U.S. History, Part II (from 1877)��Fall 2020

Matt Schumann, Ph.D.

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mschuman@emich.edu

About the Instructor:

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Dr. Matt Schumann is a native Texan, and holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Exeter (U.K.) with a focus on Euro-Global international and inter-imperial relations. He has published widely on the mid-18^th century world, and has begun venturing into Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

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As a result of his scholarship, Dr. Schumann teaches in an “open system” style that allows students to research widely within the confines of a given course, and then teach each other. Students in turn should expect to grow not only in content knowledge, but also in skills and mindsets germane both to university life in general and to the historian’s craft.

HIST 124

The Course

We enter Fall 2020 in an era-making transition, and with an exceptional opportunity to make sense of American History. The COVID pandemic has caused a national emergency; “normalcy” is gone from U.S. consumerism, education, and social and family life. Police misconduct and civil disorder are reopening old wounds and prompting new dialogues on race relations; we have a hotly-contested election on the horizon, and we might soon see what American culture looks like without Fall sports.

Especially for Fall 2020, HIST 124 offers a unique opportunity to make sense and meaning of the American past, and to apply its insights and lessons for a very uncertain present.

General Education Rationale

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This course provides opportunities to acquire the procedures, practices, methodologies and fundamental assumptions of history in two ways. First, you will gain the foundational content knowledge needed to understand and interpret the major trends, people, ideas and events that have shaped the United States since 1877. Second you will acquire and use the unique methods historians employ to critically select and evaluate evidence from the past, assess its significance, and analyze the interpretive accounts that give this past meaning. In this iterative process, you will discover that the discipline of history places unique demands on those who aim to interpret and communicate a strange past- a past that is difficult to truly know and articulate. The application of historical thinking skills will help you discover much of the meaning, mystery, controversy and drama of history. This process of discovery requires that you question how historians view the relationship between evidence and historical accounts. you Will learn to create interpretive accounts of the past by framing useful historical problems, marshalling and evaluating relevant evidence, detecting authorial bias, contextualizing or “historicizing” the past, assessing significance both in primary sources and in narrative accounts, debating competing theories of causation, using counter historical examples to critique narratives and exploring how theories of hegemony and human agency influence our understanding of the past.

Some Important Fine Print�(things you really don’t want to forget)

Accessibility and Accommodation

• This course has some specific technology requirements. We will communicate with Canvas and Zoom (please visit the Center for e-Learning for any difficulties); most assignments will use Microsoft Office (free student licensing available through IT services).
• For more general technical help, please contact IT Services or the IT Help Desk.
• For help with study and writing skills, visit the Writing Center.
• Students with documented disabilities should contact me as soon as possible, and verify their needs through the Disability Resource Center.

Student Responsibility

• Online courses are inevitably best suited for self-starters. Regular class chats and due dates should help, but ultimately you are responsible for submitting materials on time.
• Expect to spend ~8-10 hours per week on readings, videos and assignments for the course.
• It is also part of your responsibility to ask for help if you need it. Please feel welcome to email anytime, and expect a response within two business days.
• Please see the Student Handbook and Code of Academic Conduct for policies on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Short version: don’t cheat!

Some More Fine Print�(COVID-19 advisory!)

Health Screening

If you have symptoms or believe you were exposed to COVID-19, please contact your primary health care provider or the IHA Health Center @ EMU at 734-896-4110 for patient care management. You MUST also complete the COVID-19 Report Form (See http://www.emich.edu/emu-safe/safe-return-to-campus/students). If you test positive, please complete the Report Form. The Assistant Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs will contact you for verification, support, and notify your instructors.

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Physical Distancing

Physical distancing is one of the most effective strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Whenever practical, all individuals on University grounds must maintain a physical distance of six feet or more from others who are not part of their household.

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Face coverings

Wearing a face covering is one of several essential actions that reduce the spread of COVID-19. Everyone on campus (e.g., students, faculty, staff, and visitors) are required to wear a face-covering that covers both the nose and mouth in or on all university buildings (including classrooms and labs) and grounds.

