Spring 2025 Course Syllabus
Course: HIST-1302 (Section: 5E, CRN: 10833)
United States History II 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Marshall Godwin
Email godwinmt@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6320
Office Madison Monroe Educational - Room: 147
Office Hours MO, WE, TH: 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
TU: 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
FR: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
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.
 
OpenStaxU.S. History is a free, online textbook which you will be able to access from Blackboard. Any and all additional readings, should additional readings be assigned, will be posted to 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 if your connection is slow.
Additional Materials/Resources In addition to the basic course textbook, you will be required to read other materials including but not limited to primary sources, secondary sources and other articles or book excerpts germane to U.S. History since 1877. All of these materials will be available to you through the course Blackboard, and it is your responsibility to read them in preparation for class discussions, tests, and in-class writing assignments.

It is incumbent upon the student to bring pencils with them to each class session. Additionally, you will need to purchase a composition notebook for a semester-long journal assignment. Neither writing utensils nor composition notebooks will be provided for students by the instructor: you are required to provide them for yourself.
Corequisites/Prerequisites
  • ENGL-0302 College Reading Skills
  • ENGL-0327 Integrated Reading and Writing
Learning Outcomes
  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
INTRODUCTORY MODULE (01/22/25 – 01/27/25)
 
During the first two class sessions we will introduce ourselves to the subject matter of HIST 1302, learn what we know (and don’t know) about U.S. history since 1877 and discuss the syllabus and what is expected of you in this course.
 
Readings:
  • Syllabus
 
Other Blackboard Work:
  • All readings and items in Introductory Module
  • Must score a 100% on the syllabus quiz to access Module 1 of the course
 
Major Assignments:
  • No major assignments will be due during the introductory module.
MODULE 1 (01/27/25 – 02/12/25)
A TALE OF TODAY: AMERICA DURING THE GILDED AGE, 1877 – 1898
 
**This module will become accessible from 01/27/25 on, but only if you have scored a 100% on the syllabus quiz in the Introductory Module. **
 
In the first module of the course, we will learn about the social, economic and political changes that rocked the nation during the late nineteenth century as cities in the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. and in California dramatically swelled in size.
 
The intensification of industrialization in the North during the Civil War had lasting consequences, as people from the rural U.S. and from around the planet sought work at the factories, warehouses, shipyards and stores of America’s massive cities. This rapid urbanization left its mark on the country in many ways, and people in both the cities and the countryside tried to navigate the complicated politics of the age in various ways.
 
Readings:
  • OpenStax U.S. History chapters 18, 19 and 20
  • All articles in Module 1 on Blackboard
 
Other Blackboard Work:
  • Various ungraded practice assignments on Blackboard
  • All readings, articles, videos, etc.
 
Major Assignments:
  • You will begin working on your journal during this module.
  • You will receive at least two minor writing assignments during this module.
MODULE 2(02/17/25 - 03/05/25)
EMPIRE OF LIBERTY: AMERICA DURING THE PROGRESSIVE ERA
 
**This module will become accessible after 02/17/25, provided you have completed all readings and practice work in Module 1.**
 
In this module, we will learn about the progressive movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and another movement that was often intertwined with progressivism: the imperialist movement. As the United States of America expanded beyond North America and into the Pacific Basin, the U.S. was drawn out of isolation and into world affairs. Having thrust itself onto the world stage, the U.S. now found itself in the tangled spiderweb of international relations that would ultimately drag it and other major powers into the First World War.
 
Readings:
  • OpenStax U.S. History chapters 21, 22 and 23
  • All articles in Module 2 on Blackboard
 
Other Blackboard Work:
  • Various ungraded practice assignments on Blackboard
  • All readings, articles, videos, etc.
 
Major Assignments:
  • You will continue working on your journal as we work through this module.
  • The midterm exam will take place in class on 03/05/25. It will cover all material from modules one and two.
MODULE 3(03/17/25 – 04/09/25)
CHANGES AND CHALLENGES
 
**This module will become accessible after 03/17/25, provided you have completed all readings, practice assignments, and other materials in the Second Module of the course.**
 
In this module, we will learn about a period of especially intense challenges for the nation and the world. Although the nation materially prospered during the 1920s, both social and economic problems roiled beneath the surface, coming to a head with the collapse of the financial system in late 1929. During the Great Depression that followed, people came together to survive and elected a new batch of leaders at the local, state and Federal levels. Under the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the U.S. government began taking active measures to end the Depression and restore national prosperity.
 
