R IBEIRO – HIST 163 – 1
HIST 163: H ISTORY OF THE U NITED S TATES
1865- PRESENT
MW 11:00am-12:15pm / Spring 2017 / Arter 205
Dr. Alyssa Ribeiro
[email protected] / Arter 214 / 814-332-4319
Office Hours: Mon and Wed 9:30-11:00; Tues & Thur
1:30-3:00
O VERVIEW :
This course is an introductory survey that interprets
and analyzes United States history from 1865
through the present. We will emphasize themes
including the influence of race, ethnicity, gender,
and class; urbanization; our relationship with the
environment; the changing role of government; and the place of the United States within the larger world
community.
We will meet twice a week. Generally, I will lecture during a portion of our class on Monday. Wednesdays will be
devoted to discussion of primary sources and/or readings.
C OURSE O UTCOMES :
After taking this course, students will be able to:
 Demonstrate knowledge of the cultural, economic, social, and political elements that make up U.S. history.
 Identify important themes in and explain conflicting interpretations of U.S. history.
 Integrate analyses of race, ethnicity, class, and gender into the historical narrative of the United States.
 Read and analyze historical texts.
 Develop skills in chronological thinking and historical analysis.
R EQUIRED T EXTS :
Glenda Gilmore and Thomas Sugrue, These United States: A Nation in the Making: 1890 to the Present (New York:
W. W. Norton, 2015), ISBN 9780393264463 (paperback) or 9780393239522 (hardcover).
Thomas Bell, Out of This Furnace: A Novel of Immigrant Labor in America (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1976),
ISBN 9780822952732 or 2900822952731. [Available as ebook from library]
Alex Haley and Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Ballantine Books, 1992), ISBN 9780345376718. [any
edition acceptable]
Note: Readings from the required texts appear in the schedule below listed by the last name of the author, i.e.
“Gilmore and Sugrue,” “Bell,” and “Haley.” All other course readings will be distributed electronically through
Sakai. Copies of the required texts are on reserve at Pelletier Library.
E VALUATION
Participation
Reading Quizzes
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
20%
10%
10%
10%
10%
20%
20%
Attendance, discussion participation, in-class writing exercises
Periodic, unannounced quizzes on reading content
Essay on Out of this Furnace
Essay on Autobiography of Malcolm X
Primary source analysis
Objective, short answer, and essay questions
Objective, short answer, and essay questions
R IBEIRO – HIST 163 – 2
P OLICIES
Attendance
You are expected to attend all class meetings, and I will take attendance each day. If you need to miss class for
some reason, please let me know in advance. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with material covered
that day. If you have more than 4 unexcused absences, your final grade will suffer. If you need to miss class due to
a religious observance, please let me know in advance so we can make arrangements to cover material from that
day. I will excuse absences for medical issues, family emergencies, etc., with proper documentation.
Reading Expectations
This course has a significant reading load, and you need to complete each day’s reading assignment before you
come to class and be ready to discuss it. I strongly encourage you to take notes as you read. I will occasionally give
an unannounced quiz on the day’s reading.
Participation Expectations
A significant portion of your course grade rests on your participation in our regular class discussions. You are
expected to contribute frequently and support your contributions with evidence. We will be discussing sensitive
and controversial topics; you are expected to maintain a civil and respectful atmosphere in the classroom at all
times.
Contacting the Instructor
I encourage you to talk to me after class or come to my office hours to discuss your progress in the course. You
are also welcome to email me any time; I will respond fairly quickly between the hours of 8am and 5pm on
weekdays, but at other times it may take longer for me to get back to you.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this clas are encouraged to contact
Disability Services at 332-2898. Disability Services is part of the Learning Commons and is located in Pelletier
Library. Please contact the office as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented
expeditiously.
Honor Code
All students are required to abide by the terms of Allegheny College’s Honor Code, detailed at
http://sites.allegheny.edu/deanofstudents/student-conduct-system/academic-conduct/honor-code/
A SSIGNMENTS
Essays
You will write three short essays for this course, each approximately 800 words in length. The first two will be
analytical responses to Out of this Furnace and The Autobiography of Malcolm X that incorporate course material
about larger historical trends in that era. Essays 1 and 2 will be approximately 800 words in length. The third essay
assignment will ask you analyze a primary source, drawing on the document itself and your knowledge of
historical context. Further details on the essay assignments will be distributed in class.
