HHS 126: US History since 1865
Schedule, Reading List, & Assignments
The schedule and assignments are subject to change during the semester. If you rely on a printed version of this schedule, please check back here regularly to make sure you have the most current version.
Last revised: April 24, 2015
| Date | Topic | Reading Assignment | Assignment |
| Tues 1/20 | Introduction | ||
| Thurs 1/22 | Freedom, the Civil War, and Reconstruction | - Foner, xiii-xxii & 95-113 | reading response 1 due |
| Tues 1/27 | The Failures of Reconstruction | - Edwards, New Spirits, pages 1-37 (Canvas) |
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| Thurs 1/29 | No class meeting | ||
| Tues 2/3 | Reconstruction | - Revisit Edwards, New Spirits, pages 1-37 | |
| Thurs 2/5 | Industrialization | - Edwards, New Spirits, pages 38-59 (Canvas) |
reading response 2 due |
| Tues 2/10 | Freedom in the Gilded Age | - Foner, 115-137 | Essay 1 topic due |
| Thurs 2/12 | Progressivism | - Foner, 138-161 |
reading response 3 due |
| Tues 2/17 | No Class - Monday Schedule | ||
| Thurs 2/19 | Digital History of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era | Notes on Digital History | Essay 1 due |
| Tues 2/24 | Capitalism and Democracy at the Turn of the 20th Century | - Foner, 162-194 | reading response 4 due |
| Thurs 2/26 | Henry Ford | - PBS, Henry Ford - Taylorism on ABC World News Report |
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| Tues 3/3 | The Open Door and the Great War | - Revisit Foner, 162-194 - Origins of World War I |
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| Thurs 3/5 | Snow Day! | ||
| Tues 3/10 | Depression and New Deal | - Foner, 195-218 | Group presentation - see Canvas for details |
| Thurs 3/12 | The New Deal Order in Historical Perspective | ||
| Tues 3/17 & Thurs 3/19 | No Class - Spring Break | ||
| Tues 3/24 | World War II | - Foner, 219-248 | reading response 5 due |
| Thurs 3/26 | Cold War: Containment and Propaganda | - Foner, 249-273 |
reading response 6 due |
| Tues 3/31 | Cold War: More Propaganda | In-class viewing: - The Cold War: Reds, 1948-1953 - Eisenhower's Farewell Address, January 17, 1961 (transcript and archival materials) - Soviet Animated Propaganda, Part I |
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| Thurs 4/2 | The Sixties | - Foner, 275-305 - King, "Beyond Vietnam," April 4, 1967 (listen to the audio and /or read the transcript) |
reading response 7 due |
| Tues 4/7 | The Vietnam War | - Hunt, ed., A Vietnam War Reader, preface and introduction - Schulzinger, American Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century, 270-288 (Canvas) - The Vietnam War, Part I (photos) |
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| Thurs 4/9 | The Vietnam War | - Hunt, ed., A Vietnam War Reader - PBS, Two Days in October (see also the PBS website) |
Essay 2 due - Vietnam War |
| Tues 4/14 | Energy Crisis | - Digital History, 1970-2000 |
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| Thurs 4/16 | 1970s: Rock and Roll and then what? |
Watch one (or both) of the following documentaries: - Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock, 1970s - NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell |
reading response 8 due - see Canvas |
| Tues 4/21 | Conservatism and the 1970s | - Foner, 307-332 |
reading response 9 due |
| Thurs 4/23 | Civil Unrest | ||
| Tues 4/28 | The End of the Cold War | Concepts to study for final exam | Essay 3 topic due |
| Thurs 4/30 | Review and Synthesis | ||
| Tues 5/5 | Dear Future Historians... | Essay 3 due | |
| Monday 5/11 | Final Exam: Peirce 120, 1 - 5 pm |