US History II

Update: I have posted our class slides (Chapter 14) under a new “Slides” tab, above. Also – if you need examples of footnotes for the SkillBuilder, check the “SkillBuilders” tab, where I’ve put a couple of sample ones.

Our first unit on post-Civil War America begins with a look at Reconstruction’s mixed legacy and the multiple meanings of freedom in the postwar South (Chapter 14). We will then turn to other regions of the country, including the West (Chapter 15), North (Chapter 16) and MidWest (Chapter 17).

Mon 1/27 Frontier Encounters. Reading: Ch 15

Wed 1/29 Workshop Day. Bring your textbook to class (if you have an e-book, bring your laptop or tablet), we will be working with the Documents in Chapters 14 and 15.
Link: Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool

Fri 1/31 The Age of Organization: Industry. Reading: Ch 16. SkillBuilder #1 due in or before class.

Mon 2/3 The Age of Organization: Farmers, Workers. Reading: Ch 17

Wed 2/5 Workshop Day. Bring your textbook to class (if you have an e-book, bring your laptop or tablet), we will be working with the Documents in Chapters 16 and 17.

Update: if class is cancelled due to snow, we will do the workshop on Friday, so bring your textbooks then.

Fri 2/7 Discussion Day Document Workshop. Bring your textbook to class, review Chapters 14-17. SkillBuilder #2 due in or before class.

Mon 2/10 Cities, Immigrants & Nation. Reading: Ch 18

Wed 2/12 Discussion Day. Bring your textbook to class, review Chapters 14-18

Fri 2/14 Exam #1 in class (Chapters 14-18). Complete the online Constitutions module quiz by this date. Download the exam study guide here.

See the post below this one for the course basics if you are just adding in, or if you missed Day 1. For everyone else, here is what we’re up to this week:

• Read the syllabus
• Read your textbook, Ch 14 “Emancipations and Reconstructions”
• Use the document you got in class on Wednesday to write a “Pre-SkillBuilder.” This is not graded but will give me a chance to see what your baseline skills are in analyzing primary sources and using history’s writing conventions (including footnotes). Guidelines for SkillBuilders are found on page 4 of the syllabus, and guidelines for correct use of Chicago Style are in the left sidebar links on the course website. Your document may have very little bibliographic information, but just do your best with citing it given what you have.
• If you missed class but would like to submit the paper on Friday anyway, use one of the documents in Chapter 14 of the textbook.

This website serves as the hub for Tona Hangen’s section of US History II US Since 1877 (HI 112) in the Spring 2014 semester at Worcester State University. I teach Section 12 (and H12) MWF at 9:30 am in Sullivan 123.

The textbook for this course is:

Nancy A. Hewitt and Stephen F. Lawson, Exploring American Histories: A Brief Survey with Sources Vol 2 Since 1865 (Bedford St Martins, 2013) ISBN-13: 978-0-312-41001-8

You will need your own copy of this book starting Day 1. Please purchase it from the college bookstore or online (paper or e-book, your choice), in time to have it for the first week of class.

UPDATE: I have gotten several queries from students about whether you need the textbook’s online access code (which lets you into a fancy thing the publisher created, called LearningCurve), since the code apparently does not come with rented textbooks. The answer is NO. Feel free to rent or buy used, we will *not* need the online access.

From this website, you can download the syllabus or access it online, stay up to date with course news and any changes, see the guidelines for the course papers and projects, and follow links to my recommended history and writing resources on the web.

This site is a blog, meaning it updates frequently and you should either bookmark it or subscribe to it using an RSS feed reader (such as Feedly). Please check it often or make sure that you subscribe to its updates to stay on top of our coursework. I leave up the previous semesters’ information as an archive for my past students. You can safely ignore any post not tagged “Spr14.”

If you have questions about the course before we meet in person on Wednesday, Jan 22nd, please feel free to email me, at thangen (at) worcester.edu