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HIST 425: Contemporary US History

 Syllabus | Class Notes | Presentation Schedule | Midterm Take-Home Exam | Final Review Sheet

Week 1: Introduction to course, US in 1945-6 after World War II

Tuesday 8/18/09: Introduction

For Thursday 9/20/09: Read Ch. 1 in Griffith, MAJOR PROBLEMs, 3-5 points

Resources: World War II Overview |  Berlin in Ruins | Hiroshima bombed | 

Week 2: Cold War : Was it Inevitable? | Advertising in the 1950s

For Tuesday 8/25: Read Ch. 2 in Griffith, and bring in 3-5 major points from the reading

For Thursday 8/27: Read Ch. 3 in Griffith. Bring in advertisement from the 1950s

Extra Credit opportunity (optional): Bring in multimedia from the 1950s (45 or 33 record, photograph, YouTube clip, newspaper, etc.)

Resources: Cold War archive (Harvard) | Planned Obsolescence |

Week 3: New Deal and Fair Deal: Origins of White Affirmative Action | Castro, Kennedy, and the Cold War

For Tuesday 9/1: Read Katznelson handout. Watch Tim Wise, then Chris Rock and Rush Limbaugh.

For Thursday 9/3:Read Griffith, Ch. 4.

Resources: Berlin Wall Goes Up | MAD | Washington Post on Affirmative Action | Moyers on Affirmative Action

Week 4: Benefit Distribution in the 1940s and 1950s | Early Civil Rights Movement

For Tuesday 9/8: Read Griffth, Ch. 5.

For Thursday 9/10: Read Katznelson, "Rules for Work" and bring in 3 (brief) sources on racialized distribution of benefits for veterans of Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the War on Terror.

Resources: Malcolm X: The Early Years | Texas Southern Students | Civil rights veterans website |

Week 5: Black Liberation Struggle & The Great Society

For Tuesday 9/15: Read Ch. 6 Griffith. Dr. Hogan lost her voice _ No Class today, 9/15. Please make sure you bring in a 1-2 page write-up of Ch. 6 in Griffith on Thursday, describing (1) major points of reading in your own words (2) questions you have about reading (3) disagreements you have with the reading

For Thursday 9/17: Read Walker, Meridian, first 7 chapters & write up of Ch. 6 Griffith (see above assignment)

Resources:  Fannie Lou Hamer to DNC | Black Panther Party | Free Southern Theater | Blacks Arts Movement

Week 6: Movements of the 1960s

For Tuesday 9/22: Finish Meridian

For Thursday 9/24: Ch. 7 in Griffith

Resources: Brown Berets | Farm Workers | Cesar Chavez | Alcatraz | Stonewall |

Week 7: Black Women's Rights & Women's Responsibilities in the Post-1945 Economy

For Tuesday 9/29: Read one of the following articles. Prepare a one paragraph summary of its major points, and list 2-3 questions you have after reading it. Be prepared to summarize for class.

• Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power, "The Sissy Race of All Mankind."
• Black Women and Black Power in SNCC: Ruby Doris Smith Robinson
• The Free Southern Theater: Black Arts Movement

For Thursday 10/1: Read The Care Crisis and Griffith, Ch. 8

Resources: Betty Friedan 1970 | NWO Conference 1977 | Black Women's Liberation

Week 8: Midterm Exam, introduction to Vietnam

For Tuesday 10/6: Midterm Take-Home Exam due at the beginning of class. Be on time - docked a point per minute late.

For Thursday 10/8:NO CLASS, Dr. Hogan at conference. Check it out. Enjoy your break.

Week 9: Vietnam,  "Peace with Honor," Stagflation, and Middle Eastern Oil: the 1970s

For Tuesday 10/13: FALL BREAK _ NO CLASS

For Thursday 10/15: Read  Ch. 9, Griffith

Resources: Virtual Vietnam archive | Black Vietnam Veterans and civil rights | Vietnam War archive on the web

Week 10: Reagan's "Revolution"

For Tuesday 10/20: Read Ch. 10 in Griffith

For Thursday 10/22: Read Intro. in Bacevich, The Limits of Power and bring in a primary document on Ronald Reagan during the 1980s

Week 11: The Global Economy and its Discontents: 1990s

For Tuesday 10/27: Read Ch. 11 in Griffith, and bring in 3-5 points from the reading

For Thursday 10/29: Read Ch. 1 in Bacevich, The Limits of Power and bring in 3-5 points from the reading

Resources: This Is What Democracy Looks Like |

Week 12: Election of 2000

For Tuesday 11/3: Read Griffith, pp. 484-488 and 501-507. Also watch this video on election 2000.

For Thursday 11/5: Read Bacevich, Limits of Power, Ch. 2

Dr. Hogan is speaking at 12:15 at Univ. Richmond on 11/6, on "Students as the Storm-Troopers of the Movement: Civil Rights and Human Rights Movements in the US". Come out! I want you to meet with the students there after the talk. Here is the map for UR, talk is in building #4, the "Tyler Hanes Commons," which is the student center right in the middle of campus. Park on either side of the building, and come to third floor, room 333. Free pizza lunch served.

Week 13: Nine-Eleven and Pre-Emptive War

For Tuesday 11/10: Read Griffith, Ch. 14 and bring in 3-5 points on the reading

For Thursday 11/12: Read Bacevich, Limits of Power, Ch. 3 and bring in 3-5 points on the reading.

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Week 14: Election of 2008

For Tuesday 11/17: Marshall Ganz article on Obama campaign Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5. Then Read Obama-Man. Finally, Read Elizabeth Drew on Election 2008. Bring 2 major points in from each of these three articles.

For Thursday 11/19: Read Bacevich, Limits of Power, Conclusion, and three major points from reading.

Resources: The Obamas & Race |  Affirmative Action, 2008 | Gay Civil Rights | Nuclear Weapons |

Week 15: Final Presentations

For Tuesday 11/24: Final Presentations of Research papers: Shawn Preston, Shanaee Bodrick, David Young

Final Exam: Thursday, December 3, 8am-10am, Harris Hall Rm. 228

Keep in mind that you will be docked a point per minute late to the exam. All students must stay for the entire two hours.