As I mentioned in class, here are the requirements for the final assignment:
Written Research Report - 3 page research paper, not including required cover sheet or reference list/bibliography.
Subject can be on any subject or historical significance to the United States between 1945 and present. The same requirements as far as format, etc are the same for previous assignments.
Class Presentation - 5 minute presentation to class, Power Point preferred. If Power Point, then minimum of 10 slides. One slide must be an introductory title slide. The last must list all sources used in creating the research paper and the presentation.
Both items will be graded under the following rubric:
Research Paper:
20 Points - Correct Format, Suitable Subject, Correct English (Formal, Academic English)
10 Points - introduction with clear thesis statement
10 Points - Conclusion that restates thesis statement
30 Points - Discussion and paper is logical and and arguments are well organized
20 Points - Research is suitable, effectively used to improve arguments and are properly documented
Presentation
20 Points - Correct Format and assignment requirements, correct spelling and grammar on slides
10 Points - Title Page and good introduction - communicates thesis statement clearly
10 Points - Quality Conclusion that restates thesis statement
10 Points - Final slide(s) list all references/sources for research paper and presentation
20 Points - Presentation is well organized
20 Points - Presentation demonstrates student's understanding of the isuues involved in research project.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Liberalism and the Social Contract
Here are some web pages with lots of materials about the growing Liberalism of the 1950s, as well as information on Unions.
Gompers Papers
Labor Timeline
And a few more 1950s Cold War Sites to review:
Eisenhower and Khrushchev
at Gettysburg
For European Recovery: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
Gompers Papers
Labor Timeline
And a few more 1950s Cold War Sites to review:
Eisenhower and Khrushchev
at Gettysburg
For European Recovery: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
Sunday, May 17, 2009
1940s-1950s video
Here is a link to a YouTube presentation of a short film that was made at a university.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9SyKMC0tQk
It is an interesting look at attitudes of people in the United States during this time. It might also be a good resource for some of you with your papers you will be writing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9SyKMC0tQk
It is an interesting look at attitudes of people in the United States during this time. It might also be a good resource for some of you with your papers you will be writing.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
DR Strangelove
Tonite we will watch the classic movie Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
It is dated (made in 1964)but it was and still is considered a brilliant satire of attitudes concerning the fears of thermonuclear war of the late 1950s. Being satire, it often tries to be funny and bitingly sarcastic as it explores peoples fears about the Cold War, attitudes about the Soviet Union and communism, as well as the fear of military and political leaders who might cause the destruction of the world through incompetence or fanatical patriotic or anti-communist attitudes. A great deal of its humor was sexually related, which was shocking to moral attitudes at the time buiçt is fairly tame by modern standards.
Here is a link to a fairly extensive review and explanation of Dr Strangelove:
http://www.filmsite.org/drst.html
ASSIGNMENT STRANGELOVE
Your assignment is to post a comment to this entry. Answer the following questions:
1) What is your opinion about the theory of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), especially as it is portrayed on DR Strangelove.
2) While the movie is a satire, it does reflect many of the nightmare worries of people in the United States and around the world. Identify one thing about the movie that you think is real or accurate about attitudes of the cold war and explain why you think so. Also identify one thing that you think was not realistic and why.
Please post your comments by 11pm Saturday, May 16.
3) Make comments about postings from two of your other classmates. They may be agreeing or disagreeing with the classmate´s post, but should be critical in nature and designerd to start a conversation about the film - in other words, it should be more thatn Ï agree¨or ¨good post¨.
Please post your replies by 11pm, Monday, May 18
Original posts and replies are evaluated and become part of your classroom participation grade.
It is dated (made in 1964)but it was and still is considered a brilliant satire of attitudes concerning the fears of thermonuclear war of the late 1950s. Being satire, it often tries to be funny and bitingly sarcastic as it explores peoples fears about the Cold War, attitudes about the Soviet Union and communism, as well as the fear of military and political leaders who might cause the destruction of the world through incompetence or fanatical patriotic or anti-communist attitudes. A great deal of its humor was sexually related, which was shocking to moral attitudes at the time buiçt is fairly tame by modern standards.
