The Fieldston School

America is an unfinished project. This course is designed to provide an overview of a history that is still in the making, to familiarize students with those events of the past half century which have brought us to today. We will pursue postwar history by following the rise and fall of the "liberal consensus" that emerged from World War II, coalesced during the Cold War, began to disintegrate during the turmoil of the 1960s and may have disappeared with the Clinton Era signing of "welfare reform" the balanced budget agreement and the present control by conservative Republicans of the House, Supreme Court and Executive Branch. In chronicling this story we will pursue several of the tensions contained by post-war liberalism:

The readings are meant to provide a survey not only of postwar American history but also of the major scholarly perspectives on these themes and on the period.

Our goal is to develop the skills necessary to be historians and informed citizens. Our use of primary sources and articles will help you to understand how historians go about constructing and defending their analyses. You will need to develop your own interpretations of history and to express and support them in discussion and in writing.

The nightly reading assignment will usually include a selection from John Patrick Diggins' The Proud Decades or from William Chafe's The Unfinished Journey, the textbooks that will guide our investigation. We will supplement this text with numerous primary and secondary sources. These supplementary sources can be found as links on the Web Syllabus (use the drop-down menu, above) or in your online Document Reader. You are expected to come to class having completed both the textbook and supplementary readings and having taken some time to consider their importance to our study. Be sure to print out and bring to class any primary sources, timelines or charts that are assigned for that day. Most nights you will be assigned questions on the reading to help shape the thinking you do in preparation for class. You do not have to write out responses to these questions unless directed to do so. All of these reading questions will require your careful consideration; some you will have to answer in writing. We will also engage in discussions on the web from time to time. Please carefully edit and proofread all written work.

Nightly reading assignments will generally require 40-50 minutes of concentrated effort. Often the readings will be difficult, and they will always demand your undivided attention. We encourage you to take notes on the readings since you are responsible for all assigned material regardless of whether we discuss it in class.

Class discussion is an important part of our investigation. Thoughtful participation is essential to the course's success, and I will take it into account when determining semester grades. Listening carefully and responding thoughtfully to others is equally important; we have much to learn from each other.

Class discussion must always remain an open forum. You should feel comfortable asking questions and sharing your views with your classmates. Remember to be respectful of each other and to ground your comments in the historical evidence.

You should view class discussion as a collective endeavor. Our goal is to help each other develop a clearer and more complete understanding of history. We may not always agree, but we must keep our conversation focused on historical ideas and not allow our intellectual disagreements to become personal ones. There is rarely only one "right" answer; understanding emerges in the process of collective inquiry.

Academic honesty is essential to building a community of mutual trust and respect. Fieldston teachers assume that the work you present orally or in writing of any kind is your own. To pretend that work done by others is your own is dishonest. Plagiarism is one of the most serious violations of academic honesty. It means taking words, ideas, images, or texts created by others, wherever you might find them, and presenting them as your own, without giving proper credit to the creator. In addition, it is important to remember that the vocabulary, the sentence structure, and the rhythm of the language in your written work must be yours.

Copying from another student’s test, using hidden notes, giving or receiving information on tests, and the use of help on homework or take-home tests without the specific permission of the teacher are dishonest and constitute cheating. You should assume that all work, including homework, is to be dome individually unless the teacher states that collaboration on a particular assignment is permitted. When in doubt, ask your teacher – if something feels wrong, it probably is. We all want an open exchange of ideas and knowledge, but we can only have it in an atmosphere of mutual trust and understanding.

We will study certain periods and events by role-playing and debating issues from the position of historical actors. These activities are designed to provide fresh perspectives on historical issues by entering the worldviews of the people making history and by encouraging students to learn from each other. These activities will be evaluated and contribute to the students semester grade. (see Debate Tutorial)

Please remember: the web has its limits. Before you turn to researching a question on a CD-ROM or the web, GO TO THE LIBRARY! Books are the natural medium for historical study. The web is useful for finding short documents, such as NSC-68 or Eisenhowerâs Farewell Address, but the library contains longer works more carefully organized and selected, and the librarians are experts in assisting research. We will be using new media mostly for distributing assignments, role playing, talking with each other outside of class, and very selective web research. Later in the semester we will explore the possibility of publishing student work on the web.

