NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY: : Spring 2017

History 104: U.S. History Since 1877

Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00-1:50 pm
Minard Hall, Room 116

Instructor: Stacy M. Reikowsky, ABD Office Hours: M/W: 2:00-

3:00 pm
Office: Minard 422Q and by
appointment
Contact: Stacy.Reikowsky@ndsu.edu

Graduate Teaching Assistants:

Office: Minard 422Q

Lauren Weise (Lauren.Wiese@ndsu.edu) Office Hours: T: 10-11

am / W: 12-1 pm

Robert Foresman (Robert.Foresman@ndsu.edu) Office Hours: W:

2:00-4:00 pm

John Hest (John.E.Hest@ndsu.edu) Office Hours: M: 2-3

pm / W: 11-12 pm

History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

--Mark Twain
We are not merely passive pawns of historical forces; nor are we victims of the
past. We can shape and direct history.
--Daisaku Ikeda
If you think you have it tough, read history books.
--Bill Maher
Course Description

Welcome to History 104, U.S. History Since 1877, where we will begin our journey at
the close of the American Civil War. The history of the United States embodies a
complex series of fluid events, ideas, responses, and scholarly materials. It is our
goal, as a class, to sort through the historical implications through a chronological
study of pertinent readings, primary sources, films, photographs, and audio
recordings ranging from the humorous to the more poignant, defining social,
cultural, political, and economic moments within the historical context of the
American experience. I encourage every student to sharpen their senses to the
roles of agency, empathy, and historical memory when analyzing and responding to
the materials presented in this course. As a result, students will likewise gain a
better understanding of the HUMAN experience regardless of race, color, class, or
creed and better connect with the people and time period under review.

Few students and scholars can accurately describe the study of history as neat,
easy, or readily understandable. Therefore, I invite everyone to pay careful
attention to notions like freedom, democracy, liberty, and citizenship to see
how such ideas and institutional practices transform across our landscapes of
American accounts of the past. We will be exploring the watershed moments and a
larger narrative that spans numerous decades including Reconstruction and

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 NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY: : Spring 2017

interstate migration, the Gilded Age and Progressive Eras, World Wars, depression,
rebellion, and changing notions of human and civil rights at home and abroad. We
will consider a number of historical facets of investigation, including portrayals of
American life in film and the primary documents that stem from specific people and
events, and current academic scholarship to better inform our ideas and
understanding of the debate that surround our field of inquiry for the course.

It is my desire for all students to feel welcome to speak their minds as honestly, yet
thoughtfully as possible. Most importantly, my goal is not to tell you what to think
about the course materials or historical elements as a whole, but to help you come
to your own informed conclusions. At the end of the course students should be able
to recognize a historical argument when they see one, be familiar with the most
important people, ideas, and events of the American experience, and understand
their significance for today. Students in this course will participate actively in their
education. They will engage the instructor and each other in classroom discussion
and write regularly about what they are studying and thinking.

Please note: This syllabus is your contract with me, the instructor, for the
semester. By enrolling in this class you agree to the policies and requirements set
out below. These terms are non-negotiable and will remain in effect for the duration
of the semester. If you have any questions about anything in this syllabus, please
ask.

Required Textbooks

o Roark, James L., Johnson, Michael P., Cohen, Patricia Cline, Stage, Sarah,
Hartmann, Susan M. The American Promise Value Edition, Volume II: From 1865: A
History of the United States Sixth Edition. Boston and New York: Bedford/St.
Martins. 2015.

o Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History Fourth Edition, Volume II.
New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company. 2013.

o Additional materials will be available on Blackboard as necessary

Learning Objectives

The objectives of this course include:

o To gain factual knowledge about the period under discussion
o To develop the specific skills and points of view needed by historians
o To improve skills needed for evaluating primary source materials
o To learn to recognize, analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments,
and points of view, including changing notions of the human
experience of the past and flashpoints of contention
o To generate, both written and oral, historical narratives, fact-based
arguments, and historical interpretations
o To communicate historical understandings as an individual and within a
group setting
o To facilitate sustained dialog based on the materials used to inform our
understanding of the United States past

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Classroom Policies

All students are expected to observe basic tenets of common decency and
acceptable behavior conducive to a positive leaning environment. During class time,
I expect your undivided attention. This means turning off cell phone and other
devices, and putting away newspapers and other forms of distraction, for the
duration of the class period. Laptops and tablets may be used only for taking notes
or in-class assignments; if electronic devices are seen being used for
anything else, you may be asked to leave the class and points will be
deducted from your attendance and participation grade.

