H.W. Brands

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Texts:

Required text: H. W. Brands et al., American Stories, 2nd ed., vol. 1, with My History Lab.

Grading:

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be three in-class essay tests, worth 20 percent. There will be three take-home essays, worth 20 percent.There will be no comprehensive final exam.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

The goal of the workshop (reading seminar) is to enhance the writing skills of the participants, who will (1) read and discuss the works of great authors of history and (2) develop their own writing projects.

The weekly meetings will consist of discussions of the readings, and presentations by participants of their work. In the first two weeks, each student will devise a writing agenda for the semester, to be approved by the instructor. The finished product will be due on the last day of the class.

Grading:

Grades will be based on participation in the seminars and on the final products.

The course will cover all aspects of American history since the end of the Civil War. Topics will include industrialization, populism and progressivism, imperialism, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, feminism, the gay rights movement, the Great Society, the Vietnam War, the Reagan Revolution, the end of the Cold War, the war on terror and the Great Recession.

The course will cover various aspects of the American experience of World War II. Topics will include American diplomacy and politics before the war, America’s conduct of the wars in Europe and the Pacific, American planning for the postwar period, and America’s involvement in the end of the war and its aftermath.

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required text: H. W. Brands et al., American Stories, 1st ed., vol. 1, with My History Lab.

Tests: There will be three tests, each worth one sixth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one third of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be three papers of 500 words each, and each worth one sixth of the semester grade. Each paper will analyze one of the assigned documents, placing it in historical context and assessing its argument or description.

Grading: A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59. No plus/minus.

This course partially fulfills legislative requirement for American history.

Description:

For more than a century, the presidency has occupied the center of American politics. Yet the modern presidency bears faint resemblance to the institution the Founders framed in the 1780s. This course will examine the presidency and the individuals who have held it, with an eye toward discovering trends of historical and contemporary interest. Topics will include the presidency as conceived by the framers of the Constitution, the emergence of political parties, the role of the president as diplomat-in-chief, the presidency and the sectional crisis, the president at war, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the president as a celebrity, the family lives of presidents, and the president and the evolving media.

Readings:

H. W. Brands, A Brief History of the Presidency (in progress)

Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power

David McCullough, John Adams

Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg

John Milton Cooper, The Warrior and the Priest

Robert A. Divine, Roosevelt and World War II

Ronald Reagan, The Reagan Diaries

Assignments:

Students will write two book reviews (500 words each) and one research paper (5000 words). The reviews will cover books from the common reading list. The paper will examine one president in detail.

Grading

Class preparation and participation: 25%

Book reviews: 25%

Research paper: 50%

Course Description

The course will cover the history of American foreign relations from the early twentieth century to the present. It will focus on a single question:  Why has America gone to war?

Texts

Woodrow Wilson, by H. W. Brands

The Specter of Communism, by Melvyn P. Leffler

The Vietnam War, by Mark Atwood Lawrence

The Commanders, by Bob Woodward

The Limits of Power, by Andrew J. Bacevich

Quizzes: Five short quizzes on the books. 5 points eachDocument summaries: Five 250-word summaries of five documents, identifying the main points and setting in historicalcontext. 5 points eachPaper: A 1000-word essay answering the question "Why has America gone to war?" 50 points

The goal of the workshop is to enhance the writing skills of the participants, who will (1) read and discuss the works of great authors of history and (2) develop their own writing projects. 

The weekly meetings will consist of discussions of the readings, and presentations by participants of their work. In the first two weeks, each student will devise a writing agenda for the semester, to be approved by the instructor. The finished product will be due on the last day of the class. 

Grades will be based on participation in the seminars and on the final products.

Schedule (all readings can be found on the Blackboard site for the course):

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Herodotus

Week 3: Tacitus

Week 4: Caesar

Week 5: Plutarch

Week 6:  Cellini

Week 7:  Shakespeare

Week 8:  Gibbon

Week 9:  Franklin

Week 10: Carlyle, Dickens

Week 11: Parkman

Week 12:  Tolstoy

Week 13:  Strachey

Week 14: Adams

Week 15:  Summaries

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required text: H. W. Brands et al., American Stories, 1st ed., vol. 1, with My History Lab.

Tests: There will be three tests, each worth one sixth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one third of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be three papers of 500 words each, and each worth one sixth of the semester grade. Each paper will analyze one of the assigned documents, placing it in historical context and assessing its argument or description.

Grading: A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59. No plus/minus.

This course partially fulfills legislative requirement for American history.

A workshop for graduate students devoted to the craft of writing history in both nonfiction and fictional form. Students will read selections from some of the greatest writers of history (Herodotus, Plutarch, Gibbon, Carlyle, Parkman, Dickens, Tolstoy, Strachey, and many others), and will assess what makes for compelling historical writing. Students will meanwhile develop writing projects of their own. Some students will bring drafts to the workshop and polish these. Other students will commence drafts during the semester. All will present their works-in-progress to the seminar, with the ultimate goal of writing history in the most riveting manner possible.

