US History II

In our last four class sessions we are looking at recent history–“the history of now”–and how to make sense of our globalized, media-rich, fast-changing social landscape.

On Monday April 25th we’ll discuss, add to, and work from the wiki we’ve been making: it can be found at http://since1989.wikispaces.com. As on Friday, it will be helpful to bring your laptop and/or your textbook to class.

On Wednesday the 27th we will start our last written project in class – you’ll receive a packet of materials to study a recent event in US history and will begin to evaluate and analyze the contents. That project is due on the last day of class, next Monday May 2nd. You’ll get full guidelines and instructions on Wednesday.

For Friday the 29th, please read an 8-part article series published in Slate.com magazine by Josh Levin, titled “How Is America Going to End?” Although historians aren’t in the business of predicting the future, a historically-informed perspective can help us think through hypothetical scenarios like these. Which seem plausible to you? What kind of evidence would you need, and what kinds of evidence does Levin provide?

On Monday the 2nd, we wrap up the course and plan for the final. Your “History Now” project is due in class on this day. You can submit it early, but not late, and it cannot be submitted in electronic form. This means you will need to print it out, and you can’t use “no printer ink” or “printer not working” as an excuse for not turning in your work. Plan ahead. There are no exceptions.
Bring your textbook to class on Monday May 2nd.

Exam #4 will be given during the final exam slot, on Monday May 9th at 8:30 am in our regular classroom. It covers Chapters 31 and 32 and Levin’s article series.

Here’s the link to the class wiki: you will need to “Join This Wiki” which may ask for a username and password. (If you’ve ever used Wikispaces before, you can use the same username/password you’ve already made).

http://www.since1989.wikispaces.com

Remember to bring your textbooks and your laptops on Friday so we can work on this in our groups.

Our last unit will consider the U.S. since the 1970s. Our reading this week is Chapter 31. On Monday 4/11, we will have an in-class screening (of a 1978 M*A*S*H) episode and class discussion to wrap up the Vietnam and Watergate era. On Wednesday 4/13 and Friday 4/15, we will look at highlights and important concepts from 1974-1989.

Next week (Monday is a holiday, no class) will consider Chapter 32 and the end of the Cold War. We live in the “post-Cold War” era, what does that mean? When did it end, and how? What were the consequences both internationally and domestically?

During the week of April 25, you will take on a small project concerned with a recent event in American history. How do historians understand the recent past? What sources, questions, and materials can help students like yourselves understand events which happened in your own lifetimes? How do you set “history” into the context of your own life?

I will be there by the end of class (I think!) so please take attendance on Wednesday 4/6. You can use that class period however you see fit – one big study session, small group work, individual study time, working on your Civil Rights Movement notes page…

I posted Monday’s slides under the “Slides” tab and also under “Resources” on the Course Blackboard.

Also, here is the blank handout from Monday with key terms from the Vietnam War era and from the Watergate scandal and trial, in case you didn’t pick one up in class.

There’s no class today, Friday 4/1 because of snow. I have posted the class lecture notes and slides that we would have used today under the “Resources” tab on the course Blackboard. See you Monday; the reading for Monday is Chapter 30.

Document Duels can be submitted via email or Digital Dropbox.

Just a heads-up – Next Wednesday, April 6th, I will be giving a talk on campus for a large group of Worcester Public High School students at 9 am. I cannot be in class for our whole hour because of that presentation, but I will plan to be there by 10:15 when class ends. My proposal is that you students come to class without me, and use the class period as a group study session (with attendance taken). I will be happy to address any questions on Monday the 4th also. See the previous post (below) for more information about how to prepare for the exam on Friday the 8th.