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Michael
Trotti |
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Michael
Trotti |
Readings
Writing
External Websites
This course is focused upon the tremendous range of experiences in American history since the end of the Second World War. An era of nuclear power and nuclear war, of war in Vietnam, social rebellion of the young, the demise of the New Deal Coalition, the rise of the right, and the growing importance of the global economy in all of our lives.
Much more than in lower-level courses, this one will be focused on themes and discussion. I will lecture some, but our work will be more collaborative -- identifying key moments and themes and developments and discussing the range of their implications.
Below are some of the readings, and an idea about what the written work is for the class. At the end are some very interesting websites I've found relevant to this course and its themes. Contact me if you have any questions!
| If you find the reading challenging and are having a hard time keeping up or getting what you need out of the texts, see if any of my advice on solving the book blues helps. |
Books (available in the student store -- a copy of each will also be on reserve in the IC library):
Christian Appy, Working Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam (1993). A view of America's most divisive war from the perspective of the soldiers who fought it.
William Chafe, et. al., A History of Our Time: Readings on Postwar America, 3rd Ed. (2003). A superb collection of readings and primary material that will bring the era to life for us.
Ralph Levering, et. Al., Debating the Origins of the Cold War: American and Russian Perspectives (2002).. I am very much looking forward to this one -- it presents views of the early cold war from the perspectives of both sides.
Jeffrey Ogbar, ed., The Civil Rights Movement (2003). A collection of essays that nicely offers us the multiple perspectives and layers of the most important social movement of the 20th century.
Michael Schaller and George Rising, The Republican Ascendancy: American Politics, 1968-2001 (2002). A very nice overview of the shifting nature of American politics in this era.
Jules R. Benjamin, A Student’s Guide to History. This slim volume contains a host of helpful guidelines for success as a student of history. This book can help in every stage of this course and far beyond it -- all history majors and minors should have a copy of this book on the shelf.
Additional readings available on the web -- you can get to them by clicking
here. . .
. . . if you have access to the JSTOR database:
. . . or access to the History Cooperative:
. . . or access to Proquest:
. . . or access to Infotrac:
. . . or some other crazy database called EBSCO:
[note: computers on the IC network -- which has a paid subscription to these services -- will all arrive there. Home computers for IC faculty and students will not, because these databases will not recognize you as a subscriber. Sadly, this also now applies to those on ResNet, despite assurances to the library that their new software would allow ResNet to do this. You can get to them, but you have to go to the IC library website, enter your password to gain access to these databases, then search the databases for the articles. Others not tied to IC will not be able to open these documents unless you have also paid a subscription to these services.]
On the second class period, we will discuss the broad terrain of the period from WWII to the present. As a part of that discussion, I want you to peruse the following website's collection of political ads from the 1950s to the present. Choose a few elections, then pick a number of ads to watch/hear. Be sure, therefore that you are in a place in which you can have the audio on -- earphones if you are in a lab, for instance. Come into class with some questions and issues you want to discuss.
Recommended Reading for all my classes:
History is understood through the written word. It is not simply facts, but interpretations and arguments. You will be asked to write several essays in this course to hone your skill in fashioning historical arguments.
In the first weeks of the course, I will ask you to write a short paper evaluating the start of the cold war. You will also have a midterm and final exam asking you to write about the themes we pursue in each half of the course.
You will also write a 15-page research paper on a specific side of American history in this period. I will supply a list of potential topics, and together you and I will define a topic of interest to you.
We will discuss each assignment as the course progresses.
I have developed two webpages giving:
Please look into them (and/or come see me) if you need/want any further help.
Research: I have also given some research guidelines for my 400-level classes -- you can go to that part of my Crime and Punishment Seminar website by clicking here.
External Links to Appropriate Sites
Much that is on the web is garbage -- anyone can erect a website and no one is policing content to be sure that it is accurate. Just as problematic is the fact that this form and shape for information tends toward abbreviation and illustration: visual stimulation is of the essence, whereas deep analysis and context are to often considered boring and expendable. As in journalism, the key is to keep the surfer's attention and to be brief -- a central tenet to successful web development is to make all pages short.
That means that for substantial historical analysis, we need to look to sources in print. But the web does offer some very good exhibits, and some intriguing primary materials as well. Here are a few sites that I have found interesting and helpful. Let me know if you find others.
[under development]
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This website is occasionally maintained by Michael
Trotti.
(Last update: 10 January 2006). |