Please come to class on time and plan to stay for the entire period. Coming late
and disrupting the learning environment shows disrespect for your instructors, your
colleagues, and the educational endeavor in which you are engaged. If you must
leave early, please let me know at the beginning of class. I can be very
understanding of problems that might arise over the course of the
semester, but only if I know what is going on with you. I encourage you to
stop by during office hours, to get to know me, and to keep me informed of any
issues you might have that would affect your performance in this class.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, North Dakota State
University, your Teaching Assistants, and I are committed to making reasonable
accommodations to assist individuals with documented disabilities to reach their
academic potential. Such disabilities include, but are not limited to, learning or
psychological disabilities, or impairments to health, hearing, sight, or mobility. If you
believe you require accommodations for a disability that may impact your
performance in this course, you must schedule an appointment with Disability
Services to determine eligibility. Students are then responsible for giving
instructors a letter from Disability Services indicating the type of
accommodation to be provided; please note that accommodations will not
be retroactive.

The Disability Services office is in Wallman Wellness Center, 170, phone 701-231-
8463 and additional information is available at:
https://www.ndsu.edu/disabilityservices/

Students with disabilities or other special needs who require accommodation in this
course are encouraged to speak with me as soon as possible to make appropriate
arrangements for these accommodations.

Academic Honesty

All work in this course must be completed in a manner consistent with the 2016-
2017 North Dakota State University Standards for Academic Honesty and Integrity
available online at: https://www.ndsu.edu/academichonesty/

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In all courses, I expect that all work that you do and turn in is your own. No form of
plagiarism, cheating, collusion or any other form of academic dishonesty will be
tolerated. Plagiarism is defined as deliberately taking the words or ideas of
someone else and passing them off as your own. Cheating is obtaining
unauthorized assistance on any assignment. Collusion is the selling of academic
products with the intention that they be submitted to satisfy an academic
requirement. Students are expected to uphold and support the highest academic
standards at all times. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty will
fail the assignment in question, may fail the entire course, and may be
subject to disciplinary action by NDSU. If you are ever unclear about what
constitutes plagiarism or academic dishonesty, please ask; I want to ensure that
students are clear and comfortable when navigating the requirements and
standards set in the course and the institution as a whole.

Course Requirements and Assignments

Attendance (large lecture on Monday and Wednesday, 10%; 100 points)

o Attendance at each class meeting, including the large lecture and your individual
discussion section, are both required and expected. You will be allowed up to
four (4) unexcused absences without penalty in lecture, whereupon the fifth
unexcused absence will result in a retroactive deduction (15 points) and 4 points
per absence thereafter.
o In the case of an emergency or illness, the student should notify his/her
instructor or assigned Teaching Assistant. In the event of serious or
extended illness, or family emergency, or military deployment, the
Student Affairs Office should also be notified. Makeup work may be
required for any absence.

Your participation (primarily for your discussion sectionssee for more information
below), an additional component to your attendance grade, will be guided by the
following rubric:

o A = Always prepared, frequently participates, rarely absent or distracted

o B = Always prepared, participates only when called on, rarely absent or
distracted
o C = Usually prepared, rarely speaks, occasionally absent, sometimes distracted
o D = Often unprepared, several absences, distracted or otherwise disengaged

The instructor and Teaching Assistants reserve the right to adjust attendance points
according to participation during class and discussion days. Students should note
that their grade in a course may be negatively affected by excessive
absences, lack of contribution to classroom dialog, or habitual distraction.
You are responsible for all material covered in our class meetings, regardless of your
physical presence in the room. Students are expected to come prepared to engage
with and discuss the assigned material. This means preparing the assignment
before class and bringing the reading material with you to class. Only the course
instructor can excuse a student from course responsibilities.

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Discussion Section and Reading Reponses (Small groups on Friday, 30%;

300 points)
o Discussion sections meet only on Friday. Please consult Campus Connection for
your specific time, day, location, and assigned Teaching Assistant. If you have
mistakenly signed up for a time you cannot make, please contact your instructor
or Teach Assistant immediately to correct the situation.
o Your Friday section will be devoted to the discussion of the two (2) assigned
documents from Eric Foners Voices of Freedom or other specified readings
available on Blackboard. Although not formally required, it is recommended that
students read all documents appearing in each chapter assigned Foners Voices
of Freedom and corresponding chapters in your The American Promise textbook
to augment your understanding of the weekly topic and help you preparation for
the essay papers and exams.
o Reading Responses: Each student will be required to answer the
questions found at the end of each assigned reading and submit them
to your discussion section Teaching Assistant, in writing, by or at the
beginning of each meeting. In addition, students are required to
propose at least one (1) discussion question and submit it, in writing,
with your other reading responses. Therefore, you will need to have six
(6) items prepared each week for consideration of full-credit. Your
section leader will provide you with the specific style, format, and other
details for your weekly reading responses.

