Michael B. Stoff

The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with US history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the 21st century, time permitting.  The course follows discrete themes, breaking into five thematic sections arranged chronologically: the search for order in an age of transformation; the rise of the Regulatory State; the rise of Semi-Welfare State; the rise of the National Security State; and the triumph of conservatism.  In the first third of the semester, we will focus on American society and politics and the economy at the grassroots.  During the last two-thirds of the semester we will examine the most important development of the 20thand 21st centuries—the growth of federal power and authority at home and abroad.

Texts:

James W. Davidson et al., USA Narrative History (1st ed.), Vol. II

James W. Davidson and Mark H. Lytle, After the Fact (6th ed.), Vol. II

William L. Riordon, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall (Bedford Books edition, edited by Terrence J. McDonald)

Richard Wright, Black Boy

Michael B. Stoff et al., eds., The Manhattan Project: A Documentary Introduction to the Atomic Age

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course fulfills part of the requirements for the Normandy Scholars Program aswell as part of the American history requirement for the University. It explores Americaninvolvement in the Second World War. Among the topics covered are: Americanisolationism; the controversy over Pearl Harbor and American entry into the war; therise of air power and strategic bombing; the conduct of war and diplomacy; everydaylife and politics on the home front; the experience of battle; the use of the atomicbomb; the seeds of the Cold War; and conflicting visions of the postwar world.No course can be encyclopedic. This one will divide its time between events inEurope and the Pacific without trying to cover either theater in all its detail. Two events,one in each theater, will serve as case studies for in-depth analysis: 1) the D-Day invasionand the opening of the “Second Front” in Europe; and 2) the atomic bombs and thesurrender of Japan in the Pacific.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Class work consists of lectures and discussions of weekly reading assignments,lectures, and films. Discussions constitute 20 percent of the course grade. Five in-classquizzes based on lectures and readings make up another 20 percent of the grade. Aresearch paper, done in three stages, serves as the written portion of the workload and isworth 50 percent of the course grade. Each student will also present his or her work orally.The oral presentation is worth 10 percent of the grade.The readings, like the course, proceed both from the top down and from the bottomup. In other words, we look at high-level policymakers but also at those ordinary peopleupon whom policy fell most heavily and from whom policy sometimes derived. Readingsare divided between primary and secondary sources. The aim here is to give students boththe broader, interpretive perspective of historians and the narrower, often more vivid viewsof participants.The list of lectures and discussions provide a loose framework for the course. Wemay run over in each individual session. In that case, we will pick up the thread of thelecture or discussion in the next session and readjust the syllabus accordingly.

REQUIRED BOOKS:

David Kennedy, The American People in World War IIE. B. Sledge, With the Old BreedJohn W. Dower, War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific WarMichael B. Stoff et al., eds., The Manhattan Project: A Documentary Introduction to the Atomic AgeCornelius Ryan, The Longest DayJohn Hersey, A Bell for AdanoRECOMMENDED:William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style

Purposes of Course:

     The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with US history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the 21st century, time permitting.  The course follows discrete themes, breaking into five thematic sections arranged chronologically: the search for order in an age of transformation; the rise of the Regulatory State; the rise of Semi-Welfare State; the rise of the National Security State; and the triumph of conservatism.  In the first third of the semester, we will focus on American society and politics and the economy at the grassroots.  During the last two-thirds of the semester we will examine the most important development of the 20thand 21st centuries—the growth of federal power and authority at home and abroad.

Required Reading (please make sure to obtain the correct edition because reading assignments are geared to the editions listed here):

James W. Davidson et al., U*S/A Narrative History (1st ed.), Vol. II

James W. Davidson and Mark H. Lytle, After the Fact (6th ed.), Vol. II

William L. Riordon, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall (Bedford Books edition, edited by Terrence J. McDonald)

Richard Wright, Black Boy

Michael B. Stoff et al., eds., The Manhattan Project: A Documentary Introduction to the Atomic Age

Notes:

1.  There will be two one-hour examinations, each worth 25 percent of your semester grade, and one final examination, worth 45 percent of your semester grade. The examinations will be largely essay in format with a short objective section. The final exam may be given added weight in determining your course grade should you show steady improvement.

2.  The date of the hour exams are subject to change depending on the amount of material we cover in each lecture. Any changes will be announced in advance.

3.  No make-up examinations will be given. You may be excused from one of the hour examinations only if you have a certified medical excuse or an official university obligation.

4.  There will be one short paper (1000 words) based on The Manhattan Project (see reading list).  It is worth 30 percent of yourfinal examination grade. It will be due in class at the last class meeting.

