Social, economic, diplomatic, and political trends in the United States during the post-World War II era.
Athena Title
Modern America 1945 to Present
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the post-WWII United States by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of post-war America (including race and gender relations) has shaped social and cultural identities, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
The Legacies of Depression and War
Truman, the Cold War, and Containment
Constructing a Postwar World
Anti-Communism
Supermarkets, Suburbs, and the Politics of Affluence
Agribusiness and the Transformation of Rural Life
Bebop, Rock n' Roll, and the Beats
JFK and the Promise of American Liberalism
LBJ and the "Great Society"
The Civil Rights Era I: Inequality
The Civil Rights Era II: Struggle
The Civil Rights Era III: Politics
The New Left and the New Right
Vietnam: Into the Quagmire
Second-Wave Feminism
From Silent Spring to Earth Day
Watergate and the Imperial Presidency
The "Southernization" of America
Panic at the Pump: The Global Politics of Food and Fuel
Crises of Confidence: "American "Malaise"
The Reagan "Revolution"
The End of the Cold War
An Age of Uncertainty and Inequality
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
