Course Syllabus - History 112.103

American Civilization II: H112:103 Spring 2014

Professor Brant W. Ellsworth Office: HUM 112

bellswor@ycp.edu Office Phone: 600-3848

Office Hours: T, TH 4:30 – 5:30 or by appointment Class: MWF 2-3pm

**I reserve the right to alter this syllabus and its assignments and/or readings at any time.**

Scope:

This course provides a survey of American Civilization from Reconstruction after the American Civil War to the

present. Some of the topics we will examine include post-Civil War Reconstruction of the nation, westward

expansion in the late nineteenth century, industrialization, Progressive reform in industrial America, World War I,

the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam and the Great Society, and America in the late twentieth

century. These topics will be presented chronologically with an emphasis on the evolution of a distinctive American

culture and character.

Course Objectives:

1. Students will develop a fuller understanding of and appreciation for the evolution of

American Civilization.

2. Through the use of primary and secondary sources, students will develop a fuller

understanding of and appreciation for the field of history and the interpretative and analytical

skills employed when doing history.

3. Students will develop a fuller understanding of the ongoing interplay between social,

political, economic, and cultural circumstances that comprise the world in which we live.

4. Students will further develop reading, writing, communication, and critical thinking skills.

Course Materials:

1. Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History, Vol. II (3rd Edition)

*A note about the text: I do NOT lecture out of the text. Rather, the Foner text and my lectures

tend to parallel each other. However, success in the class, demands that you keep up with the

readings.

2. John F. Kasson, Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century.

3. Select web/online readings and videos available through class Blackboard page

**The Foner textbook and Kasson text should be available at the college bookstore. If you have any

difficulty obtaining the book, please inform Prof. Ellsworth immediately. In addition, at any time during

the course, if you have questions about the requirements and/or the material please feel free to discuss

those questions with Prof. Ellsworth either after class or in my office.

Techniques to be used in this course to achieve Course Objectives:

1. Students’ analytical and interpretive abilities, as well as acquisition of content knowledge, will

be assessed via essay writing assignments, either produced in class or as take home

assignments. Specific assignments, including essays, exams, and research papers, are

described in detail below.

2. Students will develop communication skills through class discussions, during which students

will be provided with the opportunity to analyze and interpret assigned course material.

3. Students will be assigned a range of materials used by historians to understand the past,

including primary and secondary source materials, which may be available in print; as video,

art and or music; or Web-based information resources. Students will be expected to work with

this material to develop the analytical skills necessary to construct interpretations and offer

arguments backed by evidence drawn from that material.

Description of Assignments:

“Little” Quizzes: At the start of some class periods, you will be asked to write a short paragraph on a

topic related to that day’s assigned readings or viewings. This “quiz” will serve as an incentive to keep

up with readings and to attend class; it will also help you warm up your engines for class discussion.

These quizzes help me gauge two things: first, your basic understanding of the material; and second,

your ability to reflect upon and express the historical significance of people, ideas, and material cultural

we have examined. You will get either a check or check minus on the writings—a check for showing

evidence of preparation and engagement with the assignment and a check minus for attendance but lack

of adequate preparation. (A check minus for merely showing up and putting your name on a piece of

paper is better than no grade at all!) I will drop two quiz grades at the end of the semester. Remember to

bring lose-leaf paper to class. There are no “make up” quizzes. (100 points)

Book Review: After reading John Kasson’s Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century, you

will be asked to write a review in which you critique Kasson. An academic book review is not a retelling,

a book report, or a summary. You are to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the material, describe

what the author has tried to do, evaluate if and how the author succeeded or failed, and present evidence

to support your claim. More information will be provided during class and on Blackboard, including

examples. (100 points) Due in assignment drop box by Friday, February 21nd by 5:00 pm.

Research Proposal: Prior to writing the research paper, each student will be expected to submit a research

proposal. The proposal should be no longer than 500 words and include a title and an abstract in which

you describe what you will research, why the topic should be researched, how you will research (i.e.

what are your sources), and what you expect to find. (100 points) Due March 28th by 5:00 pm.

Research Paper: The directions for the research paper will be handed out in class during the semester and

will be available on Blackboard. The possible angles you can take on this project are numerous and varied

but the expectations for length or quality are not. This should be a polished paper, free of grammatical

errors, with a thesis statement and supporting evidences that include primary and secondary sources.

The paper should be between seven and nine pages of text. Please feel free to contact me with your

questions. An electronic version of the paper will be submitted online and a physical copy will be turned

in the last day of class. (200 points)

Presentation: At the end of the semester, you will be asked to give a short oral presentation about your

research paper. You may approach the presentation through any one of a variety of methods including,

but not limited to, a power-point, a film, an audio recording, photography, a musical, or live

performance. I invite you to have fun with the presentation—feel free to be unique and use a variety of

mediums to highlight your project. A grading rubric will be used and handed out later in the semester.