o In order to satisfy the requirements for a superior grade, students need to be

prepared to discuss either their answers or proposed question(s) during
Discussion Section meetings each week.
o All students in discussion sections are expected to help facilitate the
conversation and support the dialog generated by the Teaching Assistant and
their peers. Students can contribute in a variety of ways and should contact their
Instructor or Teaching Assistants with any questions, comments, or concerns
regarding conduct and expectations.
o We expect all students to participate equally in class discussions and to
contribute their thoughts, ideas, and questions to our collective exploration. I
especially encourage you to bring any questions to either lecture or discussion
section. We will create, and expect you to uphold, an intellectual environment in
the classroom where we can listen to and consider others arguments and
opinions with an open mind and where we respect viewpoints other than our
own.
o Please note: The Reading Response assignment is intended to take the
place of reading quizzes and foster critical thinking, dialog, and
scholarly conversation among you and your peers. However, the
Instructor or Teaching Assistant reserves the right to administer pop
quizzes or other assignments should students not come prepared to
engage in the conversation and support their peers. Lack of
participation, absences, or excessive distraction could negatively affect
your discussion grades.

Essay Papers (30%; 2 @ 150 each for 300 points total)

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o Students will complete two 500-600 word essay papers. The essays will be
submitted via Safe Assign on Blackboard. Additional information about the
papers will be forthcoming, but please note that you will be provided a question
prompt and pool of sources upon which you will base your first paper (no
outside sources will be allowed) in addition to your weekly readings. Your second
paper will require you to visit a local historical archive and select a topic and
document(s) upon which to write your paper. Details will be available on
Blackboard and in your discussion sections before each due date (please see
the course calendar for the specific due dates).

Unit Exams (30%, 3 @ 100 points each for 300 points total)
o There are three examinations in this course. The each unit exam is worth 10%
(100 points) of the final grade. Exams are not cumulative. The first will
evaluate students understanding of course materials from the beginning of the
class up to the date of the exam (the Spanish-American War). The second will
test students knowledge of the material covered after the first midterm exam
through World War II. The third and final exam will consist of material stemming
from 1945 to the end of the course. The exams may consist of matching,
sequencing, fill-in the blank, map and reading identification, and multiple
choice questions. Although these exams are closed-book, students will be
allowed to bring one small note card (no bigger than 3x5) with any
information you may find helpful. Make-ups must be arranged with the
instructor or Teaching Assistant as soon as possible. All make-ups need to be
completed within a week of the exam and will be a different version than one
from the original test date. Students will be required to bring an OpScan answer
sheet (available at various locations across campus) on exam days.

Grade Breakdown: Your grade for the class will be composed of the above
elements, broken down as follows:

Attendance (Large Lecture)

...10% (100 points)
Essay Papers (2 @ 150 points each).
...30% (300 points)
Discussion Section (Including Reading Responses).
..30% (300 points)
Unit Exams (3 @ 100 points each)..
..30% (300 points)

Your final grades for all work and participation will be determined based on the
following rubric:
o A = (900-1000 points) Mastery of reading and class material; factual accuracy;
thoughtful, historical argumentation demonstrating ability to synthesize and/or
some originality of thought; utmost attendance, participation, and day-to-day
engagement and communication
o B = (800-899 points) Good to excellent command of most reading and class
material; accuracy; good level of historical argumentation; reasonable
attendance, participation, and engagement

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o C =(700-799 points) Good command of class material; accuracy; ability to

articulate a historical point of view, even if it is not compelling or is poorly
reasoned, variable attendance, participation, and engagement
o D = (600-699 points) Poor command of required assignments; errors; ahistorical
or narrow reasoning, lacking proper attendance, participation, and engagement
o F = (0-599 points) Absence of proper attendance, participation, engagement or
attention necessary to obtain and fulfill course objectives and pass the course

Extra Credit
Extra credit may be available at various points throughout the semester, but is not
guaranteed. Any opportunities may be announced either in class or on Blackboard.

Please note: To pass this class, all assignments must be turned in. Failure to turn
in any assignment listed above by the end of the semester will result in a failing
grade on that assignment. All assignments are due on the date listed in the Course
Schedule below. Late assignments may be accepted only with the advance
approval of the instructors and will be assessed a penalty of 5 points for the first
late day and 10 points per additional business day for up to one (1) week; after that,
no work will be accepted without prior approval from the instructor. If you have a
problem with a due date because of a specific emergency, please notify me in
advance or plan to turn it in early. I can be very understanding and flexible with
you, but only if you come to talk to me in advance.

