About the Course

This class will present a study of Post World War II United States that extends through the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—a period when Americans experienced unprecedented political transformations at home and globally.  The class will explore general trends in political, social, and cultural history, including the atomic bomb, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, feminism, youth culture, environmentalism, post-Fordist economy, and the so-called “war against terror.” Students will examine these events through secondary literature and a variety of online primary documents, including government memos, newspaper articles, films, music recordings, photographs, advertisements, and posters.

Texts

All required weekly readings are available online, linked from this website.

The following reference works are on reserve at the Webster Library Circulation Desk: Boyer, Promises to Keep; Chafe, The Unfinished Journey; Griffith, ed., Major Problems in American History Since 1945.

Assignments and Grading

Successful completion of the course depends, most basically, on regular attendance in class, evidence of preparation and application, active participation in class discussions based on close readings of the required texts, and completion of all exercises and assignments on time.

  1. Weekly Quizzes (any 5) - 20%
  2. Wikipedia Entry Edit - 20%
  3. Class Presentation - 20%
  4. Final Paper - 40%

Participation

Success in this class depends upon attendance at lecture and participation in any discussion provoked by the lecture and/or readings in class. You will not be able to complete your assignments if you don’t regularly come to class.

Deadlines

The penalty for late papers and projects will be 5% of the grade per day. No extensions will be granted except in cases of a DOCUMENTED emergency.

Policies and Procedures

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is an affront to me and to your peers. Plagiarism is submitting work that is not your own as if it were yours. This includes copying material, even a few sentences, from published or unpublished sources, from the internet, or from another student without citing the source. It also includes presenting another person’s ideas or paraphrasing the work of another person without citing the source. Plagiarism also includes handing in bought papers, papers obtained from free essay websites, or having another person write your paper for you. Anyone suspected of copying other people’s work without clear acknowledgement, or of any comparable act, will be reported to the Faculty of Arts and Science for plagiarism.

Syllabus: I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus during the year if/as necessary. Please check the online syllabus before every class.

SHAC Announcement

Students of History Association of Concordia represents all undergraduate students registered in one or more history classes at Concordia. We organize social and academic events; publish the undergraduate journal Historiae; and run a peer tutoring program.  For information on volunteering, getting help with classes, getting published, or for upcoming events , check our website at: http://alcor.concordia.ca/~shac/index.htm (or access through the History Department site), or stop by our office for free coffee (LB-620.2).  We can be reached at shacconcordia@yahoo.com.