HIST 416B/616B
The U.S. Since 1945
Required Readings:
David Halberstam, Ho HoDiscsussionQuestions
Michael Harrington, The Other America OtherAmericaDisc
Harvard Sitkoff, The Struggle for Black Equality, 1954-1992 StruggleBlackEquality
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. The Disuniting of America DisunitingofAmerica
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Goals and Objectives:
The primary goal of this course is to describe and evaluate the main issues and events in American history since 1945. The course will also acquaint students with the major historical interpretations of the period. The main objective of the course is to help students develop their analytical skills in both oral and written forms by encouraging critical thinking and policy analysis.
Course Requirements:
Students will read four books and we will have a class-long discussion of each of them during the semester. There will be questions relating to these discussions on the midterm and final examinations. All students are expected to participate actively in class discussion. Failure to do so will result in the lowering of your final grade.
Handouts:
Many course handouts can be found on my website, http://emoehring.faculty.unlv.edu/. Click on appropriate course webpage; links to handouts are embedded in the course syllabus on the left side of the page.
Term Paper:
Undergraduates will be asked to read three items (one of which must be a book)from the course bibliography and then write a review essay (of about 10-12 pages)in which they describe and, where appropriate, criticize the main findings and viewpoints of each author.
Graduate students will select five items (two of which must be a book) and write 15-20 pages. Graduate student essays should be written at a higher level than the rest of the class and should be patterned after the review essays often found in history journals. We will discuss their further after class.
Any student may also write an original paper based on primary sources. See me about this if you are interested.
Papers are due the last day of class.
Grades:
Grades will be determined primarily by your performance on the midterm and final examinations. Once a grade is calculated, your term paper can raise or lower the grade to the next level. For example, a grade of B+ would become an A- with a good term paper. A great paper could bump the grade higher. Extraordinary discussion can also bump up a grade.
Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you will need to contact disability services to coordinate your academic accommodations. They are located in Reynolds Student Services CSB 212J Phone: 895-0503.
Religious Holidays:
Tests will not be given on a major religious holiday or during “study week” (the last week of class).
Plagiarism or Cheating:
Anyone engaging in plagiarism or cheating on a test will receive a grade of F for the course.
Lecture Topics: LectureGuidePartI LectureGuidePartII
The Truman Years: Demobilization and Domestic Controversy
Origins of the Cold War: Yalta to Korea, 1945-1953
McCarthyism and the Assault on Civil Liberties–Read Rovere
Containment in Crisis: The Eisenhower Years, 1953-1960
America and the “Organization Man:” The Mass Society
Mass Media: Its Critics and the Cult of Marshall McLuhan
The “Affluent Society:” Economic Development Since WWII
The “Other America”–Read Harrington
“Up from the Pedestal”: Rise of the Modern Feminist Movement
Midterm Examination–Date to be Announced TestReviewMidtermExam
The Warren Court and the Expansion of Civil Liberties
The Charismatic President: John F. Kennedy: The Man and the Myth
The “Great Society”: A Forgotten Achievement
The “Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: Vietnam, Violence, and Protest
Dissent and Non-Conformity: The Rise of a Counter Culture
Martin Luther King and the Black Revolution–Read Sitkoff
The Modern Urban Crisis; Suburbs, Ghettos, and Megalopolis
The “Closing Circle;” America’s Ecological Crisis
Henry Kissenger and the Politics of Detente–Read Schlesinger
The Imperial Presidency Dethroned: Richard Nixon’s Last Crisis
Cold War into Terrorist War: 1975-Present
Curtain Call for Liberalism?: Carter and Reagan to the Present
Final Examination–Date to be Announced TestReviewFinalExam
On Reserve: a textbook—Jeanne Boydston, et al., Making a Nation: The U.S. and its People Vol. 2
Office Hours: Wright Hall B312
email: eugene.moehring@unlv.edu Phone: 895-3309 HOME
