The United States Since 1900: Late 20th C. to Present (315-3-20)
Topic
The United States Since 1968
Instructors
Michael J. Allen
847/467-3979
Harris Hall - Room 342
Meeting Info
Tech Institute Lecture Room 5: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
This course examines the years 1968-2022, the recent past that most US history courses never get around to discussing. It surveys the rise and fall of free market values in the United States and the world over the past half-century to explain such things as rising inequality, mass incarceration, mass immigration, party polarization, and political extremism. Along the way it considers the specific risks and rewards of studying the recent past, asking what sources we can rely on, where is the line and what is the relationship between history and the present. The course ends with the crisis of the neoliberal order that began with the 2008-09 global financial crisis and culminated in the political turmoil that has defined the last decade. Prior collegiate or AP coursework in modern US and world history will be helpful to your understanding of course material but is not required so long as you are prepared to work hard and ask questions.
Learning Objectives
Recognize the differences between primary and secondary sources, identify arguments in each type of source, and demonstrate proficiency in summarizing, critiquing, and using both kinds of sources to explain historical phenomena; Identify the most important developments in US history since 1968, differentiate the period from what came before it, and offer persuasive, well-documented arguments to explain what changed, what did not, and why; Make clear and convincing arguments to explain change and continuity over time that are substantiated by the evidence best suited to demonstrating the validity of those arguments; Think critically about how structures of advantage and disadvantage changed between 1968 and 2022, while identifying enduring patterns amid those changes; Understand and explain the historical causes that gave rise to current social, political, and cultural conditions.
Evaluation Method
Class participation (20%), Short writing assignments (20%), Three essays (60%)
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - Harris Hall L06: Fri 9:00AM - 9:50AM
DIS - University Hall 112: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - University Hall 218: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM
DIS - NO DATA: NO DATA