Here is a link to a fairly extensive review and explanation of Dr Strangelove:
http://www.filmsite.org/drst.html
ASSIGNMENT STRANGELOVE
Your assignment is to post a comment to this entry. Answer the following questions:
1) What is your opinion about the theory of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), especially as it is portrayed on DR Strangelove.
2) While the movie is a satire, it does reflect many of the nightmare worries of people in the United States and around the world. Identify one thing about the movie that you think is real or accurate about attitudes of the cold war and explain why you think so. Also identify one thing that you think was not realistic and why.
Please post your comments by 11pm Saturday, May 16.
3) Make comments about postings from two of your other classmates. They may be agreeing or disagreeing with the classmate´s post, but should be critical in nature and designerd to start a conversation about the film - in other words, it should be more thatn Ï agree¨or ¨good post¨.
Please post your replies by 11pm, Monday, May 18
Original posts and replies are evaluated and become part of your classroom participation grade.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Second Week - Cold War
As we continue our exploration of US History, 1945-Present, we will concentrate a little more on the culture and attitudes that were present during the early stages of the Cold War.
May 12: The Frontier Mythology, The Atomic Age - "Duck and Cover" and the Theory of Mutual Destruction. We will talk a little bit more about our Discussion Project #1 – Cold War Memories - where you will be reporting on the memories of people you know who lived during the 1950s-1960s - especially their memories of relations between Ecuador and the United States, as well as their memories of President John F. Kennedy.
May 14: We will see Doctor Strangelove. This is a "dark comedy" that studied what was the greatest nightmare of Americans in the 1950s - that megalomaniac world leaders would draw the world into a nuclear holocaust that would destroy all life on the planet.
May 12: The Frontier Mythology, The Atomic Age - "Duck and Cover" and the Theory of Mutual Destruction. We will talk a little bit more about our Discussion Project #1 – Cold War Memories - where you will be reporting on the memories of people you know who lived during the 1950s-1960s - especially their memories of relations between Ecuador and the United States, as well as their memories of President John F. Kennedy.
May 14: We will see Doctor Strangelove. This is a "dark comedy" that studied what was the greatest nightmare of Americans in the 1950s - that megalomaniac world leaders would draw the world into a nuclear holocaust that would destroy all life on the planet.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Welcome to American History
I am Richard Evans, a US citizen living and teaching in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Welcome to American History, offered through Blue Hill College.
History 2270 provides a topical and thematic approach to post-1945 United States history, including Cold War politics and culture; national security and imperialism in American foreign policy; the rise of bipartisanship in American politics and the changing face of Liberal/Conservative power; social movements of the Left and the Right; the relationships between mass consumer culture, countercultures and youth subcultures; and the era of globalization and its discontents. The course explores issues of American national identity and the changing boundaries of American citizenship with emphasis on the intersection of politics, culture, and society in modern U.S. history.
We will engage questions such as: How has the "frontier mythology" shaped postwar America? How did the Cold War reshape politics and popular culture in the United States? What happened to the power base of organized labor? How have civil rights, feminism, environmentalism, the Christian Right, and other grassroots movements changed American society? Why did the United States lose in Vietnam? Can the federal government win the "War on Drugs"? Were the Seventies more important than the Sixties? Will the "culture wars" ever end? How are Latinos and other immigrant groups changing contemporary politics? Did the ideology of American Exceptionalism reclaimed by Ronald Reagan and on display in two wars in the Middle East overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome"? Is it accurate to speak of an "American Empire" in the global arrangements that have replaced the Cold War framework? Did the 1990s really mark the triumph of the "new economy"? How have the September 11 attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic meltdown of the last three years, and the recent election of Barrack Obama as President changed the perception of the United States by its citizens and others?