(100 points)

Exams: There will be two exams: a mid-term and final. Both will be weighted equally, and the latter one

will not be comprehensive. These exams will be given in class and will test your understanding of the

major themes, movements, and concepts discussed in class or found in your assignments (multiple

choice, matching and short answer); they will also ask you to creatively and analytically engage with the

ideas explored in our readings and class discussions (essay). The exam will consist of three sections. First,

the identification section will ask students to identify and define a term and state its significance. You

must be able to explain why a person, place, or event is important and be able to make connections with

larger themes from class. The second section will consist of passages from our reading materials. You will

be asked to identify the text and author, the speaker and context of the quote, and the significance of

passage. Again, you will be asked to connect the text with larger concepts from the course. Finally, each

exam will also have an essay. You will need to state your argument and provide supporting details in

clear, concise prose. (400 points/200 each)

Grading Scale:

4 = 900 - 1000 – (Excellent): This grade denotes accomplishment that is truly distinctive and decidedly

outstanding. It represents a high degree of attainment and is a grade that demands evidence of

originality, independent work, an open and discriminating mind, and completeness and accuracy of

knowledge, as well as an effective use of the knowledge.

3.5 = 860 - 899 - (Very Good): This grade denotes mastery of the subject matter. It represents very good

achievement in many aspects of the work, such as initiative, serious and determined industry, the ability

to organize work, and the ability to comprehend and retain subject matter and to apply it to new

problems and contexts.

3.0 = 800 - 859 - (Good): This grade denotes considerable understanding of the subject matter. It

represents a strong grasp and clear understanding of the subject matter and the ability to comprehend

and retain course content.

2.5 = 760 - 799 - (Above Average): This grade denotes above average understanding of the subject matter.

It represents a good grasp of the subject matter and the ability to comprehend and retain course content.

2.0 = 700 - 750 - (Average): This grade denotes average understanding of the subject matter. It represents

the grade that may be expected of a student of normal ability who gives the work a reasonable amount of

time and effort.

1.0 = 600-699 - (Below Average): This grade denotes below average understanding of the subject matter. It

represents work that falls below the acceptable standard.

0 = 0 - 599 - (Failure): This grade denotes inadequate understanding of the subject matter. It signifies an

absence of meaningful engagement with the subject matter and that the student is not capable of doing or

understanding the work or has made little or no effort to do so.

Course Philosophy:

I design my courses in a way that encourages students to stretch out of their comfort zones, to challenge

perceived realities, and to engage topics through a variety of perspectives and traditions. I expect each

student to come to class prepared, to have read the assigned materials, and to be ready to chime in.

Teaching and learning is most effective and fun when everyone is involved and I will do what I can to

promote such an environment. Therefore, I am not opposed to call on students at random. I may also ask

you to explain your reasoning or to back-up your assertions with examples. --Thank you for reading the

syllabus! Please send an email to bellswor@ycp.edu with the subject line reading “Chicago 1893” and I

will give you five bonus points. Congrats!-- This is all in the spirit of the exploration of knowledge for the

sake of learning. I do expect students to actively participate in class, to ask questions, to ask for

clarification, and to offer alternative suggestions. In order to do so, students need to attend class. And, of

course, I expect some leg-work on your end.

A professor advised me when I was an undergraduate to never study from a professor who was not

passionate about the subject. Rest assured, I am passionate about American history and hope my

enthusiasm is contagious. You, as a student, are my top priority. I am always willing to answer questions,

to offer advice, to bounce around ideas, or help in whatever way you need.

Attendance Policy:

Students are expected to attend class. When you are not able to attend, you should inform Professor

Ellsworth of the reasons for your absence in person and/or via email. Because of the nature of some of the

assignments, especially quizzes, which are designed both to check understanding of the home work

assignments and to ensure attendance, I do not give make-up quizzes. Period. There will be no automatic

make-ups for exams or for missed assignments.

Statement of Academic Dishonesty of York College:

“Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated at York College. Academic dishonesty refers to actions such

as, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabricating research, falsifying academic documents, etc., and

includes all situations where students make use of the work of others and claim such work as their own.

When an instructor believes that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the instructor

must provide written notification to the student, the Department Chair, and the Dean of Academic

Affairs of the charge and the sanction. Documentation related to instances of academic dishonesty will be

kept on file in the student’s permanent record. If the academic dishonesty is the student’s first offense, the

instructor will have the discretion to decide on a suitable sanction up to a grade of 0 for the course.

Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course in which they have been accused of academic

dishonesty.

Students who believe they have been unjustly charged or sanctioned in cases involving a first offense

must discuss the situation with the instructor immediately. Following this discussion, students may

request through the Dean of Academic Affairs that the Student Welfare Committee conduct a hearing to

review the charge and/or the sanction in the case. In cases of a first offense, the instructor may request

that the Student Welfare Committee conduct a hearing and decide on the sanction, which can involve

academic suspension or dismissal from the College, if the instructor believes the offense to be of an

extremely egregious nature.