There are six iMacs in our classroom and four iBooks. These are for computer-based activities during class, and for student use when other classes are not in the room. After the first week, I expect you to access the assignments ( in the "Unit Syllabi") using the class web page. I suggest you bookmark the ECFS US Since 40 webpage on your computer. The web page includes links to the readings, as well as supplementary sources on the web. Use the on-line syllabus not only for finding assignments, but also to find resources for your research projects, such as papers, simulations and projects.

We will be conducting some of our discussions beyond the classroom in an on-line discussion board called the Speakeasy Café. Ms. McFerran will explain in detail how to use it, (you will need a password) but you may find the Speakeasy at http://morrison.wsu.edu/login.asp?s=0/. The goal is to offer a forum for student discussion outside of the classroom. You may find it possible to assert opinions about the material of the course on-line that you could or would not in class or in school. Please be particularly careful to respect each othersâ opinions, to assert your ideas politely and responsibly, and to ground your arguments in historical material. (see Speakeasy Tutorial on the home page) Also, be careful to budget you time on-line. We will use the Speakeasy to preview or follow-up in-class discussions, and you all have enough time commitments outside of class, so remember we can complete discussions in class.

You will find a growing list of useful websites by going to the US History web page and looking through the "Resources" drag down menu at the top of the main page. You may also go to the US since 1940 Websites page. You will also find websites within the syllabus, listed with the daily topics to which they relate. Listed below are a few useful sites for general research:

Meyers US Since 1940 Links
Meyers US History Links
General History: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html

Please set aside an hour during the first week of school to explore these links and familiarize yourself with their contents. You will be able to use these sites for much of your research this year. If you have problems with access to a computer, access to the web, or computer skills, please talk to Mr. Meyers or to Ms. McFerran.

Any assigned reading may result in an unannounced quiz.

Unit tests will occur periodically throughout the year. We will talk more about the format of these exercises as the first one approaches (see Document Based Question Tutorial) There will be an exam at the conclusion of each semester.

The ability to formulate your own ideas and to express them clearly and coherently in writing is an essential skill. This course will place special emphasis on the development of writing skills through assignments both in-class and at-home. The goal is for you to develop, in a step-by-step fashion, the ability to articulate your own views of history and to support your views in a way that is convincing to readers. (see Historical Research Essay tutorial) The topic must center on the turbulent years surrounding 1968. (see Essay/ Documentary Topics sheet)

You can choose, instead, to create a 20 minute video documentary. The documentary will follow the same due dates and general structure as the essay. Your documentary should have a strong thesis and use primary textual, visual and auditory sources from history.

It is imperative that you maintain an organized notebook throughout the course of the semester. You will need well-organized notes on readings and class discussion to study for both unit tests and final exams.

You are expected to be in class, ready to work when class begins. Please go to the bathroom before class; getting up in the middle of class is distracting. Frequent lateness will be reported to the dean. If you miss a quiz because you are late to class you will receive a zero.

You are responsible for making up all work that you miss. If you miss a class you should see a classmate to find out what you missed and to copy any important notes. I am always happy to meet with you outside of class to discuss the work you miss, but only if you have checked the website and discussed the information with a classmate first.

You are allowed a maximum of one extension during the course of the year, the length of which I will determine on a case by case basis. You must request it at least 24 hours in advance and you must have just cause. Only under extreme circumstances will a student be granted more than one extension per year.

Late work will be downgraded one notch (i.e. A- to B+) for each day it is late. Weekends will count as two days. Once a piece of work is more than one week late, the penalty is up to the teacher.

Plan ahead by using the Long Term Projects sheet.

Your grade for each semester will be determined roughly as follows:

• class participation, behavior, and other intangibles – 15-20%
• papers, simulations, new media work, semester project, tests- 40-50%
• clippings file, quizzes and homework – 15-20%
• exam – 15-20%

Where to find me

The History Department Office is Room 132

Mr. Meyers:
e-mai:l aam14@columbia.edu
Phone 718-329-7277

Course Web Page:
http://www.ecfs.org/Projects/fieldston57/since40/