Requirements: Students are expected to attend lectures regularly and to be prepared and participate actively in the class meetings. Students also should consult the course web page routinely for reading material, graded assignments, research links, class updates, and general course information. A number of assignments are written. For convenience and to spare paper students have the option of sending their assignments to the Instructor via email.
Films: We will watch two films/documentaries during regularly scheduled class meetings. Students should analyze films with the same rigor as reading assignments—as historical documents and as cultural texts—taking notes in preparation for discussion section and in anticipation of graded assignments. Most of the films also are available in area video stores.
Film #1 Week 2 Doctor Strangelove
Film #2 Week 8 Flight 93
Please note: these films may change depending on availability.
Graded Assignments: The guidelines for graded assignments also will be posted on the course web page in a timely fashion. Anything covered in the course—reading assignments, films, and lectures—is fair game for the final exam, although it will be tilted toward material after the midterm. All four components listed below must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course:
Ø Discussion: consistent attendance, active participation (10%)
Ø A total of two, 3-page research papers, which will expand on the subjects of weeks 1-6 (10% each for a total of 20%)
Ø 3 page midterm, take-home essay assignment, based on course readings, discussion and lecture (20%)
Ø 5 page research paper, based on primary and secondary sources (25%)
Ø Comprehensive final exam take-home essay assignment, based on course readings, discussion and lecture (25%)
Readings: Readings will either be handed out as copies during class, posted on the class web site, or a link provided on the class web site.
Course Outline
May 5: Course Introduction – A View of US History 1945 to Present
May 7: The Ideology of American Exceptionalism
Readings:
Thomas Friedman, "A Manifesto for the Fast World," New York Times Magazine (March 28, 1999) [WP]
Michael Ignatieff, "The Burden," New York Times Magazine (Jan. 5, 2003) {WP]
May 12: The Frontier Mythology, The Atomic Age, Discussion Project #1 – Cold War Memories
May 14: Film, Doctor Strangelove
May 19: Liberalism and the Social Contract, The Fate of Organized Labor
May 21: Culture of Consensus and Subcultures of Dissent
Essay #1 Due
May 26: The South, the Nation and the "Great Society"
May 28: The Vietnam War and the New Left, Discussion Project #2 -
Reading:
Students for a Democratic Society, The Port Huron Statement (1962—excerpt) [WP]
Midterm Essay Due: by 11:00 p.m.
June 2: Sixties Legacies: The "Vietnam Syndrome" and Countercultural Cycles
June 4: Political Realignment: Rise of Conservatism and "Morning in America"
Essay #2 Due
June 9: The Sexual Revolution, Feminism and Culture Wars
June 11: The New World Order, Star Wars and March 22: Imperial Encounters
Reading: Ronald Reagan, "Evil Empire" and "Star Wars" speeches (1983) [WP]
June 16: Home Front: The War on Drugs, Immigration and Identity Politics Discussion Project #3 – Immigration
First Draft Final Essay Due
June 18: The “New Economy," Living Wages, Environmentalism and Walmart
June 23: Consumer Nation: The MTV Generation, Globalization and its Discontents
Final Draft Final Essay Due
June 25: Back to the Future, September 11, The U.S. in the Middle East
Film: Flight 93
Final Take Home Exam Due
History 2270 provides a topical and thematic approach to post-1945 United States history, including Cold War politics and culture; national security and imperialism in American foreign policy; the rise of bipartisanship in American politics and the changing face of Liberal/Conservative power; social movements of the Left and the Right; the relationships between mass consumer culture, countercultures and youth subcultures; and the era of globalization and its discontents. The course explores issues of American national identity and the changing boundaries of American citizenship with emphasis on the intersection of politics, culture, and society in modern U.S. history.