HIS 315L - The United States Since 1865 - 39105
MW 3:30-5:00 - WEL 1.308
H. W. Brands - GAR 3.306 – W 2:30-3:30 and 5-6 - hwbrands@mail.utexas.edu

TAs: Jessica Achberger (SI), Neel Baumgardner, Peter Hamilton

Themes: The basic themes of the course will be

1. The struggle to define the boundary between the public sector and the private sector in American life, or between democracy and capitalism

2. The striking fact that a nation that professes to love peace has so often gone to war

Textbook: H. W. Brands et al., American Stories, volume 2, with My History Lab (digital resources)

Tests: Three, worth 20 percent of the course grade each. Identifications and short essays. There will be no final exam.

Papers: Two, 20 percent each.

1. A 750-word analysis of one of the documents assigned for the course. Identify the key points of the document, place it in historical context, assess its accuracy and importance.

2. A 750-word essay explaining either (a) how democracy and capitalism have cooperated and conflicted in American history since 1865, or (b) how and why America has gone to war and what it has accomplished in doing so. In either case cite specific examples to support general statements and evaluations.

Academic accommodations: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

Schedule

Week of Aug 25
American Stories chapter 16
Document: Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments (1865-70)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3558070-content,00.html

Aug 30
American Stories chapters 17-18
Document: Accounts of the Wounded Knee massacre (1890)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124543-content,00.html

Sept 6
American Stories chapter 19
Document:  Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3558072-content,00.html

Sept 13
American Stories chapter 20
Document: Mary Elizabeth Lease, “The Popular Crusader” (1892)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124813-content,00.html

Sept 20       (Test 1 Sept 20 on chapters 16-20 and corresponding documents)
American Stories chapter 21
Document: Platt Amendment (1901)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124861-content,00.html

Sept 27
American Stories chapter 22
Document: Mary Antin, from The Promised Land (1912)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124811-content,00.html

Oct 4
American Stories chapter 23
Document: Louis Brandeis, from Other People’s Money (1913)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124797-content,00.html

Oct 11
American Stories chapter 24
Document: President Wilson’s war message to Congress (1917)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124874-content,00.html

Oct 18       (Paper 1 Oct 18)
American Stories chapter 25
Document: Immigration Act (1924)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124528-content,00.html

Oct 25
American Stories chapter 26
Document: Huey Long, “Share Our Wealth” (1935)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124705-content,00.html

Nov 1        (Test 2 Nov 1 on chapters 21-26 and documents)
American Stories chapter 27
Document: Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The Four Freedoms” (1941)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124661-content,00.html

Nov 8
American Stories chapter 28
Document: Harry S Truman, Address to Congress (Truman Doctrine) (1947)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124690-content,00.html

Nov 15
American Stories chapter 29
Document: From Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124584-content,00.html

Nov 22       (Paper 2 Nov 22)
American Stories chapter 30
Document: LBJ on Vietnam (1965
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3124873-content,00.html

Nov 29       (Test 3 Dec 1 on chapters 27-32 and documents)
American Stories chapters 31-32
Document: George W. Bush, “National Security Strategy of the United States of America” (2002)
http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/long_longman_mhlus_0/0,11867,3125123-content,00.html

This course contains a Cultural Diversity flag.

HIS 350R • America at War • 39310 • M 5-8 • CBA 4.340
H. W. Brands • GAR 3.306 • W 2:30-3:30, 5-6 • hwbrands@mail.utexas.edu

“Why is there war?”  ~  There is a fundamental paradox in American history: that a nation that considers itself peace-loving has gone to war more often than any other nation during the last two centuries. The course will examine why and how America has gone to war and whether America’s wars have accomplished what Americans expected.  ~  Students will investigate all major wars from the Revolutionary War to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They will comment on the readings orally and in writing and will research one war in depth, producing an original paper answering the question, for the conflict of their choice, “Why is there war?”

Grading
Two reviews of 500 words each – 20 percent together
One research paper of 3000 words – 60 percent
Class participation – 20 percent

Texts
Robert Divine. Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. ISBN 9781585441051
James McPherson. For Cause and Comrades. 9780195124996
Kristin Hoganson. Fighting for American Manhood. 9780300085549
H. W. Brands. Woodrow Wilson. 9780805069556
Michael Beschloss. The Conquerors. 9780743244541
Mark Lawrence. The Vietnam War. 9780199753932

Schedule
Aug 30: Divine
Sept 6: McPherson. Review 1
Sept 13: Hoganson
Sept 20: Brands. Paper proposal
Sept 27: Beschloss
Oct 4: Bibliography
Oct 11: Lawrence. Review 2
Oct 18: Outline
Oct 25: Introduction (300 words)
Nov 1: First section draft (750 words)
Nov 8: Second section draft (750 words)
Nov 15: Third section draft (750 words)
Nov 22: Conclusion (450 words)
Nov 29: Final version of whole paper

This course contains a Writing and an Independent Inquiry flag.

