First Semester
Foundations of America
This class traces the emergence of the American nation from its revolutionary origins, moving from interconnected colonies to a nation with a distinct identity. The synthesis of philosophic and experimental forces that produced the Old Republic is examined through the founding documents. The study explores the development of political parties and the divergent views of American possibilities associated with the Hamiltonian-Jeffersonian tradition. Emphasis is given to the competing views of constitutional construction that provided the United States with one of the most effective legal and constitutional structures in human history and how this led to the rise of history's most enduring Republic. Additionally, the theme of expansion and its social and political implications are also explored in the context of America's evolutionary identity.
Text/Materials needed:
Tindall and Shi, America: A Narrative History, Vol. I
Other supplementary materials provided by instructor
Rise of Modern America
This course will analyze American industrialization, urbanization, race and gender equality, the closing of the frontier, and the transition in American foreign policy from isolationism to involvement in two world wars. Central to the course will be the study of populist ideals and economic/social reforms, rise of America as a world power and involvement in WWI, economic changes during the 1930s, combating the Great Depression, and US entry into World War Two.
Text/materials needed:
Tindall & Shi, America: A Narrative History Vol. 2
Parties and Elections
This course involves an examination of the following concepts: psychological and sociological studies related to an individual's party identification and participation in the electoral process; the history of suffrage requirements in the U.S.; the positions of the Democrat and Republican parties; and the various forms of nominating and electoral procedures involving local to national candidates. We will analyze recent presidential campaigns on the basis of the following questions:
Are presidential primaries the most appropriate way to nominate candidates?
How significant are the national conventions?
What directions are the political forces headed in our times?
How should campaigns be financed?
This course is offered during current election seasons either for presidential or midterm cycles, including primary seasons for both national and state wide offices.
Text/materials needed:
Patterson, (New York, 2007) The American Democracy
other materials provided by instructor.
Second Semester
Parties and Elections
This course involves an examination of the following concepts: psychological and sociological studies related to an individual's party identification and participation in the electoral process; the history of suffrage requirements in the U.S.; the positions of the Democrat and Republican parties; and the various forms of nominating and electoral procedures involving local to national candidates. We will analyze recent presidential campaigns on the basis of the following questions:
Text/materials needed:
Patterson, (New York, 2007) The American Democracy
other materials provided by instructor.
Century of Conflict: A Social and Cultural History of the 20th Century
This course would cover the social and cultural impact of the First World War, the rise of the fascist and communist dictatorships, the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Holocaust and the Cold War on the peoples of the major powers during the 20th Century. It would have a primary focus on social history, such as the experience of soldiers, the home fronts, the role of women and minorities, and the development of the visual arts, dance, music, literature and cinema in response to the violence that swept the world between 1914 and 1992. Local veterans and others will be interviewed as part of the oral history focus of the course. Military history will be a component of the course as the frame for the cultural and social movements caused by conflict. The course would have a global reach, with attention given to the experience of the peoples of Asia, Africa and South America as well as Europe and North America.
Text/materials needed:
Textbook to be announced
Documents and book excerpts from multiple primary and secondary sources.
Contemporary America: 1945 to Present
Students examine the evolution and legacy of domestic and foreign policy from the days of the New Deal and World War II to the present. Beginning with the impact of World War II on American society and the world, students evaluate the continuing debate on domestic reform, economics, and global responsibilities in years of quietude and activism, hot and cold war, prosperity and recession. Additionally, they examine social issues, political leadership, public responsibility, and the impact of technology on the quality of American life as we move into the third American century.
Text/Materials needed:
George Brown Tindall and David E. Shi America: A Narrative History, Vol. II
Republic on Trial: The United States, 1828-1877
The course investigates the economic, political, and social changes that tore apart the American nation that formed prior to the rise of Andrew Jackson in the era of the common man. This course traces the rise of the common man and how the election of Andrew Jackson was both a reflection and reaction to the era, followed by an exploration of Romanticism and reformist movements coinciding with Manifest Destiny and how these both gave rise of the Crisis of the 1850s. In addition, the class focuses on issues, policies, and politicians that led to the Civil War and its consequences, and it concludes by exploring the reconstruction of the South and the aftermath of the war.
Text/Materials needed:
Tindall and Shi, America: A Narrative History, Vol. I
Other supplementary materials provided by instructor