Spring 2023 Course Syllabus
Course: HIST-1302 (Section: 5E, CRN: 10470)
United States History II
LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Marshall Godwin
Email godwinmt@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6102
Office Madison Monroe Educational - Room: 147
Office Hours Office Hours will be held through Blackboard Collaborate on Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., or by specially scheduled appointment. 
Additional Contact Information n/a
Course Information
Description A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the Civil War/Reconstruction era to the present. United States History II examines industrialization, immigration, world wars, the Great Depression, Cold War and post-Cold War eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History II include: American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, urbanization and suburbaniza
Required Textbooks Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.
 
OpenStax U.S. History is a free, online textbook which you will be able to access in full from Blackboard. Any and all additional readings, should additional readings be assigned, will be posted on Blackboard. You will NOT need to purchase any textbooks – or any other reading materials – for this course. You may access your OpenStax U.S. History via the following link:
 
https://openstax.org/details/books/us-history

 
You can read the book directly online from https://openstax.orgor download a PDF copy which you can save to your device (laptop, tablet, external hard drive, etc.). Be aware that this file is massive, and downloading a copy might take a few minutes.

Additional Materials/Resources n/a
Corequisites/Prerequisites
  • ENGL-0302 College Reading Skills
  • ENGL-0327 Integrated Reading and Writing
Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of United States history
Core Objectives
* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication.
* Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
* Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities.
* Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.

Lecture Topics Outline

Introduction to HIST 1302 / Overview of Reconstruction
Introduction to the structure of the course, the subject matter of HIST 1302, and the nature of history as an academic discipline. We will discuss primary sources, secondary sources, how to approach historical artifacts, and bias in historical records. We will also take a cursory look at the crucial Reconstruction period. The changes – and lack thereof – in the South and the U.S. as a whole during the Reconstruction are some of the most important developments in all of U.S. history.
Reading: No reading due for this week
Assignments: No assignments are due this week



The Westward Expansion
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the rapid and violent expansion of the United States west of the Mississippi River during the 19th century. We will pay particular attention to the socioeconomic developments in the western U.S. and to the atrocities committed against American nations by the U.S. military.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 17, pp. 435 – 462
Assignments: Quiz 1 over chapter 17



Industrialization
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the importation and spread of modern technology in the U.S., and the drastic impact new technology had on the social and economic development of the U.S. during the late nineteenth century.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 18, pp. 463 – 490
Assignments: Quiz 2 over chapter 18

 

Urbanization
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the demographic revolution of the late nineteenth century U.S., and on both the blessings and curses of intense urbanization. We will pay special attention to the experiences of the urban working-class and to developments in art and literature in late Victorian U.S. cities.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 19, pp. 491 – 520
Assignments: Quiz 3 over chapter 19



Politics in the Gilded Age
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the corrupt and fractious politics of the “Gilded Age” (1877 – 1898), and we will pay close attention to the various rural and urban labor groups that attempted – sometimes with a modicum of success – to reform the U.S. economic and political systems.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 20, pp. 521 – 548
Assignments: Quiz 4 over chapter 20

 

The Progressive Movement(s)
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the rise of the progressive movements (yes, plural) in the late 19th and early 20th century U.S. We will focus not only on the successful reforms of these movements (such as the women’s suffrage movement), but on the classist and racist elements of early progressivism.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 21, pp. 549 – 578
Assignments: Quiz 5 over chapter 21



The U.S. Colonial Empire
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the expansion of the United States into the Caribbean Sea and out of the western hemisphere altogether. We will pay special attention to the bipartisan support for imperialism by both conservatives and progressives, the atrocious violence of U.S. soldiers in the Philippines, and some of the lesser-known imperial actions of the U.S. between 1890 and 1914.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 22, pp. 579 – 604
Assignments: Quiz 6 over chapter 22



The First World War
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the First World War, a brutal conflict that ended tens of millions of lives and permanently altered the geopolitical order. We will focus on the context into which the U.S. entered the war and the global consequences of this bloodbath for people around the planet.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 23, pp. 605 – 636
Assignments: Quiz 7 over chapter 23

 

The “Roaring” 1920s
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the cultural fluorescence of the post-World War United States, and on the (apparent) economic prosperity of the postwar U.S. We will pay special attention to the growth of civil rights and cultural revolution movements, and to the federal policies and economic trends that facilitated the near-total collapse of the U.S. economy in late 1929.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 24, pp. 637 – 664
Assignments: Quiz 8 over chapter 24

 

The Great Depression and the New Deal
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the collapse of the U.S. economy following the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, and the slow climb out of mass unemployment, homelessness, and hunger, spearheaded by the Roosevelt administration’s “New Deal” policies from 1933 onward. We will also discuss the great environmental crisis of the 1930s, the Dust Bowl, a crisis which might recur in our lifetimes.
ReadingU.S. History chapters 25 and 26, pp. 665 – 722
Assignments: Quiz 9 over chapters 25 an 26

 

