HIST 1302-501

Tues/Thurs 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.

HONORS: U. S. HISTORY SURVEY FROM THE CIVIL WAR

Professor Natalie J. Ring

Phone: 972-883-2365
Email: nring@utdallas.edu
Office: JO 5.610
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5 p.m.

This course will emphasize the rise of modern industrial America and American liberalism, varied
responses to industrialization, the emergence of the U.S. as a world power, the impact of the Cold War,
the liberal crisis, the rise of the New Right, and the struggle over resources and power in America. The
course will also pay particular attention to the way in which issues of race and gender have influenced the
course of American history since the Civil War.

Required Texts:

The following books can be purchased at the UTD bookstore or at Off Campus Books located at 581 W.
Campbell Road, #101.

Edward D. Berkowitz, Something Happened: A Political and Cultural Overview of the Seventies
Gary Gerstle, American Crucible: Race and Nation in the Twentieth Century
William Leuchtenburg, FDR Years: On Roosevelt and his Legacy
Elaine Tyler May, Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War
Michael McGerr, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America
Lisa McGirr, Suburban Warriors: Origins of the New American Right
Richard Wright, Black Boy
Howard Zinn, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train

Optional Purchase:

If you would like further details about post-1865 U. S. history you may purchase the survey book Edward
Ayers, ed., American Passages: A History of the United States. This book is not required and can be used
to fill in gaps or answer questions you may have throughout the course that we may not have time to
address.

Required Articles and Primary Sources:

The following can be located on electronic reserve unless otherwise noted.

*Russell Conwell, “Acres of Diamonds” speech

*Alfred J. Beveridge, “Our Philippine Policy”
*Matthew Jacobson, “Theories of Development: Scholarly Disciplines and the Hierarchy of Peoples,” in
Barbarian Virtues: The United States Encounters Foreign Peoples at Home and Abroad, 1876-1917
*Selected readings on Ronald Reagan (to be announced)

Course Requirements: You must complete all of the assignments in order to pass the class. Most weeks
will include lectures and discussion of the assigned readings. As this is a small honors class, discussion
will be a crucial component of the class. Several times throughout the semester (although not every class)
you will given a short in-class question to answer based on the readings for that day. Your response will
take about 15 minutes. These are not quizzes per se. They are designed to solicit your opinion,
encourage you to think about the deeper issues, provoke discussion, and demonstrate you have done the
reading. The lowest grade will be dropped from the final average of these in-class response pieces. There
will also be three papers throughout the semester. Two weeks before the paper is due the professor will
hand out the assignment including the expected length (not all papers will be the same length and they
will range anywhere from 3 to 6 pages). The papers will require you to incorporate material from the
lectures and the readings.

Attendance will either be noted by a roll call in the beginning of class or an attendance sheet will be
circulated. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have signed the attendance sheet the day of
class. Under NO circumstances are you permitted to sign the name of another student, even if that student
has asked you to do so because of late arrival. Falsification of student signatures is considered plagiarism
and will be dealt with accordingly. See the section below on the academic integrity policy. You are
allowed 2 excused absences without explanation from the class. You do not need to inform the professor
that you will be missing class the first two times that you do so. Following that you must speak to the
professor beforehand if you will be missing class. Legitimate reasons for absence include religious
observance of holiday, family emergency, university sanctioned activities (such as sports), or illness. For
each unexcused absence after that your participation grade will drop a full letter grade.

The course breakdown is as follows:

Attendance/discussion 25%
In class writings 15%
Paper #1 15%
Paper #2 20%
Paper #3 25%

Communication: It is important that you have a network ID (netid) and can log onto your university
email account. All course correspondence by email must now occur through the student’s UTD email
address. Faculty cannot reply to personal email accounts. UTD provides you with a network ID that is to
be used in all communication with university personnel. NOTE: The UTD Department of Information
Resources provides a method for students to forward their UTD email to other personal or business email
accounts.

