History 409 The United States, 1919-1945
Fall 1997
Michael O'Malley
Robinson B376
M 1:30-3; Th 9-10 and by appointment
993-2157
Required Readings (all at University Bookstore, Johnson Center)
Langston Hughes, The Ways of White Folks
Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt
Robert McElvaine, The Great Depression
William Stott, Documentary Expression and Thirties America
David Stowe, Swing Changes
Studs Terkel, Hard Times
Grading
short (2-3 page) paper, 20%
Midterm, 30%
Final Paper (10-12 pages) 35%
Class Participation, 15%
There is also a web site for the course at http://chnm.gmu.edu/hist409. Students will be asked to make regular use of the web site.
Syllabus
Tuesday, Aug 26
Introduction
Thursday, Aug. 28
WWI and the Crusade for Conformity
Tuesday Sept. 2
1919: A Troubled Year
Thursday, Sept. 4
The Palmer Raids
Tuesday, Sept . 9
Prohibition
Thursday, Sept. 11
The Klan Rides Again
Tuesday Sept. 16
Fundamentalism and Modernity
Thursday, Sept. 18
An introduction to the course online
Tuesday Sept. 23
The Scopes Trial
Thursday, Sept. 25
Discuss Lewis, Babbitt
Tuesday, Sept. 30
The Rise of Radio
Thursday, Oct. 2
The Lone Eagle
Tuesday Oct. 7
Movie, The Jazz Singer
Thursday, Oct. 9
Discuss Hughes, The Ways of White Folks
Columbus day
Thursday, Oct. 16
Midterm
Tuesday Oct. 21
The Crash (read Terkel, pages TBA)
Thursday, Oct. 23
The Great Depression (read McIlvaine, pages TBA)
Tuesday, Oct. 28
FDR
Thursday, Oct. 30
A New Deal?(read Terkel, Pages TBA)
Tuesday, Nov. 4
The Dust Bowl
Thursday, Nov. 6
Alphabet Soup
Tuesday Nov. 11
Discuss Stott, Documentary Expression and Thirties America
Thursday. Nov. 13
FDR under fire
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Scottsboro
Thursday, Nov. 20
The Swing Era
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Discuss Stowe, Swing Changes
Tuesday, Dec. 2
The Zoot Suit
Thursday, Dec. 4
The Eve of War
Grading
Five page paper %20
Midterm %20
Final exam %30
Class participation %30
Syllabus
Monday, Jan. 19: Introduction
Wednesday, Jan. 21: What did the Civil War accomplish?
Monday Jan. 26: Using the Web and Who Built America?
Wednesday, Jan. 28 America Reconstructs Itself
Monday, Feb. 2: Discussion based on Who Built America? documents, p. 8-31
Wednesday, Feb. 4 The Gilded Age: Success
Monday, Feb. 9 Remaking labor time
Begin short paper assignment
Wednesday, Feb. 11 Populism (WBA pages 251-283, esp. pages 271-283
Monday, Feb. 16 race and nativism
Wednesday, Feb. 18 (Short papers due in class) Discuss "The White Man's Burden."
Monday, Feb. 23: Progressivism
Wednesday, Feb. 25: Discuss Who Built America? pages 38-53, 161-181, 328-339
Monday, Mar. 2: WWI
Wednesday, Mar. 4: Discussion: War and Public Opinion
Spring Break
Monday, Mar. 16: 20s
Wednesday, Mar. 18: Midterm
Monday, Mar. 23: The Crash
Wednesday, Mar. 25 Discussion: FDR's style
Monday, Mar. 30: The New Deal
Wednesday, Apr. 1: Discussion: The Swing Era
Monday, Ap. 6: WWII
Wednesday, Ap. 8: Discussion: The Social Experience of War
Monday, Ap. 13 50s
Wednesday, Ap. 15 Raines, My Soul is Rested, pages TBA
Monday, Ap. 20 60s
Wednesday, AP. 22 Gitlin, Years of Hope, pages TBA
Monday, Ap. 27 70s
Wednesday, Ap. 29 1980: the Reagan Decade