The Second World War
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on what some consider to be the low point of human history: the Second World War. We will focus on the genocides committed by Germany and Japan; the experience of U.S. persons on the home front, and especially the experiences of U.S. persons of Japanese ancestry; the role of the U.S. in the war and its crimes; and the new world order established by this cataclysm.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 27, pp. 723 – 752
Assignments: Quiz 10 over chapter 27



The Early Cold War
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the major changes to both the role of the United States in postwar geopolitics and the socioeconomic and cultural shifts within the U.S. We will pay special attention to the Korean War, the building crescendo of social justice activism, and the growing cultural friction within the U.S. between 1945 and 1959.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 28, pp. 753 – 782
Assignments: Quiz 11 over chapter 28

 

Change and Trauma in the 1960s
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the intense cultural friction within the U.S. during the crucial decade of the 1960s, as well as on the early phases of the destructive and still-controversial Vietnam War. We will pay close attention to the successes of the African American Civil Rights movement, and to the broad-based resistance to that movement by white Protestant persons across the U.S.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 29, pp. 783 – 814
Assignments: Quiz 12 over chapter 29

 

The Malaise of the 1970s
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the continuing fight for social justice in the 1970s, and especially on the successes of the feminist movement and the rise of an organized movement to protect the rights of non-heterosexual persons. We will also discuss the U.S. failure in the Vietnam War, the economic stagnancy of the 1970s, and the corruption of the Nixon administration.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 30, pp. 815 – 846
Assignments: Quiz 13 over chapter 30 

 

The Twilight of the Twentieth Century
Our lectures and discussions for this week will focus on the cultural and geopolitical shifts of the 1980s and 1990s, with emphases on the near-catastrophic friction between the U.S. and Soviet Union during the 1980s; the disaster of the War on Drugs; the collapse of the Soviet Union during the early 1990s; the changing role of the U.S. in geopolitics following the Soviet collapse; and the centrist politics of the 1990s.
ReadingU.S. History chapter 31, pp. 847 – 876
Assignments: Quiz 14 over chapter 31. Writing Assignment due at or before 11:59 p.m. on Friday

 

Dawn of the Twenty-First Century and FINAL EXAM
We will cap the course off with a discussion about recent history, including the rapidly changing demographic composition of the United States racially, ethnically, and religiously; economic and technological changes; and conflicts such as the War on Terror and the increasingly polarized electorate.
Reading: No reading due for this week.
AssignmentsFINAL EXAM 


Major Assignments Schedule Refer to the chart below to quickly look up when our quiz dates and other assignment due dates are. These dates are also listed in the COURSE SCHEDULE section at the end of this syllabus.
 

Quiz 1
01/25/23
Quiz 2 02/01/23
Quiz 3 02/08/23
Quiz 4 02/15/23
Quiz 5 02/22/23
Quiz 6 03/01/23
Quiz 7 03/08/23
Quiz 8 03/22/23
Quiz 9 03/29/23
Quiz 10 04/05/23
Quiz 11 04/12/23
Quiz 12 04/19/23
Quiz 13 04/26/23
Quiz 14 05/03/23
Writing Assignment 05/05/23 @ 11:59 p.m.
Final Exam 05/10/23
 
With the exception of the writing assignment, all these assignments will be done in the classroom during class time. The writing assignment, as mentioned elsewhere in this syllabus, will be turned in via Blackboard before 11:59 p.m. on 05/05/23.

Final Exam Date May 10, 2023 - 12:00 PM   Through  May 10, 2023 - 1:15 PM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade
Final Exam = 35%
Quizzes = 35% (2.5% each)
Writing Assignment = 15%
Attendance and Participation = 15%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies Assignment Due Dates
All assignment due dates are listed in this syllabus, both in the ASSIGNMENTCALENDAR and COURSESCHEDULE sections. Quizzes and the final exam will be administered in class and will be taken up at the end of class. The writing assignment is due via Blackboard at 11:59 p.m. on 05/05/23.
 
 
Late Work Policy
I do not accept late work. Since you will have more than half a semester to complete the writing assignment, I do not expect this to be a problem, provided that you are self-disciplined. Put in other terms, since you have such a long time to work on this relatively small assignment, there are no valid excuses for not turning it in. Should you fail to turn in your writing assignment on or before the due date (11:59 p.m. on 05/05/23) you will automatically receive a score of 0% for the writing assignment. There will be no exceptions.
 
As mentioned above in GRADES & ASSIGNMENTS section, there will be no retakes or make-ups for either the final exam or the reading quizzes. You will take the final exam in class on 05/10/23, and the reading quizzes on their respective dates.
 
 
ADA Considerations
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination law that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their particular disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation, please contact:
 
Office of Disability Services, Coordinator
Madison Monroe Building, Room 231
disabilityservices@lamarpa.edu

(409) 984-6241
 
 
Disability Accommodations
It is the policy of Lamar State College-Port Arthur to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to state and federal law and the College’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. Any student with a disability, who needs accommodation, for example, in seating placement or arrangement for examinations, notes, etc., should inform the instructor with a copy of the letter from the Office of Student Disabilities at the beginning of the course.
 
