H106, American History II (3 cr.) Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Section 20513 Dr. John R. Dichtl
Spring 2008; MW 9:00-10:15 a.m. Office: Cavanaugh 327; Tel: 274-2718
Room CA 217 jdichtl@iupui.edu
Welcome to H106. In this course we will explore major changes in American society during the
second half of the country’s history, from after the Civil War to the present. We will be learning
about how people like us—or not at all like us—attempted to solve problems, how they sought,
held onto, and sometimes lost power, and how their decisions shaped the modern world. Our
focus will be on how notions of freedom have changed in the past 150 years. We also will find
many ways in which historical events, issues, and choices can help to illuminate the present time.
History, after all, is relevant today. It is about our identity, it is about power, and it reveals how the
world works.
You will discover that history broadens your perspective and enables you to see past and current
situations from multiple viewpoints. This capacity is crucial in our present global society and
economy where diverse cultures must find ways to work together. As we read, write, and discuss
our way through the semester, your analytical skill and ability to understand ambiguity, and
contradiction should grow. Together we will develop the skills articulated in the IUPUI Principles of
Undergraduate Learning (http://www.iupui.edu/academic/undergrad_principles.html) —especially
―communication,‖ ―critical thinking,‖ ―intellectual adaptiveness,‖ and, of course, ―understanding
society and culture.‖
Three primary goals for the semester will be to:
Understand some of the major currents of history from 1865 to the present and how they
shaped and continue to affect our world today
Think about Americans who are different from us today and wrestle with difficult questions,
ideas, and problems they faced.
Improve your ability to express your ideas verbally and in writing.
Office Hours
Please fee free to visit me during my office hours: W 10:30-12:30, or call or email me to make an
appointment for a different day or time.
Readings
There is one textbook for the course, Eric Foner’s, Give Me Liberty! An American History, Volume
2. (Any edition is acceptable.) Don’t be fooled, though. You will have a lot of reading to do this
semester. In addition to chapters in Foner’s textbook, for each week I have assigned additional
readings from various sources. You are expected to have completed the assigned readings before
the class period for which they are listed. There will be occasional brief announced and
unannounced quizzes over the readings, and questions about the readings will constitute a portion
of each exam. These readings—such as primary source documents, articles, or selections from
other books—will be handed out in class or placed on Oncourse. You are responsible for bringing
a print copy of each assigned reading to class on the day for which it is assigned for use in our
group and class discussions.
Papers, Exam, and Quizzes
You will write two 5-7 page (i.e., 1,250 to 1,750 words) papers and take two short-answer and
essay exams. There will also be several brief quizzes. The exams will test your understanding of
readings, lectures, and discussions; quizzes are a quick way to check whether you have finished
and thought about the readings. The papers will require you to do some original thinking; pull
together ideas from class discussions, lectures, and readings; and marshal evidence to advance
an argument. Grammar, spelling, and writing skills will be graded in addition to the quality of your
reading comprehension, historical analysis, and understanding of issues and themes.
Calculating your grade
Exam 1 20% 100 points
Group Discussion Paper 20% 100 points
Interview Paper 20% 100 points
Exam 2 20% 100 points
Participation* 20% 100 points
discussion(50 pts)
quizzes (50 pts) (I will drop your lowest quiz when calculating your overall grade for the course.)
(Total of 500 points)
*10 points deducted per absence after the first 6
*10 points deducted per missed Group Discussion
Grade Explanations
A—Outstanding. Student’s work demonstrates mastery of the course materials. Written work shows the ability to
synthesize and analyze course materials, and all analyses are based on evidence as provided in readings and
lectures. Essays are well organized and consistently connect individual terms to other historical events and
processes as well as course themes.
B—Above average. Student’s work demonstrates an understanding of course materials, but displays some difficulty
organizing materials or placing terms in the broader context of historical events and processes or course themes.
C—Average. Student’s work demonstrates an understanding of most course materials, but does not integrate lecture
and reading materials well and has difficulty organizing material and/or placing terms in the broader context of
historical events and processes or course themes.
D—Below Average. Student’s work shows a weak understanding of course materials and/or has other serious
shortcomings in synthesizing and analyzing materials.
F—Failing Grade. Student’s work demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of course materials.
