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HIST 1121. Growth of the American Nation 2. 3 cr. hrs.

SS601 CCP US History since 1865

Course Decription

The United States from the Civil War era to the present, with consideration of political, cultural, and economic institutions and ideas.

Textbooks and Resources

All course readings are available for free. You can purchase a print copy of the textbook if you desire, but it is not necessary.

Textbook: Jane Dailey, Building the American Republic, Volume 2: A Narrative History from

1877 (University of Chicago Press, 2018) https://www.bibliopen.org/p/bopen/9780226300962

Other Primary and Secondary Sources supplied in LMS.

Learning Outcomes

-Chronological: Demonstrated knowledge of the main eras of US History, 1865-Present -Factual: Demonstrated mastery of names and key events of American past.

-Analytical: The student will read required texts and compose and write essays that examine key elements of American public life and culture.

Assignments and Grading Basis

Assignments are weighted by group:
GROUP	WEIGHT
Participation	20%
Attendance	10%
Assignments	40%
Midterm Exams	15%
Final Exam	15%
TOTAL	100%

Item	Point Value		Total Points		Percentage
Pre-Class Quizzes		10		130	20%
In-Class Teamwork		10		50	8%
In-Class Quizzes		10		130	20%
Midterm Exam		100		100	16%
Final Exam		100		100	16%
Be the Historian Assignment		varies		125	20%
	Total Points			635

SS601 CCP US History since 1865

The Due dates for each assignment are found on the course schedule at the end of this document. The readings from the textbook (referred to as Dailey in the course schedule) should be completed before class, as should the pre-class quizzes.

This course will consist of two major in-class essay exams, 13 pre-class multiple choice quizzes over the readings (repeated during class to ensure mastery), five in-class assignments over historical sources that you will work on in small teams, and one courselong project where you will practice the skills and tools of the historian. The details for that major assignment follow:

Be the Historian – Specific Topic Research

In this course you will focus on an historical subject that you are interested in, and get some practice doing the work of historians. This project has four parts that will occur over the course of the semester and will be submitted to the LMS. Listed below are the four parts of the assignment

Be the Historian, Part One: Topic Selection (25 points)

1) Choose your Topic

Select a current event/issue that you want to learn more about. This could relate to something in the news, or your career interests. A few examples:

● immigration

● sports and politics

● vacines/public health

● climate change

● #metoo

● political corruption

● religion and politics

● voting rights

● income inequality

● the Supreme Court

● racism

● tribal land rights ● protest movements

2) Explain why

Write two paragraphs about why you chose this topic.

3) What do you know already?

Write two paragraphs about what you know about the topic. It’s okay to be wrong. If you don't know much, make some guesses.

4) What questions do you have?

Write down 3-5 questions you have about this topic in this period (1865 to the present)

Be the Historian, Part 2: Primary Source (25 points)

The Primary Source Analysis should be two double-spaced pages.

Step 1: Choose a Primary Source

The primary source must be created between 1877 to the present, and relate to your topic. Here are a few good places to find primary sources:

● DocsTeach (from the National Archives. You can search for your topic and narrow by historical era)

● Digital History

● History Matters

● National Archives

● Library of Congress

● Famous Trials (please note that the trial descriptions by Linder are secondary sources and do not work for this assignment. The other documents included are primary sources)

You are not limited to these websites. You can use any source that was created from 1865 to the present. If you are not sure if a source is acceptable for this assignment, please ask me before you start to write. If your source is not acceptable for this assignment, I will ask you to revise and resubmit it.

Step 2: Answer the following questions in short answer format:

1. Who created the source?

2. What year was it created?

3. What is its title or description?

4. Where did you find it (website url)? Include the full link so I can easily find the source.

SS601 CCP US History since 1865

Step 3: Write a two-page analysis of the source.

This should include answers to the following questions: What do you know about the author or creator? Who was the intended audience? Why was it created (what is its purpose)? What is the historical context (what was happening at the time that the source was creating? What does it tell us about the time period? What was its impact? How does it relate to your chosen topic?

You can use your textbook and readings from the course as secondary source information. Be sure to cite any sources used other than the primary source. You need to select a different primary source than any used as part of the required reading in this course.

Be the Historian, Part 3: Scholarly Secondary Source (25 points)

For this assignment, you will be analyzing a scholarly secondary source article, which is something written by a historian in a peer-reviewed journal. A scholarly article is different from a blog post or something written for a mainstream website. It would be something like the Journal of American History or the Oregon Historical Quarterly. You article should be written in the last 30 years or so.

The article you choose needs to be related to your chosen topic and focus on the time period of this course (1865 to the present). If your article is not acceptable for this assignment, I will ask you to revise and resubmit it. Please feel free to get prior approval.

After you select your article, fill out the Secondary Source Analysis worksheet.

Questions for the secondary source:

1. Source citation (Chicago style):

2. What do you know about the author? What are their credentials? (2-3 sentences)

3. When was the article written? How might this time period affect how they approach the subject? (2-3 sentences)

4. What is the scope of the article? (time period, theme, geographical region) (1-2 sentences)

5. Describe the author’s argument. This is usually summed up in the first few paragraphs and the last few paragraphs. (3-5 sentences).

6. Take a look through the footnotes. What kinds of sources does the author use? (2-3 sentences)

7. What does this article tell you about your chosen theme? (3-5 sentences)

Be the Historian, Part 4: Tell the story, or, as a historian would phrase it, create a narrative (50 points)

For this assignment you are going to bring together what you have learned throughout the term to reflect on your topic area.

What: a three to four page essay reflecting on your topic. Your essay will be formatted with a

title, footnotes (Chicago Style citations), double-spaced in 12-point font.

Structure:

Introductory paragraph introducing the current event you chose to study, brief explanation of why it interests you, and thesis statement about how it connects to earlier events.

3-4 body paragraphs explaining how events in the time period we are studying in this course (1865 to the present) helped to shape the current event/issue. You will need to use evidence from at least four different sources:

● the source you wrote about in the primary source analysis

● the source you wrote about in the secondary source analysis

● two additional authoritative sources (scholarly sources are ideal, but in-depth journalism can also work. Please avoid tertiary sources like encyclopedias or Wikipedia.)

A self-reflection paragraph where you discuss how your thoughts about the current issue have or have not shifted as a result of the research you have done this term.

A concluding paragraph where you summarize the evidence and argument of the essay and briefly state the significance of the topic (why it is important).

Grading Scale

A 100-94%; A- 93-90%; B 89-84%; B- 83-80%; C 79-74%; C- 73-70%; D 69-64%; D- 63-60%; F 59% and below.