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U.S. HISTORY II
HIST 1302, Sec. 005
Spring 2006
3 credit hours, M/W/F 1:00-1:50

Dr. Monica Rankin Office: JO 5.714

Email: mrankin@utdallas.edu Office phone: 972-883-2152
Office hours: T/TH 2:00-3:00 Website: www.utdallas.edu/~mrankin

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will cover the history of the United States from
the post-Civil War era (roughly 1877) to the present day. The course will introduce
major social, political, economic, and cultural events and it will address how those events
affected the development of the American society. Particular attention will be devoted to
the role of popular cultural and to the emergence of the United States as a world power.

REQUIRED READINGS:
George Brown Tindall, et. al. America: A Narrative History, Vol. II, 6th ed. (New York:
W.W. Norton, 2004).

Binder, Frederick, et. al. The Way We Lived Vol 2, 5th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company).

Students are responsible for all of the readings for quizzes, discussions, and exams. Due
to the lack of time in lecture to cover all of the main aspects of the course material,
students are responsible for material from the readings that will not be covered in
lectures. Students should feel free to ask for clarifications about the readings during class
time or see the instructor during office hours.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: The grading in this course is based on

class participation/Friday activities and three exams. The breakdown of the grading is as
follows:

Participation 100 points

Exam 1 100 points
Exam 2 100 points
Final Exam 100 points

Total 500 points

Class Participation: All students are expected to attend class and participate in class
discussions by incorporating information from assigned readings and class lectures.
Students’ participation should be constructive and contribute to the overall discussion.
Please consider quality as well as quantity in class discussions. Students MUST be
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reserved for formal class discussions, led by TAs. Discussions will clarify information
presented in lectures and the textbook, but will focus more specifically on weekly outside
readings from the Binder volume. Analysis and discussion questions will be posted on
the course link on my website. Students are encouraged to meet with their TA at least
once after the first 4 to 6 weeks of class to discuss their performance in class
participation.

A note on classroom behavior: No electronic equipment will be allowed in the

classroom, including cell phones and computers, without permission of the instructor.
Students caught with cell phones or any other inappropriate device on their desk will be
asked to leave immediately. This is a college classroom, disruptive or disrespectful
behavior will not be tolerated. It is NOT OK to be late, sleep, talk, whisper, or do
homework for another class. Any student engaged in inappropriate behavior at any time
during the class period will be asked to leave. Disrespectful, disruptive, or any other
inappropriate behavior will result in a lowering of a student’s participation grade.

Exams: All exams in this class will consist of two broad analytical essay questions. A
study guide will be distributed prior to each exam. Exams are listed in the course
schedule. The final exam in this course will not be cumulative.

Make ups: No late exams will be allowed except for emergency situations and there is
no make-up policy for in-class work.

Note: As in every class at the University of Texas at Dallas, scholastic dishonesty will
not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and
falsifying academic records. For a description of plagiarism and academic dishonesty,
and the university’s policies on these offenses, see
www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html. Students engaged in any type of
scholastic dishonesty will be receive a failing grade in this course.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO UTD STUDENTS: all course correspondence by e-mail

must now occur through the student’s UTD e-mail address. UT-Dallas provides each
student with a free e-mail account that is to be used in all communication with university
personnel. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individuals corresponding and the security of the transmitted information.
The Department of Information Resources at UTD provides a method for students to
forward email from other accounts to their UTD address and have their UTD mail sent on
to other accounts. Students may go to the following URL to establish or maintain their
official UTD computer account: http://netid.utdallas.edu.

Every effort is made to accommodate students with disabilities. The full range of
resources available through Disability Services can be found at
www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/hcsvc.html.
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PLEASE NOTE: I reserve the right to make changes to the following course schedule as
needed. All changes will be announced in class and will be posted on the course website
with sufficient notice.

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1
Jan. 9 Introduction and Syllabus

Jan. 11 Lecture 1: Civil War and Reconstruction

Tindall, Chapter 18

Jan. 13 Discussion Group Intro

Week 2
Jan. 16 Campus Holiday – NO CLASS

Jan. 18 Lecture 2: Westward Expansion

Tindall, Chapter 19

Jan. 20 Discussion: Binder Chapters 1-2

Week 3
Jan. 23 Lecture 3: Industrial Expansion

Jan. 25 Lecture 4: Urban Expansion

Tindall, Chapters 20-21

Jan. 27 Discussion: Binder, Chapter 3

Week 4
Jan. 30 Lecture 5: Political Realignments

Feb. 1 Lecture 6: Imperial Expansion

Tindall, Chapters 22-23

Feb. 3 Discussion: Binder, Chapters 4 & 6

Week 5
Feb. 6 EXAM 1 – BRING BLUEBOOK AND COMET CARD TO
CLASS
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Feb. 8 Lecture 7: Progressives

Tindall, Chapter 24 (967-984)

Feb. 10 Progressive Era Video

Week 6
Feb. 13 Lecture 8: Progressive Reform

Feb. 15 Lecture 9: Progressive Diplomacy

Tindall, Chapter 24 (985-end)

Feb. 17 Discussion: Binder, Chapter 5

Week 7
Feb. 20 Lecture 10: World War I

Feb. 22 Lecture 11: The Roaring 20s

Tindall, Chapters 25-26

Feb. 24 Discussion: Binder, Chapters 7 & 9

Week 8
Feb. 27 Lecture 12: The Great Depression

March 1 Lecture 13: The New Deal

Tindall, Chapters 27-28

March 3 Discussion: Binder, Chapters 8 & 10

March 6-10 SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS

Week 9
March 13 Lecture 14: The United States in World War II

March 15 Lecture 15: War on the Homefront

Tindall, Chapters 29-30

March 17 Discussion: Binder, Chapter 11

Week 10
March 20 EXAM 2 – BRING BLUE BOOK AND COMET CARD TO
CLASS
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March 22 Lecture 16: The Emergence of the Cold War

Tindall, Chapter 31

March 24 Cold War Video

Week 11
March 27 Lecture 17: The Cold War in America

March 29 Lecture 18: The Rise of Suburbia

Tindall, Chapters 32-33

March 31 Discussion: Binder, Chapter 12

Week 12
April 3 Lecture 19: Kennedy’s America

April 5 Lecture 20: Johnson’s Great Society

Tindall, Chapter 34

April 7 Discussion: Binder, Chapter 12

Week 13
April 10 Lecture 21: Great Society vs. Vietnam

April 12 Lecture 22: Nixon’s Détente

Tindall, Chapter 35 (1382-1416)

April 14 Discussion: Binder, Chapter 14

Week 14
April 17 Lecture 23: The Fall of Richard Nixon

April 19 Lecture 24: Crisis of Confidence in the 1970s

Tindall, Chapter 35 (1416-end)

April 21 Discussion: Binder, Chapters 15 & 16

Week 15
April 24 Lecture 25: Today in U.S. History
Tindall, Chapters 36-37
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FRIDAY FINAL EXAM

APRIL 28 11:00 – 1:00
BRING BLUE BOOK AND COMET CARD TO CLASS