Available resources included in your tuition at no additional cost:

The Center for Writers

As a teaching service, the Center for Writers provide free, one-on-one writing
consultations for members of the NDSU community who seek to improve their
writing skills. For assistance with long personal documents (such as novels), we can
provide a list of editors-for-hire. For more information or to schedule an
appointment, please visit: https://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/

ACE Tutoring and Quiet Study

ACE Tutoring and Quiet Study is a free academic support program available to all
enrolled undergraduate students. Whether you would like help understanding a
course concept, want to find a study group, or simply just need a quiet place to
study, ACE would like to help you meet your academic goals. For more information,
please visit: https://www.ndsu.edu/studentsuccess/about_ace/

Course Schedule

Week Topic Corresponding Assignment Due

Readings Dates

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Week 1 Course Welcoming! Begin Reading

(W) Jan. 11 (W) Introduction to The American
(F) Jan. 13 Lecture and Syllabus Promise
Review Chapter 16
(F) Introduction to And
Discussion Section Voices of
Freedom:
Chapter 15
Week 2 Reconstruction The American (F) Reading
(M) Jan. 16 (M) MLK Day (No Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) Jan. 18 Class) 16 VOF #96 and #98
(F) Jan. 20 (W) Lecture
(F) Discussion Section Voices of
Freedom:
Chapter 15
Week 3 The Contested West The American (F) Reading
(M) Jan. 23 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter Response due for
(W) Jan. 25 (W) Lecture 17 Indian Country
(F) Jan. 27 (F) Discussion Section Diaries and
Documents Littlemoons
Available on Thick Dark Fog
Blackboard Article and Video
Week 4 The Gilded Age The American (F) Reading
(M) Jan. 30 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) Feb. 1 (W) Lecture 18 VOF #101 and
(F) Feb. 3 (F) Discussion Section #102
Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 16
Week 5 The City and Its The American (F) Readings
(M) Feb. 6 Workers Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) Feb. 8 (M) Lecture 19 George
(F) Feb. 10 (W) Lecture Washington
(F) Discussion Section Documents Plunkett and
Available on Jacob Riis
Blackboard
Week 6 Dissent, Depression, The American (W) Exam I 2/15
(M) Feb. 13 War Promise: Chapter
(W) Feb. 15 (M) Lecture 20 (F) Reading
(F) Feb. 17 (W) Exam I Response Due for
(F) Discussion Section Voices of VOF #107 and
Freedom #112
Chapter: 17
Week 7 Progressivism The American (F) Reading
(M) Feb. 20 (M) Presidents Day Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) Feb. 22 (No Class) 21 VOF #117 and
(F) Feb. 24 (W) Lecture #120
(F) Discussion Section Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 18

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Week 8 World War I The American (F) Reading

(M) Feb. 27 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) March 1 (W)Lecture 22 VOF #122 and
(F) March 3 (F) Discussion Section #127
Discussion Day: Essay #1 Due on
Voices of Blackboard,
Freedom Sunday 3/5 at
Chapter: 19 Midnight
Week 9 The Great Depression The American (F) Reading
(M) March 6 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) March 8 (W) Lecture 23 VOF #132 and
(F) March 10 (F) Discussion Section #133
Discussion Day:
Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 20

Spring Break
March 13-17
No Class!

Week 10 The New Deal The American (F) Reading

(M) March 20 Experiment Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) March 22 (M) Lecture 24 VOF #140 and
(F) March 24 (W) Lecture #144
(F) Discussion Section Discussion Day:
Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 21
Week 11 World War II The American (W) Exam II in
(M) March 27 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter class 5/29
(W) March 29 (W) Exam II 25
(F) March 31 (F) Discussion Section (F) Reading
Discussion Day: Response Due for
Voices of VOF #145 and
Freedom #152
Chapter: 22
Week 12 The Cold War The American (W) Reading
(M) April 3 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) April 5 (W) Lecture 26 VOF #154 and
(F) April 7 (F) Discussion Section #159 in Lecture
Discussion Day:
Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 23
Week 13 Politics and Culture of The American (F) Reading
(M) April 10 Abundance Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) April 12 (M) Lecture 27 VOF #162 and

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(F) April 14 (W) Lecture #168

(F) Spring Recess (No Discussion Day:
Class) Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 24
Week 14 Reform, Rebellion, The American (F) Reading
(M) April 17 and Reaction Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) April 19 (M) Spring Recess (No 28 VOF #171 and
(F) April 21 Class) #172
(W) Lecture Discussion Day:
(F) Discussion Section Voices of Essay Paper #2
Freedom due on Blackboard
Chapter: 25 Sunday, April 23
by midnight
Week 15 Vietnam The American (F) Response Due
(M) April 24 (M) Lecture Promise: Chapter for Guest Lecturer
(W) April 26 (W) Lecture 29 Rachel Petersen
(F) April 28 (F) Discussion Section
Materials
Available on
Blackboard
Week 16 America Moves to the The American (F) Reading
(M) May 1 Right Promise: Chapter Response Due for
(W) May 3 (M) Lecture 30 VOF #178 and
(F) April 5 (W) Lecture #182
(F) Discussion Section Discussion Day:
Voices of
Freedom
Chapter: 26
Final Exam Exam III
Monday, May 8 1:00-3:00 pm, Minard Hall 116

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Notes:

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