Incompletes and Extensions: The general rule is do not ask for a one unless you have suffered from
serious illness or acute personal crises, such as the death of a relative. Please inform the professor as soon
as you are aware of a problem. If you miss an exam you will receive a zero for a grade. In order to
obtain an incomplete you must have completed 70% of the coursework and have a reasonable expectation
of completing the course in the specified time period. Failure to complete the course on the time
specified will result in the conversion of the incomplete to an F.

Classroom Protocol: First, please ensure that your cell phones are turned OFF during the class. Second,
please make an effort to arrive to class on time and avoid leaving early. Late arrivals and early departures
are distracting to both the professor and the students in the classroom. Frequently information regarding
course assignments and other matters is given at the start of class and tardiness will lead you to miss
important announcements.

Academic Integrity Policy: Academic dishonesty of any kind on any assignment will not be tolerated.
Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and falsifying academic records. Integrity
and honesty are of the utmost importance. Any student caught plagiarizing will receive an F for the class.
For more information on what constitutes plagiarism or cheating and the repercussions of doing so please
see http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html
Finally, enjoy the semester. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Class Schedule: The following is subject to change at the discretion of the professor.

Week 1

Jan. 10 – Introduction

Jan. 12 – End of Civil War and Reconstruction

Week 2

Jan. 17 – The Legacy of Reconstruction

Jan. 19 – Western Expansion

Reading: Michael McGerr, chpts. 1

Week 3

Jan. 24 – Industrialization and Corporate Reorganization, Part I

Reading: Michael McGerr, chpt. 2

Jan. 26 – Industrialization and Corporate Reorganization, Part II

Reading: Russell Conwell, “Acres of Diamonds” speech

Week 4

Jan. 31 – Progressivism and Social Reform

Reading: Michael McGerr, chpts. 3-7 (Part II)

Feb. 2 – Progressivism on the National Level

Reading; Michael McGerr, chpts. 7-9 (Part III)

Week 5

Feb. 7 – American Imperialism

Reading: Beveridge, “Our Philippine Policy” (electronic reserves)
Gerstle, Introduction and chpt. 1

Feb. 9 – Race and Empire

Reading: Wright, pp. 3-257 (Part I)

Week 6

Feb. 14 – Jim Crow in the South

Reading: Wright, pp. 258-361 (Part II)

Feb. 16 – Immigration and Americanization

Reading: Gerstle, chpt. 2
Jacobson, “Theories of Development”
Week 7

Feb. 21 – World War I and the Red Scare

Reading: Gerstle, chpt. 3
Leuchtenburg, Preface and chpts.1-3

Feb. 23 – FDR and the New Deal Order, Part I

Reading: Leuchtenburg, chpts. 4-7

Week 8

Feb. 28 – FDR and the New Deal Order, Part II

Reading: Leuchtenburg, chpts. 8-9
Gerstle, chpts. 4-5

March 2 – Mobilization for World War II

Paper #1 due

Week 9

No class – SPRING BREAK

Week 10

March 14 – Cold War Culture

Reading: Gerstle, chpt. 6
May, Introduction and chpts. 1-4

March 16 – Film: Atomic Café

Reading: May, chpts. 5-9

Week 11

March 21 – Film: Atomic Café and Discussion

March 23 – Civil Rights Movement

Reading: Zinn, introduction and chpts. 1-6 (Part I)

Week 12

March 28 -- The 1960s and the Crisis in American Liberalism

Reading: Gerstle, chpt. 7

March 30 – Social Protest Movements

Reading: Zinn, chpts. 7-15 (Part II)

Week 13

April 4 – The Vietnam War

Reading: Gerstle, chpt. 8
Paper #2 due
April 6 – The 1970s: The Lost Decade?
Reading: Berkowitz, introduction and chpts. 1-5

Week 14

April 11 – Nixon and Watergate

Reading: Berkowitz, chpts. 6-11

April 13 – The Rise of the New Right, Part I

Reading: Lisa McGirr, Introduction and chpts. 1-3

Week 15

April 18 – The Rise of the New Right, Part II

Reading: Lisa McGirr, chpts. 4-6 and Epilogue

April 20 – Reagan and the End of the Cold War

Reading: Gerstle, Epilogue
Selected readings on Ronald Reagan

Paper #3 Due April 27 no later than 2 p.m.