History 355F (39740) / The United States, 1877–1920
Spring 2010 / MW 3:30–5 / Burdine 112
H W Brands (GAR 3.306; W 1:30-3:30; hwbrands@mail.utexas.edu)

Teaching assistant:

Summary: The course will cover all aspects of American history from the end of Reconstruction to the end of World War I. The basic themes of the course will be the ongoing contest between capitalism and democracy, and the emergence of the United States as a world power.

Required books

Booker T. Washington. Up from Slavery. ISBN-13: 978-1449547776
John G. Neihardt. Black Elk Speaks. 978-1438425405
Willa Cather. My Antonia. 978-0743487696
H. W. Brands. The Reckless Decade. 978-0226071169
William L. Riordon. Plunkitt of Tammany Hall. 978-1607960126
H. W. Brands. Woodrow Wilson. 978-0805069556

Tests: There will be two tests, each worth one fifth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one half of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be two papers of 1000 words each, in which students will elaborate on a topic or theme from one of the assigned books. The papers will require additional research, and will include bibliographies. Each paper will be worth one fifth of the semester grade.

Class participation: Attendance, preparation, and contribution to discussion are essential, and will count one fifth of the semester grade.

Grading: A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59. No plus/minus.

Academic accommodations: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

Schedule

Jan 20                    Introduction
Jan 25-27               The legacy of Reconstruction. Read Up from Slavery
Feb 1-3                  Industrializing America                
Feb 8-10                The war for the Plains. Black Elk Speaks
Feb 15-17              Old cities and new
Feb 22-24               Settling the West, once and for all. My Antonia
Mar 1-3                  Immigrants and their worlds. Paper 1 (Mar 3)
Mar 8-10                The money question and other chestnuts. Test 1 (Mar 10)
Mar 22-24              Republicans, Democrats, Populists. The Reckless Decade
Mar 29-3               Temptations of empire
Apr 5-7                  Bully!
Apr 12-4               The progressive reformers. Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
Apr 19-21              Dollar diplomacy
Apr 26-28              World War I. Woodrow Wilson. Paper 2 (Apr 28)
May 3-5                 The failure of the peace. Test 2 (May 5)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of the graduate adviser. 

May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

History 315K (39705)
The United States to 1865
Fall 2009 — MW 3-4:30 — GAR 0.102
H. W. Brands (GAR 3.306; hwbrands@mail.utexas.edu; M 1-3 and by appt.)

Teaching assistants: Rachel Hermann (SI), Yehonathan Brodski

Summary: The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required text: H. W. Brands et al., American Stories, 1st ed., vol. 1, with My History Lab.

Tests: There will be three tests, each worth one sixth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one third of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be three papers of 500 words each, and each worth one sixth of the semester grade. Each paper will analyze one of the assigned documents, placing it in historical context and assessing its argument or description.

Grading: A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59. No plus/minus.

Supplemental Instruction: This class will include Supplemental Instruction discussion sections (SI).  These optional sessions, led by Rachel Hermann,  will help reinforce and clarify course content. Regular participation in SI discussions has been shown to improve students' performance significantly.

Academic accommodations: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

Schedule
Aug. 26                   AS 1-2; Cabeza de Vaca, “Indians of the Rio Grande,” from MHL
Aug. 31 – Sept. 2     AS 3; Olaudah Equiano, “The Middle Passage”
Sept. 9                    AS 4; Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands”
Sept. 14-16             AS 5; Franklin against the Stamp Act
Sept. 21-23             AS 6; Publius (Madison), Federalist Number 10; Test 1
Sept. 28-30             AS 7; Washington’s Farewell Address; Paper 1
Oct. 5-7                  AS 8; Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis
Oct. 12-14              AS 9; Memorial of the Cherokee Nation
Oct. 19-21              AS 10; Davy Crockett
Oct. 26-28              AS 11; Frederick Law Olmsted; Test 2
Nov. 2-4                 AS 12; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Paper 2
Nov. 9-11               AS 13; William B. Travis
Nov. 16-18             AS 14; George Fitzhugh
Nov. 23                  AS 15; Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
Nov. 30 – Dec. 2     Test 3; Paper 3

Lectures, discussion, reading, and research on selected topics in the field of history.

May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

Designed for History majors. 

History 350L and 350R may not both be counted unless the topics vary.

Course carries Writing flag.