5.  No audio or video recorders are permitted in class.

6.  All cell phones and Wi-Fi connections must be turned off in class.

7.  You will be assigned a teaching assistant who will be responsible for grading your examinations and for helping you with any problems related to the course (see below for TA offices and office hours).

8.  For those students with learning and other special needs, please contact Services For Students with Disabilities at <http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/index.php> for assistance.

9.  While the reading assignments are fixed and followed carefully, the list of lectures may change depending on the amount of material covered in each lecture.

10.  This course will have a Supplemental Teaching Assistant who will run voluntary discussion sections.  The room and meeting times will be announced in class.

11.  Academic dishonesty is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with according to the rules of the university.  For a careful explanation, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php.

12. Attendance is mandatory and will be taken for every session beginning 10 minutes before class.  Attendance will form 5 percentof the final grade.  Entering class after the bell will be counted as ½ attendance for that session.  If you are late, please sit in the back of the room and alert the Teaching Assistant to your presence after class.  At random, three times during the semester attendance will also be taken at the end of class to avoid signing in and leaving.  

This course partially fulfills the legislative requirement for American history. 

The course will cover various aspects of the American experience of World War II. Topics will include American diplomacy and politics before the war, America’s conduct of the wars in Europe and the Pacific, American planning for the postwar period, and America’s involvement in the end of the war and its aftermath.

History 315L (Fall 2010)                                                                Office: WCH 4.104
Professor Michael Stoff                                                                        Office Hrs.: T, Th, 3:30-5 & by appt.

THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1877

Purposes of Course:

     The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with US history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the 21^st century, time permitting.  The course follows discrete themes, breaking into five thematic sections arranged chronologically: the search for order in an age of transformation; the rise of the Regulatory State; the rise of Semi-Welfare State; the rise of the National Security State; and the triumph of conservatism.  In the first third of the semester, we will focus on American society and politics and the economy at the grassroots.  During the last two-thirds of the semester we will examine the most important development of the 20^th and 21^st centuries—the growth of federal power and authority at home and abroad.

Notes:

1.  There will be two one-hour examinations, each worth 25 percent of your semester grade, and one final examination, worth 45 percent of your semester grade. The examinations will be largely essay in format with a short objective section. The final exam may be given added weight in determining your course grade should you show steady improvement.

2.  The date of the hour exams are subject to change depending on the amount of material we cover in each lecture. Any changes will be announced in advance.

3.  No make-up examinations will be given. You may be excused from one of the hour examinations only if you have a certified medical excuse or an official university obligation.

4.  There will be one short paper (1000 words) based on The Manhattan Project (see reading list).  It is worth 30 percent of your final examination grade. It will be due in class at the last class meeting.

5.  No audio or video recorders are permitted in class.

6.  All cell phones and Wi-Fi connections must be turned off in class.

7.  You will be assigned a teaching assistant who will be responsible for grading your examinations and for helping you with any problems related to the course (see below for TA offices and office hours).

8.  For those students with learning and other special needs, please contact Services For Students with Disabilities at <http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/index.php> for assistance.

9.  While the reading assignments are fixed and followed carefully, the list of lectures may change depending on the amount of material covered in each lecture.

10.  This course will have a Supplemental Teaching Assistant who will run voluntary discussion sections.  The room and meeting times will be announced in class.

11.  Academic dishonesty is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with according to the rules of the university.  For a careful explanation, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php.

12. Attendance is mandatory and will be taken for every session beginning 10 minutes before class.  Attendance will form 5 percent of the final grade.  Entering class after the bell will be counted as ½ attendance for that session.  If you are late, please sit in the back of the room and alert the Teaching Assistant to your presence after class.  At random, three times during the semester attendance will also be taken at the end of class to avoid signing in and leaving.  

Required Reading (please make sure to obtain the correct edition because reading assignments are geared to the editions listed here):

James W. Davidson et al., U*S/A Narrative History (1^st ed.), Vol. II

James W. Davidson and Mark H. Lytle, After the Fact (6^th ed.), Vol. II

William L. Riordon, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall (Bedford Books edition, edited by Terrence J. McDonald)

Richard Wright, Black Boy

Michael B. Stoff et al., eds., The Manhattan Project: A Documentary Introduction to the Atomic Age

Lectures and Reading Assignments:

     I. A SEARCH FOR ORDER IN THE AGE OF TRANSFORMATION, 1877-1900

26 Aug.:  Introduction: Why Study History?

READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 19; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, Introduction, Prologue, chap. 8.