Attendance and Effort
Attendance is required. I expect you to arrive on time and participate in class activities in a manner
that demonstrates respect for your fellow students, the university, and me. I will circulate an
attendance roster during each class for you to sign. Regardless of the reason for your absences, I
will begin to lower the attendance/effort portion of your grade significantly if you miss more than six
times. Save these six free misses for unforeseen circumstances such as illnesses, accidents,
family emergencies that might arise during the semester. You are responsible for lectures you
miss and should ask a classmate or two for her/his notes. Your overall effort in the class includes
your attentiveness, behavior, respect for your fellow classmates and me, frequency and quality of
participation in discussion, and your general level of contribution.
Incompletes, Make-up Exams, and Late Assignments
Being absent on the day of an exam, quiz, or in-class assignment does not excuse your missing an
exam, quiz, or in-class assignment. Your lowest grade on a quiz and/or on an in-class assignment
will be dropped. Incompletes and make-up exams will only be offered—and late assignments
accepted—at the discretion of the instructor and will require written documentation from an
employer, doctor, coach, or other official who can demonstrate the absence will be or was
unavoidable. Material that is handed in after class on the due date will be marked down a full letter
grade for each day of the week it is late.
Academic Integrity
Guidelines for what constitutes academic misconduct, including cheating, fabrication, and
plagiarism and how such situations will be handled are in The Code of Student Rights,
Responsibilities, and Conduct . Violations of these rules will
result in consultation with the dean’s office, a grade of "F" (0 points) for the assignment in question,
and possibly an "F" for the course, or even expulsion from the university. Here is how the
university defines cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism:
1. Cheating
Cheating is considered to be an attempt to use or provide unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or
study aids in any form and in any academic exercise or environment. [Specific examples are given at the web site
mentioned above.]
2. Fabrication
A student must not falsify or invent any information or data in an academic exercise including, but not limited to,
records or reports, laboratory results, and citation to the sources of information.
3. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any
ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the
information is common knowledge. What is considered “common knowledge” may differ from course to course.
A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, opinions, theories, formulas, graphics, or pictures of
another person without acknowledgment.
A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge indebtedness whenever:
o Directly quoting another person’s actual words, whether oral or written;
o Using another person’s ideas, opinions, or theories;
o Paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others, whether oral or written;
o Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material; or
o Offering materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without
acknowledgment.
Adaptive Educational Services
If you have special needs that might require modification of instruction or assessment, please
notify me and/or contact the Office of Adaptive Educational Services at IUPUI. Visit the office
website for eligibility requirements at or call 317-274-3241 (TDD/TTY:
317-278-2050). Email:
Writing Assistance
The University Writing Center is a place, sponsored by the English department and the School of Liberal Arts, where
undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff can go for free help with writing assignments and projects. The
UWC offers opportunities to work one-on-one with experienced readers and writers. UWC tutors believe writing is a
process. Tutors are prepared to talk with students at any stage in this process. UWC welcomes students who write in any
discipline or for any purpose. They work with students to help them understand assignments and brainstorm ideas, to
discover and narrow topics, to support ideas with appropriate evidence, to see ways to revise drafts, and to plan,
organize, and document long or short research papers. We do not proofread or edit papers for students; instead, tutors
focus on helping students learn to proofread and edit their own work. UWC is open in two convenient locations, CA 427
and UL 2125, at the hours listed below. Undergraduates may schedule up to four 30-minute appointments a week.
Graduate students and ESL/EAP students may schedule up to four 1-hour appointments a week. All students are limited
to one appointment a day. Please call or come in to schedule an appointment in advance.
Tutoring sessions by appointment:
Cavanaugh 427 (tel: 274-2049); MTWR -- 9:00a-7:00p; Fri-Sat -- 9:00a-3:00p
University Library 2125 (tel: 278-8171); MTWR -- 10:00a-5:30p
Changes in Syllabus
Please note that this syllabus is subject to revision at any time.
Schedule
Topic Textbook Other Readings
Reading
M, Jan. 7 Intro & Course
Objectives
W, Jan 9 Reconstruction Chpt. 15, What Freedwoman’s Interview (handout in class)
is Freedom?
