UNFINISHED NATION:  HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1877
Fulfills Perspectives-History requirement

HIST 2312-003
TTh 11AM-12:20—101 Dallas Hall
Prof. Thomas Knock—59 Dallas Hall—214-768-2972   tknock@smu.edu

This course examines the principal aspects of the history of the United States from the end of the Civil and the start of Reconstruction and makes its way into the 1980s.  It further seeks to introduce students to the intellectual skills and attitudes involved in trying to understand the past on its own terms and to apply that understanding to a consideration of the present.  Moreover, in the tradition of the liberal arts, it seeks to develop and to promote an understanding of human beings and of the human condition in general.  Topics covered include the aftermath of Reconstruction, industrialization and immigration, overseas expansion, Populism and Progressivism, World War I, the twenties, the Great Depression and New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, civil rights, the women’s movement, the Vietnam War, and the contemporary era.

Readings include: 1) Murrin, McPherson, Gerstle, Johnson, and Rosenberg, Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, Vol. II;  2) John Wilson, ed., Forging the American Character, Readings in United States History since 1865, Vol. II, (4^th edn.).