Exams
Your midterm and final examinations will consist of identification, short answer, and brief essay questions. The
final exam is not cumulative; it covers material from the midterm exam to the end of the course.
R IBEIRO – HIST 163 – 3
C OURSE S CHEDULE :
Please complete reading assignments before attending class that day.
W 1/18 Intro to Course; Why Study U.S. History?
M 1/23 From the Civil War to Reconstruction
Bell, 1-38
W 1/25 Expansion, Industrialization, Immigration
Bell, 39-80
Sugrue and Gilmore, 7-17, 24-32, 44-58
M 1/30 Discuss Bell, Part I: Kracha
Populism
Bell, 80-117
Sugrue and Gilmore, 18-24
W 2/1
Urbanization; Progressivism; Eugenics
Bell, 119-150
Sugrue and Gilmore, 58-79
M 2/6
Woman Suffrage; The Great War
Bell, 151-180
Sugrue and Gilmore, 85-96, 99-119
W 2/8
Jim Crow; Roaring Twenties
Bell, 181-208
Sugrue and Gilmore, 32-37, 96-99, 125-151
M 2/13 Depression and New Deal
Bell, 209-239
Sugrue and Gilmore, 151-159, 165-200
W 2/15 Discuss Bell, Part II: Mike Dobrejcak and Part
III: Mary
Bell, 239-258
Sugrue and Gilmore, 205-238
M 2/20 WWII and Early Cold War
Bell, 259-305
Sugrue and Gilmore, 243-280, 284-321
W 2/22 Consumerism; Racial and Gender Barriers
Bell, 306-354
Sugrue and Gilmore, 327-363
M 2/27 Discuss Bell, Part IV: Dobie
Bell, 354-413
Due: Essay 1 on Out of this Furnace
W 3/1
Midterm Review
Sugrue and Gilmore, 369-405
M 3/6
Urban Renewal
Haley, Ch. 1 “Nightmare” through Ch. 4 “Laura”
W 3/8
MIDTERM EXAM
M 3/13 Liberal Reform; Great Society
Haley, Ch. 5 “Harlemite” – Ch. 8 “Trapped”
W 3/15 Discuss Malcolm X
Haley, Ch. 9 “Caught” – Ch. 12 “Savior”
M 3/20 SPRING BREAK
W 3/22 SPRING BREAK
M 3/27 Suburbia
Haley, Ch. 13 “Saved” – Ch. 19 “1965”
R IBEIRO – HIST 163 – 4
W 3/29 Discuss Malcolm X
Haley, “Epilogue”
Due: Essay 2 on Malcolm X
M 4/3
Vietnam and Unrest at Home
In-Class Document: Woodley Oral History
Sugrue and Gilmore, 411-443
W 4/5
Conflict in Middle America
Sugrue and Gilmore, 449-448
M 4/10 Scarcity in the Seventies
Sugrue and Gilmore, 489-507, 507-524
W 4/12 In-Class Document: Nelson – Computer Lib
Discuss Carson, Silent Spring
Excerpts from Carson, Silent Spring (Ch 1-3)
Sugrue and Gilmore, 507-510
M 4/17 In-Class Documents: Serrin – Homestead;
Bacon – The Case Against Industrialization
Sugrue and Gilmore, 530-558
W 4/19 Affirmative Action
Terry Anderson, “The Strange Career
of Affirmative Action”
M 4/24 Reagan
War on Drugs
Rossinow, The Reagan Era, Ch. 2
W 4/26 In-Class Document: Cheney – End of History
Sugrue and Gilmore, 558-576
Due: Primary Source Analysis
M 5/1
Globalization and the Post-Cold War Era
Sugrue and Gilmore, 582-613
W 5/3
STUDY DAY
M 5/9
FINAL EXAM, Group J, 9:00am