If the Dean of Academic Affairs determines that the academic dishonesty is the student’s second offense,

the Dean will provide written notification to the student, the instructor, and the Department Chair. The

Student Welfare Committee will automatically conduct a hearing to review the charge and decide on an

appropriate sanction, which will involve academic suspension or dismissal from the College. Students

who believe the Student Welfare Committee has unjustly sanctioned them may submit a written request

to the Dean of Academic Affairs for a review of their case by the Dean.” Source: Faculty Manual

Statement on Writing Standards:

“Students enrolled in this course are expected to use literate and effective English in their speech and in

their writing. All papers submitted must be well written; grades on written work (including

examinations) will be based on expression as well as on content. Students may be required to rewrite

papers which are marred by errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, or organization.” Source: Faculty

Manual, C2.11.

Schedule of Topics and Assignments:

**All assignment dates are tentative and subject to change

Week One: Course Introduction

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Read the Class Syllabus

2) Read What Professors Expect from Me (Blackboard)

3) Answer the “Discussion Board” Introduction questions (Blackboard)

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, January 22 Class Overview: Syllabus and Assignments

Friday, January 24 Introductions

- Discuss: What Professors Expect from Me

Week Two: Expansion

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Read Give Me Liberty, Chapter 16, “America’s Gilded Age, 1870-1890”

2) Read How the Other Half Lives, Jacob Riis (examine photographs available online at

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/davis/photography/images/riisphotos/slideshow1.html

3) Consider the questions about Jacob Riis

4) Read “A Democracy of Clothing,” Daniel Boorstin. (Blackboard)

5) Read Ragged Dick, Horatio Algers; (Chapters 1-6)

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/AlgRagg.html

SCHEDULE:

Monday, January 27 Becoming a Modern Nation: Urbanization,

Industrialization, and Immigration

- Discussion of Jacob Riis’ photographs AND “A

Democracy of Clothing”

Wednesday, January 29 Continued Discussion of Riis and Boorstin

The Robber Barons and the Formation of the

Leisure Class

Friday, January 31 Cont. The Robber Barons and the Formation of the

Leisure Class

- Discussion of Ragged Dick

Week Three: Expansion (cont)

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 17, “Freedom’s Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900.”

2) Read selections from “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” F.J. Turner

(Blackboard)

3) Read “Linking a Continent and a Nation,” Jack Chen (Blackboard

4) Explore and answer questions about the Eugenics Archive:

http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/

SCHEDULE:

Monday, February 3 The West in American Mind and Imagination

- Discussion of “The Significance of the Frontier

in American History” AND “Linking a

Continent and a Nation”

Wednesday, February 5 Cont. The West

Nature vs Nurture: America’s Experiment in Social

Darwinism

Friday, February 7 Cont. Nature vs. Nurture

- Discussion of Eugenics Archive

Week Four: Amusement

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 18, “The Progressive Era, 1900-1916”

2) Read Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century, John Kasson

SCHEDULE:

Monday, February 10 Case Study: Chicago Columbian Exposition

Wednesday, February 12 Gilded Age Amusements: Coney Island

- Discussion of Amusing the Million

Friday, February 14 Gilded Age Amusements: Coney Island

- Discussion of Amusing the Million

Week Five: Urbanization and Progressivism

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 18, “The Progressive Era, 1900-1916”

2) Listen to Backstory podcast“Beach Bodies: A History of the American Physique”

(backstoryradio.org/shows/beach-bodies/

3) “Time Becomes Fungible: Packaging the Unit of Work,” Daniel Boorstin, (Blackboard)

4) Watch Charlie Chaplain’s Modern Times (Link to youtube available on Blackboard)

SCHEDULE:

Monday, February 17 Eugene Sandow, Harry Houdini, and Tarzan:

Masculinity during the Progressive Era

- Discuss “Beach Bodies” podcast

Wednesday, February 19 Cont. Masculinity

Criticism of the Progressives: Charlie Chaplain’s

Modern Times

- Discuss “Time Becomes Fungible”

Friday, February 21 Cont. Criticism of the Progressives

- Discuss “Time Becomes Fungible”

Book Review Due

Week Six: World War I

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 19, “Safe for Democracy: The United States and World War I”

SCHEDULE:

Monday, February 24 America at War: An Overview

Wednesday, February 26 America at War: An Overview (Cont.)

