20th Century U.S. Social History

Spring 2002, Mondays 6:30-9:00 p.m.

New York, George Bellows, 1911

Course Description:

The aim of social history is to widen our understanding of the process and outcome of historical change. Whereas traditional historical narratives concentrate on leaders, politics, and large impersonal forces, social history concentrates on: common people, day-to-day life, the effect of large impersonal forces on concrete living conditions, and the amount of agency that people have or don't have in controlling their own life. By integrating the history of common people into the more traditional story of American life in the twentieth century our understanding of U.S. history becomes broader and, at the same time, more complicated, more open to debate, and less susceptible to political or ideological control.

-Check the course web page often for updates and changes.  Especially check the announcements page for news pertaining to the course.

-Please arrive to class on time; consistently late arrivals disturb the class.

-Please bring assigned readings to class.

-All assignments will be due on the date specified; late assignments will be severely penalized.

-Become familiar with the various forms of plagiarism.  Using others' ideas without giving full credit will not be tolerated in your assignments.  Plagiarized material will be given a failing grade and reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.   If you are unsure with what constitutes plagiarism, please click here for a helpful introduction with examples from the Indiana University Writing Resource page: Students' Guide to Plagiarism.

-Keeping up with the reading is imperative in this class. If you find you are falling behind, or find the reading load difficult, please contact me so that we can find the appropriate help.

-I greatly encourage all of you to come by and see me during office hours or by appointment to discuss your progress in the class or other relevant issues.

Any student with documented special needs should meet with me during office hours. All efforts will be made to facilitate your presence and successful completion of the course.

1. Attendance and Participation (10%)

An attendance sheet will be passed around at the beginning of each class. It is your responsibility to sign in. Participation will be judged on your attendance, in-class comments, and overall engagement with the subject matter.

2. Midterm Examination (20%) and Final Examination (20%)

The midterm and final will have identical structures. Short identification questions will make up one quarter of the test and an analytical essay will determine three-quarters of the overall grade.

3. Film Review (10%)

Many themes of American 20th century social history have been reflected onto the silver screen. A four to five page movie review from a list of films readily available at the George T. Potter Library and most well-stocked video stores will address how contemporary social and cultural issues are interpreted in this quintessential 20th century medium.

4. Family History Essay (20%)

Social history examines how large historical forces shape and are shaped by ordinary people. This assignment (for which a separate set of guidelines will be provided) will put you into the role of social historian in analyzing how your family (or specific members of it) have been inseparable from the historical process.

5. Black Boy Essay (5%)

A three to four page reaction essay to Richard Wright's autobiography which details what it meant to grow up male and Black in the American South.

6.  Packinghouse Daughter Essay (5%)

A three to four page reaction essay to Cheri Register's memoir about growing up female and working-class.

6. 5 unannounced reading quizzes (10% total)

7.  Optional Service Learning component.  Students may wish to opt out of the final exam by completing a service learning assignment under my direction at the Mahwah Museum Society.  Please ask me about details.

Pop reading quizzes are the most effective way to keep people reading, so beware! Quizzes can happen on any given day.

1. Frederick M. Binder and David M. Reimers, eds., The Way We Lived: Essays in American Social History, Volume II: 1865-Present, Fourth Edition. (Houghton Mifflin, 2000).

2. Richard Wright. Black Boy (1944).

3. Mary Ann Watson. Defining Visions: Television and the American Experience Since 1945. (Harcourt Brace, 1998).

4. Cheri Register.  Packinghouse Daughter. (HarperPerrienial, 2000).

Any student with documented special needs should meet with me during office hours. All efforts will be made to facilitate your presence and successful completion of the course.