Meanwhile, in Europe and Asia, fascist regimes took power in Italy, Japan and Germany. These rightist governments embarked on campaigns of genocidal conquest, setting off what was by an enormous margin the bloodiest conflict in human history: the Second World War. The U.S. was violently dragged into the conflict, and by the time the smoke cleared the Depression had ended…but tens of millions of people around the world had been killed, most of them noncombatants who were systematically murdered by Japan and Germany.
 
Readings:
  • OpenStax U.S. History chapters 24, 25, 26 and 27
  • All articles in Module 3 on Blackboard
 
Other Blackboard Work:
  • Various ungraded practice assignments on Blackboard
  • All readings, articles, videos, etc.
 
Major Assignments:
  • You will continue working on your journal as we work through this module.
  • You will receive the instructions for the research presentation, as well as your groups and topics, at the beginning of this module.
  • The first research presentations will be given to the class on 04/07/25
MODULE 4 (04/14/25 – 05/07/25)
BRAVE NEW WORLD: THE COLD WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH
 
**This module will become accessible after 04/14/25, provided you have completed all readings and other materials in Module 3 of the course.**
 
During the Second World War, most of the major powers were economically exhausted and militarily depleted, leaving only the United States and the Soviet Union to lead world affairs. During the decades that followed, America and Russia vied for influence around the globe, leading to numerous proxy wars and conflicts including the Korean War and Vietnam War. This state of affairs continued until the late 1980s and early 1990s when most communist governments – including the Soviet Union – collapsed.
 
Despite the omnipresent threat of nuclear war between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., all was not bleak during the Cold War. The Civil Rights movement found new energy during the Second World War and the years that followed, as did the women’s rights movement and a flurry of other social justice movements, all of which saw some victories during this period.
 
Readings:
  • OpenStax U.S. History chapters 28, 29, 30 and 31
  • All articles in Module 4 on Blackboard
 
Other Blackboard Work:
  • Various ungraded practice assignments on Blackboard
  • All articles, readings, videos, etc.
 
Major Assignments:
  • Your journal will be completed during the last week of this module.
  • All remaining research presentations will be made during this module.
CONCLUDING MODULE (05/12/25 – 05/14/25)
 
**This module will become available on 05/12/25**
 
During the final week of the course, we will take the final exam (05/12/25) and then discuss some of the challenges facing the United States in the twenty-first century (05/14/25).
 
Readings:
  • We will discuss chapter 32 of the textbook a bit on 05/14/25 as we conclude the course and discuss the recent past and some of the challenges that face us as we head into the future.
 
Other Blackboard Work:
  • n/a
 
Major Assignments:
  • The final exam will be administered in class on 05/12/25. It will cover all materials from modules one, two, three and four.

Major Assignments Schedule
Assignment Date
Midterm Exam 03/05/25
Final Exam 05/12/25
Journal entries start: 01/29/25
Journal entries end: 05/07/25
Research Presentation instructions given: 03/17/25
Last day for Research presentations to be made: 05/07/25

Final Exam Date May 12, 2025 - 1:40 PM   Through  May 12, 2025 - 2:55 PM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade

Assignment

Percentage of final course grade

Midterm Exam

20%

Final Exam

20%

Journal

15%

Research Presentation

15%

Minor writing assignments

10%

Attendance & Participation

20%

Course Policies
Instructor Policies COURSE POLICIES

Syllabus Policy
The instructor reserves the right to adjust this syllabus and all of its contents – including but not limited to assignment instructions, due dates, and course materials – as needed.
 
Class Recording Policy
Unless explicit permission is provided by the instructor, you do not have the right to record class sessions. Exceptions might be made upon request at the discretion of the instructor or in the event that recordings are necessitated by an Accommodations Memorandum.
 
Classroom Etiquette Policy
I take the issue of civility seriously and expect everyone in the classroom to behave civilly toward one another. This means firstly 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 identity, sexual orientation, national origin, immigration status, ethnicity, descent, religion, or any other factor whatsoever.
 
Secondly, you will 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 someone is behaving in a discriminatory manner, you have no reason to interrupt your fellow students – regardless of how much you might disagree with their perspectives.
 