31 Aug.:  A New Industrial Order

2 Sep.:  The Rise of Big Business

            READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 20; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chap. 9.

7 Sep.: The Rise of the Industrial City

9 Sep.: The New American Empire

            READING:  Riordon, Plunkitt. pp. 1-102.

14 Sep.: New Immigration and Old: A Comparative Look

16 Sep.: Urban Bosses and Political Machines

            READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 21; Riordon, Plunkitt, pp. 103-134.

21 Sep.: The Failure of Organized Labor

23 Sep.: The Revolt of the Farmers

            READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 22.

28 Sep.: HOUR EXAMINATION

II. THE EMERGENCE OF THE REGULATORY STATE, 1900-1932

30 Sep.: The Seedtime of Progressivism

            READING:  Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chap. 10; Wright, Black Boy, chaps. 1-3.

5 Oct.: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and National Progressivism

7 Oct.: The First World War and the Failure of Internationalism

            READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 23; Wright, Black Boy, chaps. 4-10.

12 Oct.: The "New Negro" in the Jazz Age

14 Oct.: The Politics of Provincialism in the 1920s

            READING:  Davdison, U*S, chap. 24; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chap. 11;

Wright, Black Boy, chaps. 11-14.

III. THE EMERGENCE OF THE SEMI-WELFARE STATE, 1932-1945

19 Oct.: Crash and Depression

21 Oct.: Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal, and the Rise of Modern Liberalism

READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 25; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chap. 12.

26 Oct.: HOUR EXAMINATION             

IV. THE EMERGENCE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY STATE, 1945-1973

28 Oct.: The Diplomacy of the Second World War

READING: Davidson, U*S, chap. 26.

2 Nov.: The New Atomic Age

4 Nov.: The Cold War and Korea

             READING:  Davidson, Nation, chap. 27; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chap. 13.

9 Nov.: The American Red Scare

11 Nov.:  The Struggle for Civil Rights: The Early Years

READING: Davidson, U*S, chap. 28; Stoff, Manhattan Project, Preface, Introduction, Parts 1-4.

16 Nov.: The Ike Age

18 Nov.: JFK, LBJ, and the Great Society

READING:  Davidson, U*S, chap. 29; Stoff, Manhattan Project, parts 5-7.

23 Nov.:  The War in Vietnam and at Home

            READING: Davidson, U*S, chap. 30-31; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chaps. 14-15.

***THANKSGIVING BREAK***

V. THE TRIUMPH OF CONSERVATIVISM, 1973-2008

30 Nov.:  RN, Watergate, and the Unraveling of America
2 Dec.:  Reagan, Bush I & II, and the Continuing Search for Order (***PAPER DUE***)

READING:  Davidson, U*S, chaps. 32; Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact, chaps. 16-17.

FINAL EXAM: Thursday, December 9, 2-5 PM

TA OFFICES HOURS & OFFICES:

Dan Wold (SI TA): M, 10 AM-1 PM (Burdine 412)
Zach Carmichael: T, 4-5 PM, W, 12-2 PM (Burdine 304)
Aaron Reynolds, T, Th, 3:30-5 PM, (Burdine 306)

This course contains a Cultural Diversity flag.

Professor Stoff                                                                    Office: GAR 2.138

History 376F (Spring 2010)                                                     Office Hours: W, F 11-12 & by appt. 

THE UNITED STATES AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

            This course fulfills part of the requirements for the Normandy Scholars Program as well as part of the American history requirement for the University.  It explores American involvement in the Second World War.  Among the topics covered are: American isolationism; the controversy over Pearl Harbor and American entry into the war; the rise of air power and strategic bombing; the conduct of war and diplomacy; everyday life and politics on the home front; the experience of battle; the use of the atomic bomb; the seeds of the Cold War; and conflicting visions of the postwar world. 

Although the course can not be encyclopedic, we will explore events in Europe and the Pacific.  Two events, one in each theater, will serve as case studies for in-depth analysis: 1) the D-Day invasion and the opening of the “Second Front” in Europe; and 2) the atomic bombs and the surrender of Japan in the Pacific.

ASSIGNMENTS:

            Class work consists of lectures and discussions of weekly reading assignments, lectures, and films.  Discussions constitute 20 percent of the course grade.  Five in-class quizzes based on lectures and readings make up another 20 percent of the grade.  A research paper, done in three stages, serves as the written portion of the workload and is worth 50 percent of the course grade.  Each student will also present his or her work orally.  The oral presentation is worth 10 percent of the grade.

