INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN
STUDIES II
AMST 212--Fall 2003
Colin
S. Cavell, Ph.D. Course
Room No.: S17-229
Office
Hours: By appointment Office No.: S17-263
VOICE: 438775 (W) 729091 (H)
Selected
topics, themes and issues in American history, politics and government with
emphasis on their contemporary relevance.
Grading Policy: 20%
for Attendance*; 20% for the Class Presentation; 20% for the Midterm Exam; 20%
for the Research Paper; and 20% for the Final Exam. A Guidelines sheet will be
distributed outlining the requirements for your Class Presentation and for your
Research Paper.
Attendance Policy*: Attendance in class is mandatory. As well, you are expected to follow the syllabus and accordingly
be prepared for each day's class. This
means that you must read the pre-assigned readings before class so that you
will be prepared to discuss and debate in class the subject matter scheduled
for that day and answer questions related to the issues being covered. NOTE:
TURN OFF all cell phones during class.
*Absence from class may be
made up by preparing a two-page,
typed (i.e. using maximum 12
point font size and maximum double-spaced text with one-inch margin on all
sides), summary on the missed
material scheduled to be covered the day(s) of your absence.
Required Texts:
InfoUSA: Information USA [CD-ROM]. 2002.
Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of State, Office of International Information Programs. [Supplied by professor.]
Note
on Texts: All students are required to print out, read, and be prepared
to discuss the text(s) scheduled for each class.
Sept. 20: Introduction to American Studies II
Sept. 22: Critique,
Discussion, and Assessment of the U.S. Declaration of Independence
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: “The
Declaration of Independence” (1776)
Sept. 24: Critique,
Discussion, and Assessment of the U.S. Declaration of Independence
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: “The
Declaration of Independence” (1776)
Sept. 27: Foundation of
the Republic
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Constitution of the
United States of America (1787)
Sept. 29: Foundation of
the Republic
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Constitution of the
United States of America (1787)
Oct. 1: Establishment
of Public Colleges and the Federal Civil Service
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: The Morrill Act (1862); Pendleton Act (1883)
Oct. 4: Farmer
Opposition to Big Business & Democratization of the Law
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: People’s Party Platform (1896); Muller v.
Oregon (1908)
Oct. 6: The Merging of
Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian Political Thought
Readings: Information USA
[CD-ROM]: Theodore
Roosevelt, “The New Nationalism” (1910); Woodrow Wilson, First Inaugural (1913)
Oct. 8: [Last day for
dropping courses] Segregation Legalized
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: Plessy
v. Ferguson (1896)
Oct. 11: The Regulation
of Interstate Commerce, the Protection of Individual Liberties in “Suspect”
Classifications, & the Abolition of Segregation in the Armed Forces
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: Harlan Fiske Stone,
Carolene Products Footnote (1938); Harry S. Truman, Executive 9981 (1948)
Oct. 13: The Legal
Fight Against Segregation
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Brown v. Board of Education
(1954); Cooper v. Aaron (1958)
Oct. 15: The Civil
Rights Movement
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Martin
Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream” (1963); Civil Rights Act (1964)
Oct. 18: The Civil [or
Voting] Rights Act of 1965
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]: Lyndon B. Johnson, “The
American Promise” (1965)
Oct. 20: White Backlash
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Regents
of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)
Oct. 22: Separation of
Church and State
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom (1786)
Oct. 25: Freedom of
Expression: “Clear and Present Danger”
Oct. 27: [First day of
Ramadhan 1424] Freedom of
Expression: “The Bad Tendency Doctrine”
[Ramadhan—8:45-9:25]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Whitney v. California
(1927)
Oct. 29: Freedom of the
Press [Ramadhan—8:45-9:25]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Near v. Minnesota
(1931)
Nov. 1: The Free
Exercise of Religion [Ramadhan—8:45-9:25]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette
(1943)
Nov. 3: School Prayer
Deemed Unconstitutional [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Engel v. Vitale
(1962)
Nov. 5: Against Prior
Restraint [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
Nov. 8: Foreign
Policy: From Political Hegemony to
Presumptions of Moral & Ethical Hegemony [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: The
Monroe Doctrine (1823); Woodrow Wilson, Fourteen Points Speech (1918)
Nov. 10: Foreign Policy: From Neutrality to Interventionism [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Franklin
D. Roosevelt, Address at Charlottesville (1940)
Nov. 12: Midterm Exam [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Nov. 15-19: Mid-semester break [No classes]
Nov. 22: Foreign
Policy: Against Fascism and For
Democracy [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: The
Atlantic Charter (1941)
Nov. 24: Foreign
Policy: Promoting Civil Rights Abroad [Ramadhan—9:05-9:45]
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Foreign
Aid and Human Rights (1976)
Nov. 25-27: Eid Al-Fitr
1424—Holiday [No classes]
Nov. 29: Call for a
Democratic & More Humane U.S. Foreign Policy
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Jimmy
Carter, Human Rights and Foreign Policy (1977)
Dec. 1: Fighting
Apartheid
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Sanctions
Against South Africa (1986)
Dec. 3: Rebuilding Europe After WWII &
Establishing U.S. Predominance
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: The
Marshall Plan (1947)
Dec. 6: The Supremacy of Elected Civilian Leadership
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Recall
of Gen. Douglas MacArthur (1951)
Dec. 8: Constitutional
Limitations to Presidential Power in Times of War
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co.
v. Sawyer
(1952)
Dec. 10: Against
Demagoguery
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Censure
of Senator Joseph McCarthy (1954)
Dec. 13: Exporting
Democracy: The New U.S. Foreign Policy
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Democracy
and Foreign Policy (1990)
Dec. 15: Pathway
Towards Women’s Rights
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Bradwell v. Illinois (1873)
Dec. 16-17: National Day
of Bahrain—Holidays; no classes
Dec. 20: A New Declaration of Liberty for Immigrants
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Emma
Lazarus, "The New Colossus" (1883); Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886); Korematsu
v. United States (1944)
Dec. 22: The Right to
Legal Assistance
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Gideon v. Wainwright
(1963)
Dec. 24:
Reapportionment Reform: “One
Person, One Vote” Rule Established
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Reynolds v. Sims
(1964)
Dec. 27: Women Organize
to Demand Their Rights
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]:
NOW Statement of Purpose (1966)
Dec. 29: Native Americans Assert Their
Civil and Political Rights
Readings: Information USA [CD-ROM]:
Clyde Warrior, “We Are Not Free”
(1967)
Dec. 31: Against
Executive Privilege
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: United States v. Nixon
(1974)
Jan.
1: New Year’s Day [Western]—Holiday; no classes
Jan. 3: Accountability
to the People
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Excerpts
from Presidential Debates (1992)
Jan. 5: Accountability
to the People
Readings: Information
USA [CD-ROM]: Excerpts
from Presidential Debates (1992)
Jan.
7: Last day of class; Review
Jan. 18, 2004: Final Exam 11:30-13:30
Jan. 22, 2004: Last day for
submitting first semester’s grades
Jan.
20-Feb. 11, 2004: Inter-semester Break
[Holidays]