. That’s when discussions get really interesting! But let’s always keep our conversations thoughtful and civil. II. Quizzes (10%) We will give at least 25 short quizzes in lecture class. They are designed to determine whether or not you have done the reading for that day’s class. Each is worth five points, and your top twenty scores will count toward your grade. III. Midterm Exam (15%) This in-class exam will consist of one essay question (which you select from several options) and several short answer identification items (names, concepts, events, etc. about which you will write a paragraph explaining the item and why it is historically significant). This exam will occur during regularly scheduled time. Your teaching assistant will grade your exam according to your ability to convey your understanding of and ability to use material from lecture, discussions, and the assigned readings. IV. and V. Papers (First: 15%; Second: 20%): These papers will be 4-5 pages in length and based on assigned readings. You will use these materials to write an interpretive essay on a topic we provide. You will submit your paper through Turn-it-In on MyCourses. VI. Final Exam (20%): This exam will be similar to the midterm, except that it will focus on the second half of the semester, though it may include material from the first half as well. VII. TA Discretionary Points (5%): Your TA will decide how to allocate these point based on what s/he thinks will best help you learn class material.

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College and Class Policies/University Resources Public Health Requirements: Binghamton University has adopted requirements to protect the health of students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. Safeguarding public health depends on each of us strictly following these requirements. As a condition of enrollment, each student has acknowledged a statement of Rights and Responsibilities for the semester; included in this document is an acknowledgement that all campus requirements for spacing and wearing face coverings must be followed at all times. While social distancing and wearing a mask does not pertain to our zoom “lectures,” they are crucial to your classroom discussion sections and will be enforced by your TA’s with our full support. Each TA outlines these policies in the section syllabus, so please carefully read and abide by them.

Classroom Etiquette: Our job is to make the classroom environment as fun and conducive to learning as possible, so we ask that you do the following: 1. Arrive on time and remain for the entire class unless you have communicated with us in

advance that you need to be tardy or depart early on a particular day. We will take attendance every day, and we can tell (on Zoom) when you arrive and depart from the class. You will arrive in a “waiting room,” and we will admit you at 1:10 pm. 2. Please turn your video on (unless broadband issues prevent your doing so). We want this class to feel as “live and in person” as possible and we want to see you and hear from you!

3. Bring the day’s assigned material to class. (On days with reading assignments from more than one book, you may want to bring detailed notes that respond to the day’s questions instead.) 4. Pay attention. Make your Zoom screen full-sized and refrain from checking email, social media, your phone, etc. If at all possible, use a computer monitor rather than a cell phone. 5. We will mute all students. Raise your hand (the blue icon) if you have a question or comment and we will unmute you—or enter it into the chat box.

Late Papers and Incompletes: All work must be submitted on the date and time indicated. Late work will be lowered by one full letter grade on the first day. For example, if the paper is due in class but is not turned in until after class, it will immediately lose one full grade, moving from a B to a C, for example. It will also lose an additional letter grade for each calendar day beyond the due date. We will grant an “Incomplete” for this course only to diligent students who: 1) find it impossible to complete the course due to circumstances beyond their control and 6

2) have kept us informed of those circumstances as they develop. Academic Dishonesty: The shift to remote and hybrid teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic has required that both instructors and students make changes to their normal working protocols for courses. Under these conditions, please take extra care regarding academic honesty, knowing that you will be severely penalized for plagiarism, cheating, multiple submission, and unauthorized collaboration. You may not collaborate on exams or assignments, directly or through virtual consultation, unless we have given you specific permission to do so. You may not post an exam, assignment, or answers in on an online forum (either before, during, or after the due date). If you find such materials online and consult them, you are in violation of the university’s Academic Honesty policy. Likewise, using live assistance websites, including seeking “expert” help for specific questions during an exam or for an assignment, can be construed as a violation of the honesty policy. Please make sure you understand the University’s Student Academic Honesty Code, and ask us if you have any questions. Plagiarism: You must distinguish clearly between your work and the work of others. To do otherwise constitutes plagiarism. You can avoid plagiarizing by doing the following: --When you incorporate another person’s words into your work, you must enclose them in quotation marks and provide a citation (footnote, endnote, or parenthetical citation). --When you paraphrase another person’s words or use another person’s ideas or information, you must provide a citation. Only when the ideas, information, and words are yours alone is it permissible to include no citation. See us if you have any questions. You may find this site helpful: Binghamton University: Citation Help and Academic Honesty By remaining in this course, you agree to submit each of your papers through a MyCourses “turnitin” link. “Turnitin” is a program that helps to detect plagiarism. Writing Center: Binghamton University offers writing assistance to anyone who wants or needs it. We encourage you to make use of this free service if you think it would benefit you. All appointments will take place online. Phone: 607-777-6725 Hours: Monday-Thursday 10-4:00, Friday 10-3:15 As they transition to online tutoring, more times may become available for asynchronous tutoring. Telemental Health:

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Everyone is suffering and struggling right now. Please, if you need extra help, ask for it. You are welcome to contact either of your professors or your TA or you might go directly to Binghamton University’s counseling services, either online or by phone: 607-777-2772. Communication Effective communication with your instructors will help you understand course material and perform at your highest level. If you have questions about anything, do not hesitate to contact us by email, in person on zoom during office hours, or by making an appointment. If you feel ill, please do not attend any in-person classes. If you are going to miss this class because of illness or emergency, please notify your T.A. in advance. Schedule of Readings and Topics Note: The reading load is not always evenly distributed. As a result, on particularly “light” days you may want to read ahead. We expect you to come to every class meeting having completed the readings and formulated answers to the question(s) for the day. We do not require you to write out responses to all of the questions on the syllabus, but you should come to class having thought through your answers. Rather than a burden, the questions should serve as a guide that makes your reading more efficient, focused, and interesting—and your preparation for papers and exams more effective. So read through the day’s question(s) before you begin the reading assignment, and, as you read, look for material and ideas that address the questions. Reading assignments are identified by the last name of the author. Date

Wed. Aug. 26

Fri. Aug. 28

Question/Topic

Assignment to complete before class

Course Introduction

Introductions—Get to know each other. We are living in a historic time. What kinds of things are you likely to tell your grandkids about this pandemic?

What was Reconstruction? Mon. Aug. 31

What were the key issues in dispute? How did federal Reconstruction policies seek to remake American society? How did they succeed? How did they fail?

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Brinkley: xxiii, 351379

Wed. Sept. 2

Fri. Sept. 4

Mon. Sept. 7

How would Zinn answer the same questions (above)?

Zinn: 188-210

What did former slaves want from freedom? Did Reconstruction help them get it?

MyCourses: Reconstruction Documents

Describe the U.S. economy in 1865.

Brinkley: 404-426

Why did the U.S. industrialize so rapidly between 1865 and 1900? (What does it mean to industrialize?)

Zinn: 240-51

How do Brinkley and Zinn explain (or portray) industrialization differently? (Was industrialization a good or bad thing?)

Wed. Sept. 9

What was Henry Ford’s vision of how the world worked in 1922? Would Zinn call Ford a Robber Baron? Why or why not? How would Ford defend himself against such a charge?

Fri. Sept. 11

Who was Upton Sinclair? When and why, according to Stephen Meyer, did Sinclair write this book?

Zinn: 251-282 MyCourses: Henry Ford Autobiography Introduction

Sinclair: iii-x, 3-25

Who was Abner Shutt? What was his view of the world and how did it compare to Henry Ford’s?

Mon. Sept. 14

How did industrialization change American society? How did it change the lives of women, men, and children? Farmers? Immigrants? Henry Ford? Abner Shutt?

Brinkley: 427-453

Wed. Sept. 16

What were Populist visions for the United States? Why did Populism emerge when it did and with such power? Why did it fail? What was its legacy? How do Zinn and Brinkley differ in their assessment of Populism?

Brinkley: 454-467

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Zinn: 282-295

Fri. Sept. 18

Why did the U.S. expand overseas in the 1890s? Why (and for whom) was U.S. overseas expansion controversial?

Brinkley: 468-485, 518-523

Is it “expansion” or “imperialism?” What’s the difference?

Library of Congress Primary Sources

Read all seventeen primary sources from the Library of Congress. Select one that confirms or challenges what you have read in Zinn and/or Brinkley and prepare to explain.

Mon. Sept. 21

Wed. Sept. 23

Fri. Sept. 25

How do Zinn and Brinkley differ i...