Reconstruction
M, Jan. 14 Reconstruction
Quiz 1
W, Jan. 16 Industrial Chpt. 16,
Revolution America’s
Gilded Age,
1870-1890
M, Jan. 21
Labor Day
(No Class)
W, Jan. 23 Rise of Labor America Firsthand, 8, ―The Decline of the
Independent Craftsman,‖ Joseph T. Finnerty
M, Jan. 28 Immigration Major Problems in American History, ―Coming and
Going: Round Trip to America‖ and Josiah Strong,
Quiz 2 1885, ―Our Country‖
W, Jan. 30 The Great City Chpt. 17, America Firsthand, ―Honest and Dishonest Graft,‖
Freedom’s George W. Plunkitt
Boundaries, At
Home and
Abroad, 1890-
1900
M, Feb. 4 American ―Imperialism and War‖ in Hofstadter’s Great Issues,
Empire pp.179-195:
1) Henry Cabot Lodge, ―Our Blundering Foreign
Group Policy‖
Discussion 1 2) William McKinley, ―War Message to Congress‖
3) Walter Hines Page, ―The War with Spain and
After‖
4) ―Platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League‖
W, Feb. 6 Progressivism Chpt. 18,
Progressive
Era, 1900-1916
M, Feb. 11 Progressivism Amos V. Butler, ―Some Families as Factors in Anti-
Social Conditions‖
(Papers due
from Group
Discussion 1
leaders.)
W, Feb. 13 World War I Chpt. 19, Safe
for Democracy:
the U.S. and
World War I,
1916-1920
M, Feb. 18 Exam 1
W, Feb. 20 The Red Scare Selected readings including America Firsthand, ―The
Trial of Kate Richards O’Hare,‖ pp131-138; Voices of
Group Freedom, Eugene V. Debs, ―Speech to the Jury
Discussion 2 (1918),‖ and Freedom in America, Robert LaFollette,
―Freedom of Speech in Wartime, 1917‖
M, Feb. 25 Prosperity and Chpt. 20, From
Conservatism Business
Culture to Great
Depression,
1920-1932
W, Feb. 27 The Great
Depression
(Papers due
from Group
Discussion 2
leaders.)
M, March 3 The Great Chpt. 21, The Hard Times (Parts 1-3), Terkel
Depression New Deal, Louis Banks, 40-43; Emma Tiller, 44; Peggy Terry
1932-1940 and Her Mother, Mary Owsley, 45-51, and…
Group Robin Langston, 89-92; Dynamite Garland, 92-95;
Discussion 3 Slim Collier, 95-98; Cesar Chavez, 53-56; Edward
Ryerson, 151-153; Diana Morgan, 153-159; Mrs
Winston Roberts, 159-161; Noni Saarinen, 161-162,
and… Harry Hartman, 403-407
W, March 5 A New Deal
Hard Times, Terkel
Gardiner C. Means, 247-250.
M, March 10
Spring Break
W, March No class
12 (Begin working on your Interview Paper.)
M, March 17 America Enters Chpt. 22, FDR speech on ―The Four Freedoms,‖ and
World War II Fighting for the Lindbergh, ―Speech to the America First Committee‖
Four
Quiz 3 Freedoms:
World War II,
(Papers due 1941-1945
from Group
Discussion 3
leaders.)
W, March America in Good War – Part 1, Studs Terkel
19 World War II
and…
Group
Discussion 4
M, March 24 America in Good War – Part 2 Studs Terkel
World War II
W, March The Cold War Chpt. 23, The
26 and U.S. and the
McCarthyism Cold War,
1945-1953
(Papers due
from Group
Discussion 4
leaders.)
M, March 31 Affluence and Chpt. 24, An
Discontent in Affluent
the 1950s Society, 1953-
1960
W, April 2 The Civil Rights Voices of Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the
Movement Montgomery Buss Boycott (1955), Freedom in
America, Martin Luther King, Jr., ―Letter from
Group Birmingham Jail, 1963,‖ and
Discussion 5
M, April 7 Exam 2
W, April 9 No class
(Continue working on Interview Paper.)
M, April 14 Civil Rights
(Papers due
from Group
Discussion
5 leaders.)
W, April 16 Vietnam Chpt. 25, The Readings …to be announced
Sixties, 1960-
1968
M, April 21 Vietnam and ―War and the Convention,‖ by Youngs, in American
1960s Realities, 233-252.
Protest
Interview
Paper due
W, April 23 Protest and Readings …to be announced
Feminism
M, April 28 Watergate Chpt. 26, The Readings …to be announced
Triumph of
Quiz 4 Conservatism,
1969-1988
F, May 2