HISTORY 427

Professor Jules Tygiel

Spring, 2005

Science 224, x1119 or 1604

http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/hist427/

E-Mail: HIST685@SFSU.EDU

 

Office Hours: TuTh 1-2; W 6-7

 

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, 1916-1945

  

TEXTS:

Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday

 

James Goodman, Stories of Scottsboro

 

David Kennedy, The American People in the Great Depression

  Studs Terkel, 'The Good War'

 

Robert H. Zieger, America's Great War  OR
D. Clayton James and Ann Sharp Wells, America and the Great War, 1914-1920

 

(These texts are available at the school bookstore and on reserve at the library.)

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:

The final grade will be determined by the results of four papers based on the course readings (50%), an internet research assignment (30%) and class participation and attendance (20%). All papers and exams are to be word processed and double-spaced. Instructions for the papers and research papers will be distributed separately. Papers are due on February 24, March 29, April 28, and May 26. Research papers are due on the final day of class (May 19). All research papers submitted by May 10 will receive a bonus of one-third of a grade.

Class discussions are an important part of the course. All students are expected to have finished the reading assignments before each class session and should be prepared to answer questions and discuss the material at all sessions. Attendance will be graded as follows: 3 or fewer absences (A); 4-6 absences (B); 7-9 absences (C); 10-12 absences (D); more than 12 absences (F). There are no excused absences.

 

INTERNET AND MULTIMEDIA

This course will use resources on the Internet and other types of media (videos, cd-roms) to enhance our understanding of the years between 1916 and 1945.  The course will be taught in a “smart classroom,” giving us in-room access to the Internet and videos.  The online version of this syllabus contains many links to various primary sources from this era: photographs, movies, speeches, songs, advertisements, radio broadcasts, and documents.  In addition we will watch film clips from several videos that are not available on the Internet.  We will use these materials during the class sessions to give us a sense of what life was like during these years and to stimulate our class discussions.  Students will also be able to access these sources via the Internet when studying at home or writing papers.  The following students in my Fall, 1999 History 660 course assisted in creating this interactive experiment:  John Dobbs, Sandra Henderson, Michael Sheehan, Patrick Taylor, Marco Vincenti, John Williams. 

 

READING ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS SCHEDULE

WORLD WAR I

 

February 1

Introduction/The Road To War

 

February 3

Waging War

Readings: Zieger, Chapters 1,2, 4. OR
James  & Wells, Ch. 1-2.

 

February 8

The Home Front

Readings: Allen, Ch. 1; Zieger, Chapters 3-5 OR
James & Wells, Ch. 3-4.

 

February 10

Internet Research Assignment

 

February 15 1919
Readings: Allen, Chapter 3; Zeiger pp. 187-215.

 

February 17

The Peace Treaty and League of Nations

Readings: Kennedy, Prologue; Allen, Ch. 2; Zieger, Chapters, 6-7. OR  James and Wells, Ch. 4.

 

THE ROARING 20S

 

February 22

The Business of America: Advertising in the 1920s and 1930s

Readings: ; Kennedy, Chapter 1; Allen, Ch. 4, 6-7.

 

February 24

Communications and Transportation

Readings: Allen, Ch. 1, 8,9.

FIRST PAPER DUE

 

March 1

 Women in the 1920s

Readings: Allen, pp. 1-2, Ch. 5; Goodman, Ch. 1-7.

 

March 3

Prohibition, Fundamentalism, the Klan

Readings: Allen, pp. 52-57, 163-71, Ch. 10; Goodman, Ch. 1-10.

 

March 8

Black America

Readings: Zeiger 102-6, 126-35, 142-45, 205-7; Allen, 52-53; Goodman, Ch. 1-14.

 

March 10

 Speculation

Readings: Allen, Ch. 11-13; Kennedy, pp. 34-41.

 

March 15

Only Yesterday: An Assessment

Readings: Allen, entire book.

 

March 17

Causes of the Great Depression

 Readings: Allen, Ch. 11- 14; Kennedy, pp. 34-91.

 

March 22-24 Spring Break (No Class)

 

THE GREAT DEPRESSION  

March 29

Life in Depression America, 1929-33

Readings: Kennedy, pp. 84-94, 160-177, 190-99, Chapter 8.

SECOND PAPER DUE

 

March 31 Cesar Chavez Day (No Class)

 

April 5

The Roosevelts

 Readings: Kennedy, pp. 94-159.

 

April 7

The New Deal

Readings: Kennedy, Chapters 5-9, 12.

 

April 12

The New Deal

Readings: Kennedy, Chapters 5-9, 11-12; Goodman, Ch. 15-25.

 

April 14

The New Deal: The Working Class

Readings: Kennedy, Chapter 10; Goodman, Ch. 26-36.

 

April 19

African Americans in the 1930s

Goodman, Ch. 1-43; Kennedy, 173-186, 194-211, 222-23.

 

April 21

The Great Depression and New Deal: Evaluation and Assessment

Readings: Kennedy, Chapters 5-12 (especially 12)

 

April 26

Foreign Policy, 1933-41

Readings: Kennedy, Chapter 13.

WORLD WAR II

 

 

 

April 28

 Pearl Harbor and the Early War

Readings:  Terkel, Book 1, especially pp. 19-37,  98-107.

THIRD PAPER DUE

 

May 3

The Home Front: The Mobilization

Readings: Terkel, pp. 108-65, 225-253, 201-342.

 

May 5

No Class: Advising Day

 

May 10

Fighting the War

Readings: Terkel,  Book 2 and pp. 343-384

 

May 12

The War Experience: Women and Minorities

Readings: Terkel, pp. 17-35, 143-56, 261-67, 274-79, 341-47, 387-401.

 

May 17

 The War Experience: Women and Minorities

Readings: Readings: Terkel, pp. 19-37, 146-59, 264-82, 343-49, 387-401.

 

May 19

 Ending the War

Readings: Terkel, Book 4.  (Review Entire Book)

INTERNET RESEARCH PAPER DUE

May 26

FOURTH PAPER DUE