Thirdly, you will be respectful of the learning environment. Disruptive students – e.g., students who talk on their phones during class or who talk while other students are presenting – will be reprimanded. If circumstances require it, the instructor will request the offending student leave the room, and will mark the offending student absent for that class session.
 
Finally, if there are any acts of violence or threats of violence by any student(s) against any other student(s) or against the instructor, the offending student(s) will be removed both from the classroom and from the course entirely. If such an incident were to occur on a day with an exam, then the offending student would also receive a zero for that exam without any possibility of retaking it.
 
Assignment Due Dates
Excepting students whose Accommodations Memorandum necessitates taking exams at the Testing Center, students faced with a documented emergency or students who are unable to attend due to a prescheduled extracurricular or school event, students will take their exams in the classroom and return them to the instructor during the same class session. Journal work will be done in class, as will most or all of your minor writing assignments: all work done in class will be due at the end of that class session, and any minor writing assignments that are sent home with you (if any such assignments are given) will be returned to the instructor at the beginning of the next class session.
 
The research presentation due dates will vary depending on what time slot your group signed up for, but all will be presented and all research packets turned in by or before 05/07/25.
 
Due dates, including exam dates, are non-negotiable.
 

Late Work and Make-Up Work Policy
I will not accept late research assignments under any circumstances. Should your group fail to complete the research presentation by the due date, you will automatically receive a score of 0% for the assignment. There will be no exceptions to this rule under any circumstances. Make sure you and your groupmates get your work done, and be certain you turn in your research packet.
 
As mentioned elsewhere in this syllabus, there will be no retakes or make-ups for the exams, excepting students with an appropriate Accommodations Memorandum, those faced with an authentic and documented medical, family or other crisis, and those students who attend an unavoidable extracurricular or academic school event documented by school officials. Apart from those possible exceptions, all other students will take the exams on their respective due dates.
 
Students with an Accommodations Memorandum might have different testing requirements – e.g., they might be allowed more time to complete exams, etc. –  befitting their particular educational needs. In instances where the student is able to provide authentic documentation of a crisis, I will consider scheduling different dates for them to take an alternative exam on a case-by-case basis. Similarly, students who provide evidence from the school of an unavoidable extracurricular or academic event are also eligible to take an alternative exam at a different date. 
 
ADA Considerations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination law that provides comprehensive civil rights for people with disabilities. Among many other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their particular needs. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation, please contact:
 
Office for Disability Services Coordinator
Madison Monroe Building, Room 231
(409) 984-6231
 
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 for Disability Services at the beginning of the course.
 
If you have an Accommodations Memorandum from the Office for Disability Services, please be sure to email me a copy as soon as you are able to do so. I must have a copy of the Memorandum in order to properly apply it to your assignments or to adjust exam-taking to meet your particular educational needs. Accommodations Memoranda are not applied retroactively, so be send me your Memorandum as early in the semester as possible.
 
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 – or anything – else. By cheating, you not only jeopardize your own academic future, you are cheating your future self out of your own education.
 
Any and all digital submissions will be screened for plagiarism. For a more thorough definition of plagiarism, please refer to the “Academic Policies” section of the Student Handbook.
 
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. You will be required to come to my office and discuss plagiarism with me, something I am sure we both want to avoid.
  2. Second Offense: A second plagiarism offense will result in yet another grade of 0% for the plagiarized assignment, and the student’s name and all documented offenses will be forwarded to the proper LSCPA officials.
  3. Third or Further Offense(s): The student will receive grades of 0% for all offensive assignments and, in severe cases might even fail the course entirely and face additional consequences.
 
Since it clearly needs to be stated, note that use of an AI service to write all or part of an assignment constitutes an act of plagiarism and will result in an immediate zero on the offending assignment.
 