Review

Friday, February 28 Exam #1

Monday, March 2 No Class – Winter Break

Wednesday, March 4 No Class – Winter Break

Friday, March 6 No Class – Winter Break

Week Seven: The Rise of Modern America

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 20, “From Business Culture to Great Depression”

2) “Making Things No Better than they Ought to Be,” Daniel Boorstin (Blackboard)

3) “Crime as a Service Institution,” Daniel Boorstin (Blackboard)

SCHEDULE:

Monday, March 10 Ford vs. Sloan: GM’s Response to Fordism

- Discuss “Making Things No Better Than They

Ought to Be”

Wednesday, March 12 Cont. Ford vs. Sloan: GM’s Response to Fordism

- Discuss “Making Things No Better Than They

Ought to Be”

Friday, March 14 The Roaring Twenties and Prohibition

- Discuss “Crime as a Service Institution”

Week Eight: The Great Depression

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 21, “The New Deal, 1932-1940”

2) Visit the American Life Histories page of the Library of Congress. Read, print, and bring

to class one Oral History (lcweb2.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html)

3) Listen to RadioLab podcast “Quicksaaaand!”(www.radiolab.org.story/quicksand/)

SCHEDULE:

Monday, March 17 The Great Depression: Cause and Consequences

Wednesday, March 19 Discuss WPA Oral Histories

Friday, March 21 Workshop: “Research Methods and Practices: How

to write your Research Paper”

Week Nine: American and World War II

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 22, “Fighting for the Four Freedoms: World War II, 1941-1945”

2) Read “The Worst Hard Time” Timothy Egan (Blackboard)

3) Read “Historical Context” and browse ONE of the primary document collection

categories at the Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive

(http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/jarda/)

4) Read Dr. Seuss, “Yertle the Turtle”

SCHEDULE:

Monday, March 24 FDR and The New Deal

- Discuss “The Worst Hard Time

Wednesday, March 26 The American Dilemma: Japanese Internment

Camps

- Discuss JA Relocation Archive

Friday, March 28 Dr. Seuss

- Discuss Yertle the Turtle

Research Proposals to be submitted by email

before 5:00 pm

Week Ten: America in the Cold War

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 23, “The United States and the Cold War.”

2) “The Baby Boom and the Age of Subdivision,” (Blackboard)

3) Watch Cool Hot Rod A

SCHEDULE:

Monday, March 31 Fighting the War at Home: Women’s Roles During

and After the War

- Discuss “The Baby Boom and the Age of

Subdivision

Wednesday, April 2 Subverting the Fifties: The Low-Rider and the Hot-

Rod

- Discuss Cool Hot Rod A

Friday, April 4 Cont. Subverting the Fifties: The Low-Rider and the

Hot-Rod

- Discuss Cool Hot Rod A

Week Eleven and Twelve: Identity Construction during the Affluent Society

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 24, “An Affluent Society, 1953-1960”

2) Watch: Cool Hot Rod A (1953), http://archive.org/details/CoolHotRodA

3) “Great Balls of Fire: Rock ‘n’ Roll and Sexuality,” Glenn Altschuler (Blackboard)

SCHEDULE:

Monday, April 7 Elvis Presley, James Dean, and the Birth of the

Modern Teenager

- Discuss “’Great Balls of Fire’: Rock ‘n’ Roll and

Sexuality”

Wednesday, April 9 Cont. Modern Teenager

Friday, April 11 Watch Rebel Without a Cause

Monday, April 14 Watch Rebel Without a Cause

Wednesday, April 16 Watch Rebel Without a Cause

Friday, April 17 SPRING BREAK

Week Thirteen: Rebellion: The Sixties and Vietnam

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) GIVE ME LIBERTY, Chapter 25, “The Sixties.”

2) “Into the Endzone for a Touchdown: A Psychoanalytic Consideration of American

Football,” Alan Dundes. (Blackboard)

3) Antonio Gramsci “Cultural Hegemony” (link on Blackboard: www-

personal.umich.edu/~hfox/Gramsci.html)

SCHEDULE:

Monday, April 21 Contextualizing the Rise of American Football

- Discuss “God Rides a Harley”

Wednesday, April 23 Rebellion: The Beats, the Sixties, and the War in

Vietnam

Friday, April 25 Cont. Rebellion

- Discuss Gramsci “Cultural Hegemony”

Week Fourteen: September 11, 2001 and the War on Terrorism

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Give Me Liberty, Chapter 28, “September 11 and the Next American Century”

2) Selections from Global Grapevine Gary Alan Fine and Bill Ellis (Blackboard)

SCHEDULE:

Monday, April 28 Remembering 9/11 through Urban Legends and

Folklore

Wednesday, April 30 Remembering 9/11 through Urban Legends and

Folklore

- Discuss selection from Global Grapevine

Review

Friday, May 2 Exam #2

Week Fifteen: Class Presentations

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Prepare Presentations

SCHEDULE:

Monday, May 5 Student Presentations

Wednesday, May7 Student Presentations

Monday, May 12 Final Exam Period 3 – 5:00 PM – Student

Presentations and Final Papers Due