We, the successors of a country and a time
where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.

—Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb, January 20, 2021

[PRINTABLE SYLLABUS]

Required Text

  • H.W. Brands, American Dreams: The United States Since 1945 (New York: Penguin, 2010)

Additional Readings

First Essay  –Reconstructing America

On Monday, October 2, students will submit a 3-5 page typed, double-spaced essay on a topic covering post-Civil War American life that will be provided to them in class on Thursday, Sep. 28. All essays must include information and quotations from the American Yawp online textbook, properly cited with Chicago-style footnotes. Outside research is allowed but not required. Additional information will be available on the annotated assignment guidelines at the course site. Essays will be graded on depth of analysis, use of evidence, and quality of prose. Late essays will be penalized up to 5 points each day.

Second Essay –Cold War America

On Monday, November 6, students will submit a 3-5 page typed, double-spaced essay on a topic covering Cold War American life provided to them in class on Thursday, Nov. 2. All essays must include material from H.W. Brands’ American Dreams properly cited with Chicago-style footnotes.  Outside research is allowed but not required. Additional information will be available on the annotated assignment guidelines at the course site. Essays will be graded on depth of analysis, use of evidence, and quality of prose. Late essays will be penalized up to 5 points each day.

Oral History Project

The highlight of this semester will be a multi-media oral history project that students will undertake to illustrate an important episode or trend covered in H.W. Brands’ American Dreams.  By Monday, November 27, students should post an annotated transcript (at least 500 words) from their initial interview(s) at the course website, including a list of a half a dozen other sources for further research.  These transcripts and bibliographies will receive comments but not grades.  By Monday, December 11, students should post a full oral history essay that successfully incorporates quoted material from their interview(s) while also putting them into thoughtful historical context using not only American Dreams, but also other relevant primary and secondary sources.  Essays should cover about 4-6 pages (1200-1500 words) and should include Chicago-style footnotes.   All essay posts should include at least 3 to 4 images, properly credited and captioned. Students must also embed a short video documentary (about 1 to 2 minutes) incorporating either audio or video clips from (or about) their oral history interviews.  Additional information will be available on the annotated assignment guidelines at the course site. Projects will be graded on depth of analysis, research and design effort, and quality of prose. Late submissions will be penalized 5 points per day.

Grade Distribution

Class Participation                              20 percent

Essay 1 –Reconstructing America     25 percent

Essay 2 –Cold War America              25 percent

Oral history project                             30 percent

Class Schedule

Day Date Discussion Topic Reading Assignment
Tuesday 8/29 Methods & Expectations —
Thursday 8/31 Second Founding Yawp, chap. 15
Tuesday 9/5 Reconstruction Prince of Emancipation exhibit
Thursday 9/7 Industrial Capitalism Yawp, chap. 16
Tuesday 9/12 American West Yawp, chap. 17
Thursday 9/14 Cultural Changes Yawp, chap. 18
Tuesday 9/19 Imperial Era Yawp, chap. 19
Thursday 9/21 Through a Dickinson Lens Dickinson & Slavery report + exhibit + Emery Baum
Tuesday 9/26 Progressive Era Yawp, chap. 20 + Frost op-ed
Tuesday 9/26 REQUIRED:  Constitution Day event ATS, 7pm
Thursday 9/28 WWI and Wilsoniansim Yawp, chap. 21
Monday 10/2 Reconstructing America essay due By 5pm via email
Tuesday 10/3 1920s Yawp, chap. 22
Thursday 10/5 Great Depression Yawp, chap. 23
Tuesday 10/10 WWII Yawp, chap. 24 (Sec. I – VI)
Thursday 10/12 Homefront in WWII Yawp, chap. 24 (Sec. VII – XI) + Popel Shaw
Tuesday 10/17 NO CLASS (Fall Break)
Thursday 10/19 1945 Brands, chap. 1 + Marthins
 
Tuesday 10/24 Late 1940s –Toward Cold War Brands, chap. 2 + Forry
Thursday 10/26 Early 1950s –McCarthyism Brands, chap. 3 + Meier + Herzfeld
Tuesday 10/31 Late 1950s –Suburbs Brands, chap 4 + Menkes
Thursday 11/2 Early 1960s –Civil Rights Brands, chap. 5 + Sowah
Monday 11/6 Cold War America essay due By 5pm, via email
Tuesday 11/7 Late 1960s –Vietnam War Brands, chap .6 + Bui
Thursday 11/9 Early 1970s –Time of Change Brands, chap. 7 + Cayouette
Tuesday 11/14 Late 1970s –Energy Crisis Brands, chap. 8 + Vatanka
Thursday 11/16 Early 1980s –Political realignment Brands, chap 9. + Blackwell
Tuesday 11/21 Mid 1980s –Return of Cold War Brands, chap. 10 + Krein
Thursday 11/23 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
Monday 11/27 Oral history interviews due By 5pm via post at course site
Tuesday 11/28 Late 1980s – CNN Effect Brands, chap. 11 + Cohane
Thursday 11/30 Early 1990s – Polarization Brands, chap. 12 + Kim
Tuesday 12/5 Late 1990s –Culture Wars Brands, chap. 13
Thursday 12/7 2000s –9/11 and Beyond Brands, chaps. 14-15
Monday 12/11 Oral history projects due By 5pm via post at course site