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 the course Blackboard by using the MyLSCPA web portal (https://www.lamarpa.edu/MyLSCPA). It is crucial to your success in college that you routinely check your campus email and login to the Blackboard sites for this course and any other courses you are taking at LSCPA. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is through 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


EXAMINATION POLICIES
 
TIME DURING EXAMS
  • On exam days, you will have the entire class period to complete the exam. When the instructor alerts the class that the period is over, you will set your writing utensil(s) down on the desk immediately and close your exam packet. Failure to stop taking the exam when instructed to do so will result in an immediate grade of zero for offending students.
  • If you are late on an exam day, you will not receive additional time. In other words, if you are twenty minutes late to class, then you have simply cost yourself twenty minutes of exam-taking time.
  • Once someone completes the exam and leaves the room, no more students will be allowed to enter the room or to start the exam. For instance, suppose the first student to complete the exam finishes it twenty-five minutes into the class period, and suppose that you enter the classroom thirty minutes late. You will automatically receive a score of zero for that exam, and barring the presentation of authenticatable documentation of a medical or other crisis that delayed you or evidence produced by the school of some school-related event that delayed you, you will not be allowed to retake it at a future date.
 
WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT HAVE OR DO
  • Before reaching your seat during exam days, you will deposit your backpack, purse, briefcase, messenger bag, and any other such items at the front of the room with the instructor. You will also silence your phone and leave it in your backpack/bag at the front of the room. Students who refuse to comply will not be allowed to take the exam and will be instructed to leave the classroom.
  • The ONLY things that may be out on your desk during the administration of the exams are writing utensils. If anything else is either on the desk or on your person, you will receive a grade of zero for that exam and will be instructed to leave the classroom.
  • If you use your cell phone, smart watch, laptop, tablet or any other electronic telecommunications device in any way whatsoever at any point during the administration of an exam, you will automatically receive a score of zero on your exam and will be instructed to leave the classroom.
  • If you have any devices in your ear canals other than hearing aids – in other words, air pods, earbuds, earphones, etc. – you will receive a score of zero on the exam and will be instructed to leave the classroom.
  • Unless a medical emergency or some other event that imperils student safety is occurring, no one may speak to anyone about anything during the administration of the exams. If you speak and there is no emergency, you will automatically receive a score of zero on the exam and will be instructed to leave the classroom.
  • You cannot go to the restroom during the administration of an exam, so be sure to go beforehand.
 
 
MISSING EXAMS
  • Excepting students with an Accommodations Memorandum from the Office for Disability Services, students who are dealing with a documented and authenticatable medical or other crisis and students who provide evidence that a school-related academic or extracurricular event prevented them from getting to class, everyone must take the exams at the times and dates listed in the IMPORTANT DATES, ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR and COURSE SCHEDULE sections of the syllabus. No exceptions. If your crisis is undocumented – i.e., there is no documentation from a third party and no way for the instructor to verify that your reason for not attending class on an exam day was legitimate – and you are asking me to take your word for it (or your parents’ word for it), you cannot take the exam and you will receive a grade of zero for that exam.
  • In the event that a student has provided authenticated documentation of a medical or other crisis that interfered with their ability to attend class during an exam day, the instructor and student will set up a time for the student to take an alternative exam as soon as possible, either at the Testing Center or in the instructor's office during office hours. Note that if you are taking a make-up exam, it will not be the same set of questions administered to the rest of the class: the instructor reserves the right to provide a different exam to any student who takes the exam at a different date from the rest of the class.
Attendance Policy Attendance & Participation
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class session. If you are late by ten minutes or more, you will be counted absent, even if you attended the rest of the class period. If you come to the beginning of class but leave before more than 30 minutes have passed, you will also be counted absent for that class period. Additionally, uncivilized behavior can also earn you an absence: specifically, if you use your phone during class and are asked to put it away but do not immediately do so, you will be counted absent for that class session. Absences will only be excused in the event that documentation of a crisis or school-sanctioned extracurricular or academic event is provided.

Your attendance and participation points are yours to lose: everyone will begin the semester with a grade of “100” for their attendance and participation. If you are repeatedly absent, you will lose points, and ten absences will result in failure of the entire course. Absences will impact your attendance and participation grade as displayed on the table below:

 
IMPACT OF ABSENCES:
 

Four or fewer absences:		 No loss of points
Five absences -20 (80% max attendance grade)
Six absences -40 (60% max attendance grade)
Seven absences -60 (40% max attendance grade)
Eight absences -80 (20% max attendance grade)
Nine absences -100 (0% attendance grade)
Ten absences FAILURE OF ENTIRE COURSE

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 Disability Services Coordinator, Room 117, in the Student Sucess Center. 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:Dr. Steven Zani
Email:zanisj@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6431