Catalog Description

Advisory: Eligibility for ENGL 1A
Hours: 54 lecture
Description: Study of American social, political and economic history since 1945; course emphasis on the impact of the Cold War and the struggles of civil rights and social justice that have shaped contemporary America. Also examined: the effects of globalization, technology, environmental challenges and religion in the post-war era. (CSU, UC)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Analyze the role of the United States within global political, economic and social changes.
  • CSLO #2: Compose coherent, persuasive academic historical arguments using correct academic citation methods.
  • CSLO #3: Differentiate primary and secondary sources and how each are used to make historical claims.
  • CSLO #4: Evaluate the role of geography in major political, economic and social changes.
  • CSLO #5: Investigate major political, economic and social changes with emphasis on culture, race, class, gender and/or ethnicity.

Effective Term

Fall 2019

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

54

Outside of Class Hours

108

Total Student Learning Hours

162

Course Objectives

1. Identify primary and secondary sources and describe their use as evidence in historical analysis
2. Identify and analyze the significance of individuals, ideas, and events in contemporary American history
3. Examine, discuss, compare and contrast the development of social protest and activist movements by diverse groups including African-Americans, Hispanics, women, environmentalists, cultural conservatives, religious evangelicals and others
4. Analyze the pervasive impact of world events on the shaping of American policy and the American political system
5. Describe, discuss, and analyze the economic, demographic and technological changes including the rise of a service-based economy, changes in the nature of work, and the effect of globalization that have transformed American life

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Literature & Language
    • AA/AS - Multicultural Studies
    • AA/AS - Social Sciences
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • CSUGE - C2 Humanities
    • CSUGE - D6 History
  • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
    • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)
      • IGETC - 3B Humanities
      • IGETC - 4F History

    Articulation Information

    • CSU Transferable
    • UC Transferable

    Methods of Evaluation

    • Essay Examinations
      • Example: Based upon your assigned readings, write a ten-page, typed, double-spaced term paper that creates a narrative reflecting the kinds of historical developments that have shaped and reshaped the idea of American freedom in the period covered by this course. You may organize your essay along thematic or chronological lines, or compare and contrast the types of personalities and their struggles to attain and/or define freedom. Ultimately, your paper should demonstrate the significant ways in which the meaning of freedom has changed and expanded or even been reduced or rescinded over time.
    • Objective Examinations
      • Example: Students will take a multiple-choice examination on the conservative backlash. Example Question: 1. Which of the following was not a target of the conservative "backlash" of the late 1960's? a. President Johnson's Great Society initiatives b. The rights revolution promoted by the liberal Warren Court c. The growing power and militancy of organized labor d. The civil rights and anti-war movements e. Impact of technology on late 20th century America

    Repeatable

    No

    Methods of Instruction

    • Lecture/Discussion
    • Distance Learning

    Lecture:

    1. The instructor will provide material on the Cold War to its conclusion in lecture/discussion format (either oral or written). The instructor will divide students into small groups and support their analysis of the connection between lecture material and assigned reading.
    2. The instructor will have students to compare two historical examples of the struggle for civil liberties in law, for example the gay rights movement or the American Indian movement or black lives matter. In a small group discussion students will compare their summary of assigned reading and their reactions to such important historical developments. The instructor will bring the class back together as a group for a lecture/discussion that joins the various group conclusions together.

    Distance Learning

    1. Using LMS, the instructor will assign primary source materials on the technological revolution of the 1990's and the development of the internet for students to read prior to class. The instructor will use these materials as a starting point to compare and contrast historical points of view in either classroom/web-based discussions or in writing assignments.

    Typical Out of Class Assignments

    Reading Assignments

    1. Based upon reading assignments reflected in the course syllabus, complete reading on the American experience in Vietnam and be prepared to discuss the material in class and as part of written examinations. 2. Complete reading in assigned course reader on the struggle for civil rights and be prepared to summarize both orally and in a carefully written paragraph.

    Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

    1. Write a 1-page summary and analysis of one of the assigned primary sources on Watergate. 2. Based upon your assigned readings, lectures and class discussion, write a 500-word essay that addresses the question, "How can the Vietnam war be seen as a product of Cold War tensions?" To what extent did legitimate security concerns guide American policy? To what extent was that policy misguided?

    Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

    Hand in a ten-page research paper, due in the fourteenth week of the semester. The topic must be approved by the instructor and is due during the fourth week; a bibliography of research material is due the seventh week; and an outline of research material is due the eleventh week.

    Required Materials

    • The Unfinished Journey
      • Author: Chafe, William H.
      • Publisher: Oxford
      • Publication Date: 2015
      • Text Edition: 8th
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s
      • Author: Isserman & Kazin
      • Publisher: Oxford
      • Publication Date: 2015
      • Text Edition: 5th
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Hegemony or Survival
      • Author: Chomsky, Noam
      • Publisher: Metropolitan Books
      • Publication Date: 2003
      • Text Edition:
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • The Vietnam War: A concise International History
      • Author: Mark A. Lawrence
      • Publisher: Oxford
      • Publication Date: 2010
      • Text Edition:
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:

    Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.