            The readings, like the course, proceed both from the top down and from the bottom up.  In other words, we look at high-level policymakers but also at those ordinary people upon whom policy fell most heavily and from whom policy sometimes derived.  Readings are divided between primary and secondary sources.  The aim here is to give students both the broader, interpretive perspective of historians and the narrower, often more vivid views of participants.

N.B.:  1) In accordance with the rules of the NSP, students will be permitted only

three unexcused absences and three tardy arrivals to class.  

2) Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259.

3) For an explanation of academic dishonesty, students should consult the Office of Student Judicial Services at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/.

REQUIRED BOOKS: (paperbacks available at Co-Op):

David Kennedy, The American People in World War II

E. B. Sledge, With the Old Breed

John W. Dower, War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War

Michael B. Stoff et al., eds., The Manhattan Project: A Documentary Introduction

to the Atomic Age

Cornelius Ryan, The Longest Day

John Hersey, A Bell for Adano

RECOMMENDED:

            William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style

LECTURES & ASSIGNMENTS (This list is a rough guide to the course.  While you should stay abreast of weekly reading assignments, we may depart from the lecture list as discussions dictate.) 

January 20:  Introduction

January 22:  America in 1939

READING:  Kennedy, American People, pp. xi-90; Dower, War Without Mercy, pp. 3-77.

January 25-27: Individual Meetings

January 29: The Road to War in Europe, 1919-1941

READING: Sledge, Old Breed, pp. xi-174.

February 3: Discussion

February 5: The Road to War in Asia, 1919-1941

READING: Kennedy, American People, pp. 91-139; Dower, War Without Mercy, pp. 203-90.

February 10:  DISCUSSION

February 12:  Wartime America, I: The Warlords of Washington and the Return of

          Prosperity 

READING:  Kennedy, American People, pp. 321-372.

***FEBRUARY 10:  TOPICS DUE***

February 17:  Wartime America, II: The Transformation of Everyday Life and Politics February 19:  HISTORY RETREAT [NO CLASS]

READING:  Kennedy, American People, pp. 140-243.

February 24:  The American Soldier at War

February 26:  The Rise of American Airpower

READING:  Kennedy, American People, pp. 244-283; Ryan, Longest Day, pp. 9-174.

March 3:  DISCUSSION

March 5:  The European Theater from Operation Torch to D-Day, 1942-1944

***MARCH 5:  FIRST DRAFT DUE***

March 10:  Case Study in Europe:  D-Day and the Second Front

March 12:  DISCUSSION

READING:  Kennedy, American People, pp. 284-320; Dower, War Without Mercy, pp. 77-200; Ryan, Longest Day, pp. 175-279.

(SPRING BREAK, MARCH 15-19)

March 24: The Pacific Theater from the Fall of Bataan to the Battle of Leyte Gulf,

March 26:  The Diplomacy of War

READING:  Stoff, Manhattan Project, pp. 1-87; Dower, War Without Mercy, pp. 293-317; Sledge, Old Breed, pp. 175-300.

March 31:  Case Study in the Pacific:  The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bombs

April 2:  DISCUSSION

READING:.

***MARCH 29:  SECOND DRAFT DUE***

April 7-9:  READING/RESEARCH

READING: Stoff, Manhattan Project, pp. 90-278; Kennedy, American People, pp. 373-426.

April 14:  Case Study in the Pacific: The Atomic Bombs and the Surrender of Japan

April 16:  DISCUSSION

READING: Hersey, Bell for Adano, pp. v-93.

April 21:  DISCUSSION

April 23:  1945: Dawn of the American Century

READING: Hersey, Bell for Adano, pp. 93-269; Sledge, Old Breed, pp. 301-315; Kennedy, American People, pp. 427-433.

April 28:  DISCUSSION

April 30: FINAL PAPER DUE

***ARPIL 30:  FINAL PAPER DUE***

May3-4:  Oral Presentations

GRADING:

            1 research paper:                                                            30 percent

            2 drafts:                                                                        20 percent

            Quizzes                                                                        20 percent

            Class discussion:                                                            20 percent

            Oral presentation:                                                            10 percent

Professor Michael B. Stoff

History Department

GAR 2.138

tele: 475-7217

e-mail: mbstoff@austin.utexas.edu

The course will cover various aspects of the American experience of World War II. Topics will include American diplomacy and politics before the war, America’s conduct of the wars in Europe and the Pacific, American planning for the postwar period, and America’s involvement in the end of the war and its aftermath.