If you have a disability accommodation letter, please be sure to show it to me as soon as possible and to email me a scanned copy. I must have a copy of the letter in order to apply it properly to your assignments or to adjust quiz / exam taking to meet your needs.
 
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to truly learning any subject or discipline. You are to submit your own work, not the work of peers, friends, or anyone else. By cheating, you not only jeopardize your own academic future, you are cheating your future self out of your own education.
 
All student submissions will be screened for plagiarism. For a more thorough definition of plagiarism, please refer to the “Academic Policies” section of the Student Handbook (in the present edition, this should be on page 30).
 
Below are the consequences for acts of plagiarism in this course:
 
  1. First Offense: For your first plagiarism offense, you will receive a grade of 0% on the assignment.
  2. Second Offense: A second plagiarism offense will result in the student failing the course entirely. The student’s name and all documented offenses will be forwarded to the proper LSCPA officials.
 
 
Classroom Etiquette Policy
I expect everyone in the classroom to behave civilly toward one another. This means, first and foremost, that I will not tolerate any form of discriminatory remarks or actions by any student(s) against any other student(s) on the basis of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, immigration status, ethnicity, religion, or any other factor, period.
 
Secondly, you must be kind and respectful toward your peers during class discussions and lectures. Listen when someone else is talking, and show others the courtesy that ought to be shown to you. Unless they are making a discriminatory statement or taking discriminatory action, you have no reason to interrupt your fellow students – regardless of how much you might disagree with their viewpoint. In point of fact, if you are to become a responsible citizen of the republic, it is all the more important that you learn to respectfully listen to perspectives other than your own.
 
Finally, note that I take the issue of student-to-student civility seriously: in order to preserve republican civilization in the United States, it is of utmost importance that you are able to coexist and cooperate with people who have lifeways, faiths, identities, and perspectives different from your own. Students who are disrespectful of their peers or of the instructor will be reprimanded; if necessary, they will be asked to leave the classroom and will marked absent for that day. If such an instance were to occur on a day with a reading quiz, then the offending student would also miss that reading quiz, without any possibility of retaking it. In extreme cases – for instance, if there is physical violence or a threat of physical violence by a student against another student or against the instructor – I will have the offending student removed not only from the classroom, but from the course entirely.
 
 
 
 
Facility Policies

  1. No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom.
  2. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom.
  3. Use of electronic devices for purposes other than note-taking or learning is prohibited.
 
 
MyLSCPA
Be sure to check your campus email account and course homepage using the MyLSCPA web portal (https://www.lamarpa.edu/MyLSCPA). When you’ve logged in, click the email icon in the upper right-hand corner to check your email, or click on the “My Courses” tab to get to your Courses Homepage. Click the link to your course to review the information presented. It is important that you routinely check your email and Course Homepage regularly. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is by using MyLSCPA.
 
 
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect
As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA’s Policy and Procedure Manual.
 
 
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct
LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA’s Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college’s response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA’s Title IX website (https://www.lamarpa.edu/General/Title-IX-Sexual-Misconduct).
 
 
Clery Act Crime Reporting
For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website (https://www.lamarpa.edu/Lamar/media/Lamar/Files/Security/Annual-Security-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf).
 

Attendance Policy Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class session. If you are late by 30 minutes or more, you will be counted absent, even if you make it to class later. It is important that you attend class, as we will go over all the material that will be on the quizzes and the final exam during lectures and class discussions. Additionally, I expect you to do more than “fill another seat”: to earn your attendance and participation grade, you will actively engage in our discussions, debates, and group activities.
 
If you are tardy by less than 30 minutes, I will not count you absent, but your tardiness – including the actual time you entered the classroom – will be noted and reported to the school.
 
In this course, as in all postsecondary courses, there are not excused or unexcused absences, merely absences. If you are not present in class on a given class day, you will be counted absent, and that will be that. Of course, life happens, and it is possible that there will be times you are simply unable to attend class in person, hence the four “free” absences. For this course, as in all college courses, you will have a limited number of absences which you may take before you fail the course entirely.
 
  • You may be absent 4 times before your Attendance & Participation grade is impacted.
  • If you are absent a 5th time, the maximum score you will be able to receive for your Attendance & Participation grade will be reduced to 66⅔ (10% of your final course average)
  • If you are absent a 6th time, the maximum score you will be able to receive for your Attendance & Participation grade will be reduced to 33⅓ (5% of your final course average)
  • If you are absent a 7th time, you will receive a 0% for you Attendance & Participation grade.
  • If you are absent an 8th time, you will FAIL THE COURSE ENTIRELY

Additional Information n/a
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
ADA Considerations The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504 This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.

Grievance / Complaint / Concern If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information
General Education and Developmental Studies
Chair:Christina Wilbur
Email:wilburca@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6394