HIST 2112—United States History II
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Instructor:
Douglas Thomas
Office Location:
Rm 113 Science Lecture Building
Office Telephone
Number: 404-756-4715
Email Address:
dthomas@atlm.edu
Office Hours: MW
11-12, TTh 3:30-4pm
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AMC Course
Number and Title: HIST
2112—United States History II
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Current Catalog
Course Description: AMC
Catalog, 2001-2003, p. 237: This course presents a survey of United States
History from the post-Civil War period to the present and satisfies the State
requirement for United States and Georgia History. (Students who have taken an
American History course at private or out-of-state institutions must pass a
Division-administered examination or must take U. S. History 2111 or 2112 in
order to satisfy the Georgia history section of the course.) Prerequisite: Exit
or exemption from Learning Support Reading.
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AMC Social
Sciences Division History Unit Mandated Course Outcomes--
Upon completion
of the course students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate
knowledge of the basic themes associated with the time period and subject
matter of the course.
2. Demonstrate
an understanding of different historical interpretations and some of the
reasons for the differences.
3. Gather,
organize, and interpret historical information in a logical fashion and express
themselves better in formal modes of communication.
4. Demonstrate
knowledge of significant historical material and major questions associated
with history--including evolution versus revolution, continuity and change, the
hero in history and the influence of the environment and conditions, the
complexity of events (such as the interaction of government, society and
culture, religion, values, economic, class, the arts, etc.), cause and effect,
long and short term causation, comparison and contrast, and intergroup
relations.
5. Relate
historical information to the present and recognize the problems associated
with such analogies.
6. Utilize
critical thinking skills in analyzing historical problems.
7. Gain an
understanding and appreciation of the relevance of history to their life.
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Expected
Results--Students should demonstrate a critical knowledge of the following
general periods in the history of the United States from 1865 to the present,
as reflected in their attainment of an end of term grade of “C” or better:
1. Reconstruction
2. Westward Expansion
3. Gilded Age
4. Industrialization
5. Populism
6. Imperialism
7. Post-Civil War
Urbanization, Immigration, Protest, and Reform
8. Progressive Era
9. New Era of the 1920s
10. Great Depression
11. Second World War Era
12. Cold War and
Containment
13. Post-Second World
War Conservativism
14. Post-Second World
War Liberalism and Social Change
15. Neoconservatism
16. Recent Trends
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There will be
exams as listed below, an essay, and a comprehensive final exam.
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1. AMC Social
Sciences Division History Unit Mandated Required Textbook: Liberty,
Equality, Power: A History of the American People by John Murrin
2. Supplemental
Resources: Buy scantron sheets for quizzes and final exam and be sure to have
pencils.
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Attendance
Policies: You will be given a grade for attendance. Perfect attendance will get you 100 pts. I will start counting attendance on Jan.28. Each day will count 4 points. Points will be deducted if you leave early
without approval from the professor.
Come to class! Don’t miss
class!
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Course Outline:
American Civil
War immediate and long-term consequences
Reconstruction
Era origins, development, and downfall
Westward
expansion influences and consequences
Gilded Age
Society
Populism
Late Nineteenth
Century industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and protest
Causes and
consequences of United States Imperialism
Spanish-American
War causes and consequences
Early Twentieth
Century social reform
Progressive Era
First World War
United States intervention and impact on United States society
1920s
Great Depression
causes and consequences
New Deal Era
Second World War
United States intervention and impact on United States society
Post-Second
World War United States influence in International Relations
Cold War
origins, characteristics, and international relations consequences
Cold War
Influences on United States domestic relations
Post-1945 social
and cultural liberalism and the conservative reactions
New Left
New Right
Neoconservatism
Recent trends
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Class Calendar—
Have the
following reading assignments read by the date because a quiz will be given on
that date.
Jan 21 Chpts 17-19 Exam I
Feb. 16 Chpts 20-22 Exam II
March 4
Chpts 23-25 Exam III
March 31
Chpts 26-28 Exam IV
April 26 Chpts 29-31 Exam V
Living history
Assignment due the week of March 17.
This deadline is
firm. If you do not give the paper on
or before that day without prior clearance or a “good” excuse, you will receive
a failing grade for this assignment.
The decision of which excuses are good lies totally at the instructor’s
discretion.
Write an essay
about a current event that will have far reaching effects on the future. Describe the event and discuss the historical
antecedents of the even expounding in detail how you project it will affect the
future.
The essay is to
be 3 to 5 pages.
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This class is a
lecture/discussion class. Reading the
assigned text along with any other reading assignments are only geared toward
enhancing your understanding of the material.
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Do not cheat
from your classmates. Do not copy
material from any other source into your paper without citing it. Write your own ideas. If you do cheat and/or plagiarize, I will
know it!