We will engage questions such as: How has the "frontier mythology" shaped postwar America? How did the Cold War reshape politics and popular culture in the United States? What happened to the power base of organized labor? How have civil rights, feminism, environmentalism, the Christian Right, and other grassroots movements changed American society? Why did the United States lose in Vietnam? Can the federal government win the "War on Drugs"? Were the Seventies more important than the Sixties? Will the "culture wars" ever end? How are Latinos and other immigrant groups changing contemporary politics? Did the ideology of American Exceptionalism reclaimed by Ronald Reagan and on display in two wars in the Middle East overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome"? Is it accurate to speak of an "American Empire" in the global arrangements that have replaced the Cold War framework? Did the 1990s really mark the triumph of the "new economy"? How have the September 11 attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic meltdown of the last three years, and the recent election of Barrack Obama as President changed the perception of the United States by its citizens and others?
Requirements: Students are expected to attend lectures regularly and to be prepared and participate actively in the class meetings. Students also should consult the course web page routinely for reading material, graded assignments, research links, class updates, and general course information. A number of assignments are written. For convenience and to spare paper students have the option of sending their assignments to the Instructor via email.
Films: We will watch two films/documentaries during regularly scheduled class meetings. Students should analyze films with the same rigor as reading assignments—as historical documents and as cultural texts—taking notes in preparation for discussion section and in anticipation of graded assignments. Most of the films also are available in area video stores.
Film #1 Week 2 Doctor Strangelove
Film #2 Week 8 Flight 93
Please note: these films may change depending on availability.
Graded Assignments: The guidelines for graded assignments also will be posted on the course web page in a timely fashion. Anything covered in the course—reading assignments, films, and lectures—is fair game for the final exam, although it will be tilted toward material after the midterm. All four components listed below must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course:
Ø Discussion: consistent attendance, active participation (10%)
Ø A total of two, 3-page research papers, which will expand on the subjects of weeks 1-6 (10% each for a total of 20%)
Ø 3 page midterm, take-home essay assignment, based on course readings, discussion and lecture (20%)
Ø 5 page research paper, based on primary and secondary sources (25%)
Ø Comprehensive final exam take-home essay assignment, based on course readings, discussion and lecture (25%)
Readings: Readings will either be handed out as copies during class, posted on the class web site, or a link provided on the class web site.
Course Outline
May 5: Course Introduction – A View of US History 1945 to Present
May 7: The Ideology of American Exceptionalism
Readings:
Thomas Friedman, "A Manifesto for the Fast World," New York Times Magazine (March 28, 1999) [WP]
Michael Ignatieff, "The Burden," New York Times Magazine (Jan. 5, 2003) {WP]
May 12: The Frontier Mythology, The Atomic Age, Discussion Project #1 – Cold War Memories
May 14: Film, Doctor Strangelove
May 19: Liberalism and the Social Contract, The Fate of Organized Labor
May 21: Culture of Consensus and Subcultures of Dissent
Essay #1 Due
May 26: The South, the Nation and the "Great Society"
May 28: The Vietnam War and the New Left, Discussion Project #2 -
Reading:
Students for a Democratic Society, The Port Huron Statement (1962—excerpt) [WP]
Midterm Essay Due: by 11:00 p.m.
June 2: Sixties Legacies: The "Vietnam Syndrome" and Countercultural Cycles
June 4: Political Realignment: Rise of Conservatism and "Morning in America"
Essay #2 Due
June 9: The Sexual Revolution, Feminism and Culture Wars
June 11: The New World Order, Star Wars and March 22: Imperial Encounters
Reading: Ronald Reagan, "Evil Empire" and "Star Wars" speeches (1983) [WP]
June 16: Home Front: The War on Drugs, Immigration and Identity Politics Discussion Project #3 – Immigration
First Draft Final Essay Due
June 18: The “New Economy," Living Wages, Environmentalism and Walmart
June 23: Consumer Nation: The MTV Generation, Globalization and its Discontents
Final Draft Final Essay Due
June 25: Back to the Future, September 11, The U.S. in the Middle East
Film: Flight 93
Final Take Home Exam Due
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