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Hygiene

Hand hygiene practices, as well as appropriate cough etiquette, help reduce the spread of COVID-19. All individuals should regularly wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. At a minimum, individuals should wash their hands before eating and after using the restroom, touching anything in a public area, or blowing their nose. Use hand sanitizer when needed (but not in place of handwashing when soap and water are available). Hand sanitizer stations are in all buildings.

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Wellness & Community Responsibility

We expect every member of the campus community to follow these standards as part of our community commitment to safety. Students who do not comply with the University’s policy requiring face coverings and physical distancing are subject to the University’s Code of Community Responsibility. Questions regarding enforcement involving students should be directed to the Office of Wellness & Community Responsibility at emu_owcr@emich.edu or 734-487-2157.

Sources for the Course�(No textbook! But plenty to look at…)

How to use these materials

• In general, we will encounter and use three types of sources: primary, secondary-academic, and public-facing. The last is great for general knowledge, but the first two are best for historical scholarship.
• You may think of history as the exploration of what happened, but at this level, we are also interested in why. Primary and some public-facing materials help most for learning what happened; secondary-academic sources help us explore why.

Required Materials

• Buff up your general knowledge with Wikipedia and YouTube. In fact, we will have some basic course material from both sites, including animated maps!
• Since we want to get you beyond general knowledge, however, use encyclopedias a bit less, and DO NOT use history.com or standard google searches.
• Instead, get to know the Library Website, and academic databases like JSTOR.

What these sources are for…

• Assignments and grades draw most of their points from the sources here.
• Read, use, cite carefully, and you should be on your way to good grades—perhaps more!

The Schedule

Unit 1: Introductions

• Mon, 8/31 Introductions
• (Sun, 9/6) 1^st Assignment

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Unit 2: Gilded Age

• Mon, 9/7 Primer 1
• Mon, 9/14 Primer 2
• Mon, 9/21 Quiz 1

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Unit 3: Progressive Era

• Mon, 9/28 Primer 3
• Mon, 10/5 Primer 4
• Mon, 10/12 Discussion

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Unit 4: Boom and Bust

• Mon, 10/19 Primer 5
• Mon, 10/26 Primer 6
• Mon, 11/2 Quiz 2

Unit 5: Global Hegemony

• Mon, 11/9 Primer 7
• Mon, 11/16 Primer 8
• Mon, 11/23 (Thanksgiving)

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Unit 6: New American Century?

• Mon, 11/30 Primer 9
• Mon, 12/7 Primer 10

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Wrap up / Final

• (Tues, 12/15) The Final

Assessment & Grades�(what you need to succeed)

Unit 1

• Introduction (2)
• Syllabus Quiz (4)
• Citation Quiz (4)

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Units 2-6

• Powerpoint Primer (5+1)* x 10
• Quizzes (10 x 2)

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* extra credit available for challenging work

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Final

• Final Reflection (20)

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TOTAL: up to 110 points count by raw score, NOT percentage

Grade Scale

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Due Dates

Week 1 Sun, 11:59 pm

Primers * Sun, 11:59 pm

Quizzes Sun, 11:59 pm

Final Tue 12/15, 5:59 pm

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For materials running late

• Communicate on or before the due date (including up to 24 hours after the due time), and we can talk some more.
• No communication = No credit

Grading Rubrics�(hint for the final: it’ll look a lot like the quizzes!)

Introductions (2)

• Name, interest in the course.
• Reply to someone who hasn’t had a response.

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Syllabus Quiz (4)

• Open syllabus, just read!

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Citation Quiz (4)

• Cite a book, an article, and a website, for both footnotes and bibliography.
• Distinguish primary, academic-secondary and public-facing source material.

Primers (slide by slide)

1. Title / Overall Topic (½)
2. Research Question + Thesis (1)
3. “What Happened?” (1)
4. “Why?” (1)
5. Primary sources (½)
6. Secondary sources (½)
7. Public-facing sources (½)

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Quizzes (per prompt)

1. American Macrotrend[s] (3)
2. Smaller trend[s], Theme 1 (2)
3. Smaller trend[s], Theme 2 (2)
4. Comment on sources (3)