HISTORY 315

Political History of the United States

                                    Professor VanderMeer                                                            Spring, 2016
                                    Office: COOR 4506                                                                 9:00 – 10:15 MW
                                    Office hours:  MW 10:30- 11:30,                                                 ED 204
                                          or by appointment                                                            SLN: 28306

(This page provides basic information about this course.   Students enrolled in this class should click here to obtain detailed course information and materials.)

This course covers the history of American politics, starting with the colonial period and emphasizing the years from the Civil War era to the present. It focuses on the transformation of American government, especially federalism; the importance of political leaders; the political behavior of ordinary citizens; and the role of other political actors, including parties, lobbyists, the media, and campaign consultants. Thus, this course blends various approaches to political history: the more traditional political history (a focus on biography and national politics), the "new" political history's focus on elections and political systems, as well as the broad and comparative evaluation of public policy suggested by students of "state and society."

Required Reading
              A. James Reichley. The Life of the Parties: A History of American Political Parties. 

              James L. Sundquist. Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of
                  Political Parties in the United States.

               Michael Kazin. A Godly Life: The Life of William Jennings Bryan.

William c. Berman. America’s Right Turn: From Nixon to Clinton.

Grades

midterm exam         30%
final exam               30%
projects                  20%
video reviews          10%
class participation   10%

Exams

There will be two, broadly-focused essay exams, a midterm (February 24) and a final (May 4). 

Projects

To help you understand how historians "do" history, you will complete a project using historical materials and write a 6-9 page paper. This may deal with various subjects, including party platforms, elections, or political groups and it is due April 18. 

Videos

You will watch and write brief synopses of several videos we watch, and we will discuss each video. The reports will count 10% of your grade.

Class Participation

One aim of this class is to encourage discussion and questions about political history. Participation requires attendance, and I will use various means to gauge your attendance, including brief in-class writing assignments. If you miss more than three classes, I will take notice - more than five and your grade will be lowered.

Class Behavior

For us to use class time efficiently everyone needs to arrive on time. During class I expect that everyone will stay in their seats until the end of class. Do not leave early - it is disruptive.  Do not use phones or surf the web during class  - it is distracting.  Class discussion is important, and everyone needs to feel free to express their ideas beliefs.

Academic Integrity 

ASU policy: “Academic honesty is expected of all students in all examinations, papers, laboratory work, academic transactions and records. The possible sanctions include, but are not limited to, appropriate grade penalties, course failure (indicated on the transcript as a grade of E), course failure due to academic dishonesty (indicated on the transcript as a grade of XE), loss of registration privileges, disqualification and dismissal. For more information, see http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity”