HomeMy WebLinkAboutHIS-114Bergen Community College
School of Arts, Humanities, & Wellness
Department of History & Geography
Course Syllabus
HIS114-20th Century United States History since World War 2
Basic Information about Course and Instructor
Semester and year:
Course and Section Number:
Meeting Times and Locations:
Instructor:
Office Location:
Phone:
Departmental Secretary: [optional]
Office Hours:
Email Address:
Course Description
This class is a study of the history of the United States from the end of the Second World War to the
present.
3 credits
General Education Course – Humanities Elective
Student Learning Objectives: As a result of meeting the requirements in this course, students will be
able to
1. Identify the major periods in the history of United States from 1945 to the present.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the narrative framework and factual basis of American history.
3. Identify and analyze the important political, economic, social, intellectual, and international
forces that shaped these periods.
4. Demonstrate the ability to develop a thesis and support it with historical evidence both in writing
and orally.
5. Demonstrate basic research skills by locating and using source materials.
6. Summarize, paraphrase, and quote historical information in properly cited written analyses
7. Demonstrate the ability to state and support their own interpretation of historical issues concisely,
coherently, and logically.
Course Content
This is the second part of a two semester sequence covering 20th century American history. Emphasis is
placed on political developments, international role of a superpower, social change, and popular culture
during a critical period for the emergence of a modern nation. The class is loosely organized around
major events and will cover the following topics: Cold War at home and abroad, economic prosperity,
demographic change, Civil Rights movement, the origin and growth of 1960s social movements, US
involvement in Vietnam, emergence of conservatism, crisis of 1970s, cultural wars of the 1980s, and the
challenges of 1990s.
Course Texts
Steven M. Gillon, The American Paradox: A History of the United States since 1945 (Wadsworth)
Assessment and Grading
In pursuit of the foregoing goals, the course is based on the reading and discussion of historical
writings for both primary and secondary sources; the techniques of historical research and
writing are reviewed, and students are expected to use subject specific resources in their
preparation for active participation in class and for writing assignments. Students are required to
do a substantial amount of expository and critical writing in response to the material presented in
the course and by conducting outside research.
Because HIS-114 is a General Education course, it requires students to complete a variety of
critical thinking and writing assignments. These assignments may include class discussions and
debates requiring the application of critical thinking skills, short in-class essays, out-of-class
writing projects (journals, research papers, argument-analysis papers, book reviews, etc.), tests
and examinations containing essay components, and so forth. Instructors will respond to and
comment on students' writing in detail.
Grading Policy
A student's final grade for the course is based primarily on his or her performance on the
required work for the course (writing assignments, examinations, class presentations, etc.) and on
his or her overall mastery of the material covered in the course. A student's class participation
may also be evaluated, and the grade thereon may be used as a factor in determining the student's
final grade for the course; but a class participation grade will count for no more than fifteen
percent (15%) of the final grade. Examinations can consist of objective questions such as
multiple choice and short answers, but an essay of some form should also be evaluated as part of
the test. A sample grade distribution is as follows:
1st Mid-Term Exam
20%
2nd Mid-Term Exam
20%
Final-Exam (non-comprehensive)
20%
Writing/Research Assignments
30%
Participation/Collegiality
10%
Total
100%
BCC Attendance Policy:
All students are expected to attend punctually every scheduled meeting of each course in which they are
registered. Attendance and lateness policies and sanctions are to be determined by the instructor for each
section of each course. These will be established in writing on the individual course outline. Attendance
will be kept by the instructor for administrative and counseling purposes.
History and Geography Departmental Attendance Policy:
It is imperative that students attend class on a daily basis in order to secure the knowledge necessary to
succeed in the course. Coming to class on time and staying for the entire class period is expected.
Excessive absences will have a detrimental effect on your performance in this course. Attendance will be
taken at each class session. It is expected that class will be conducted such that students will benefit in
their written work by the lectures and class discussion. If students occasionally arrive late, they should be
encouraged to enter quietly, not disturbing the class. If students miss class, they should be encouraged to
use the course calendar to stay abreast of material. It is probably a good idea for students to find study
partners and to exchange telephone numbers. Make-ups for examinations should be allowed by the
instructor if, in the instructor's judgment, the student has presented a good excuse for missing the work.
Instructors may penalize work which is late; however, the instructor's policies for make-ups and late work
must be clearly specified on the student guide. Collegiality is expected at all times during the course.
Academic Dishonesty (From BCC Handbook):
Bergen Community College is committed to academic integrity—the honest, fair, and continuing
pursuit of knowledge, free from fraud and deception. Students are responsible for their own
work. Faculty and academic support services staff will take appropriate measures to discourage
academic dishonesty. The college recognizes the following general categories of violations of
academic integrity whenever a student does one of more of the following: uses unauthorized
assistance in any academic work, copies from another student’s exam, gives unauthorized
assistance to other students, fabricates data in support of an academic assignment,
inappropriately or unethically uses technical means to gain academic advantage, and commits
plagiarism.
Student and Faculty Support Services
The Henry and Edith Cerullo
Learning Assistance Center
Room L-
125 of
Pitkin
Building
Includes the Tutoring Center, English Language
Resource Center, and Writing Center. 201-447-
7489
The Distance Learning Office
– for any problems you may
have accessing your online
courses
201-612-5581
psimms@bergen.edu
The Tutorial Center Room S-
118 of
Pitkin
Building
201-447-7908
The English Language
Resource Center
Room 126
in Ender
Hall
For students whose native language is not
English.
The Writing Center Room L-
125 of
Pitkin
Building
201-447-7136
The Online Writing Lab
(OWL)
www.bergen.edu/owl This website will help
students with all aspects of the writing process in
every discipline.
The Office of Specialized
Services (for Students with
Disabilities)
L-115 of
Pitkin
Building
Students with documented disabilities who
require accommodations by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) can request support
services from the Office of Specialized Services.
www.bergen.edu/pages/5175
The Sidney Silverman Library 2nd Level of
Pitkin
Building
Sample Format for Course Outline and Calendar
Note to Students: The following Course Outline and Calendar is tentative and subject to
change, depending upon the progress of the class.
Date Lecture Topic Learning
Objectives
Assignments/Events
Introduction: syllabus, what
is History?
Early Cold War, 1945–1950
Height of the Cold War:
Korea to Cuban Crisis
Post-War Politics
The Consumer Society, 1945–
1960
The Politics of Moderation,
1951–1960
American Ideals and Social
Realities, 1952–1960
The Kennedy Presidency,
1961–1963
LBJ, the Great Society, 1963–
1967
America in Vietnam, 1945–
1968
*Mid-Term examination
Writing & Research
Workshop
Nixon & the New Republican
Majority, 1969–1974
The Clash of Cultures, 1969–
1980
1970s: Crisis & Limits of
American Power
The Reagan Presidency,
1981–1989
Culture, Society, and
Technology: 1980–2000
The End of the Cold War,
1988–1992
The Clinton Presidency,
1993–2001
The Prosperous Nineties
The Challenges of the New
Century, 2001-2011
*Final-Exam