Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Chris Dixon
Daniel Fleming
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above or (6cp in HIST or MHIS or POL units at 200 level including 3cp in HIST or MHIS units)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
The United States is reportedly a nation in decline, as it confronts a multiplicity of global military and economic challenges. By examining the global ascent of the United States, and the enduring tension between isolationism and internationalism, this unit provides historical context for understanding the current crises facing the United States. As well as paying specific attention to the role of military power in driving US foreign policy, this unit considers the ideological, political, and cultural imperatives that have underpinned the American Empire. Specific topics include American exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War and America's acquisition of empire, the United States and the two World Wars, the Cold War, the post-Cold War world, and 9/11 and the War on Terror.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Penalties for late submission of work.
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Tutorial Participation | 10% | No | Various |
Essay Proposal & Bibliography | 15% | No | Week 4 |
Research Essay | 45% | No | Week 10 |
Take Home Exam | 30% | No | Week 13 |
Due: Various
Weighting: 10%
Students will be assessed on their class contribution. They will be marked on the basis of their contribution to discussion, their engagement with others, as well as their level of class preparation. This means not only doing all the readings beforehand but also contributing to discussion with your fellow students during our meeting. You get no points for simply turning up. Nor do you get points for ranting on irrelevant topics. You are expected to attend all seminars. Absences must be documented (for example, medical certificate).
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 15%
This task will assess your ability to develop a research question and approach, as well as your ability to locate and analyse primary and secondary sources. It is the first step towards developing your research essay.
You should proceed as follows:
Thinking about a topic: It is best to start this process as early as possible. Look at the weekly lecture and tutorial schedule. What themes in this course do you find most interesting? What questions are you interested in exploring? A time period?
Developing a question: Your question needs to be direct and focused, because you will be assessed on how you answer it.
Submitting your proposal: The proposal is due WEEK 4 via turnitin on iLearn.
Your proposal should be 500 words (not including the Bibliography) and must include the following:
The proposal enables you to start thinking about your research essay at an early stage and understand where your work will fit within the relevant field of study.
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 45%
This assessment task evaluates your ability to construct an argument in response to your own self-devised research question, based on primary and secondary sources. You need to observe the conventions of writing and referencing as outlined in “Writing Essays in History"
Your final essay should be 3,000 words, not including referencing.
This assessment is to submitted via turnitin on iLearn.
You must also append a short statement, about one paragraph (not included in the word limit), on how you have utilised the feedback you have received for your essay proposal in completing your final research project.
There is a rubric for this assessment task included as a PDF download in the "Assessments" section on iLearn.
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
An end-of-semester take home exam will cover content drawn from the entire unit. The exam will consist of 2 questions and the maximum word length will be 1,500 words. Late submission of the exam will not be accepted.
Emphasis will be placed on your ability to synthesise the materials covered in the unit as a whole. No new research outside of that achieved in the unit already will be necessary.
No extensions will be granted; late submissions will receive zero.
This is an exam and does not require additional research into primary materials. It will not be necessary to provide footnotes or bibliography, unless you quote an author (including web sources), when acknowledgement will be required. If citing, please follow the departmental guide given on iLearn.
You must not plagiarize.
The take-home test questions will be available from 9am on Saturday June 8, 2019. Your answers are due at 11:59pm on Monday June 10, 2019.
This is a timed assessment and no late submission will be accepted.
The textbook for this unit is: Dennis Merrill and Thomas G. Paterson, eds., Major Problems in American Foreign Relations Vol II: Since 1914: Documents and Essays, 7th edition (Belmont, Ca.: Wadsworth, 2010)
Week |
Lecture |
Tutorial |
Assignments |
1 |
“An Exceptional Nation”?: The United States and the World, 1776-1898 (CD) |
No Tutorial |
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2 |
Onto The World Stage: US Foreign Relations 1898-1914 (DF) |
Themes and Issues in US Foreign Relations |
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3 |
Isolationism Challenged: The US, World War I, and the League of Nations (DF) |
The Spanish-American War & the Beginning of American Empire |
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4 |
US Foreign Policy during the Interwar Period (DF) |
Woodrow Wilson and US Entry into World War One |
Essay Proposal Friday March 22 |
5 |
The End of Isolationism?: The United States and World War II (DF) |
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor, and US Entry into World War II |
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6 |
The Cold War I (DF) |
The United States and the Origins of the Cold War |
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7 |
The Cold War II (DF) |
The United States and the Korean War |
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Mid-semester Break |
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8 |
The US, the Third World, and the Middle East (DF) |
On the Brink: The Cuban Missile Crisis |
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9 |
The Making of a Quagmire: The US & Vietnam (CD) |
The Vietnam War |
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10 |
The World of Richard Nixon (DF) |
No Tutorial |
Essay Due May 17 |
11 |
“Tear Down the Wall, Mr Gorbachev!”:The End of the Cold War (1980s & 1990s) (DF) |
The End of the Cold War |
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12 |
To 9/11 and Beyond: The US and the World Since the End of the Cold War (DF) |
9/11 and the War on Terror |
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13 |
Summing Up (CD & DF) |
No Tutorial |
Take-home test |
Week 1
Lecture:
“An Exceptional Nation”?: The United States and the World, 1776-1898
No Tutorial
Week 2
Lecture:
Onto The World Stage: US Foreign Relations 1898-1914
Tutorial:
Themes and Issues in US Foreign Relations
Readings:
Week 3
Lecture:
Isolationism Challenged: The US, World War I, and the League of Nation
Tutorial:
The Spanish-American War & the beginning of American Empire
Readings:
Week 4
Lecture:
US Foreign Policy during the Interwar Period
Tutorial:
Woodrow Wilson and US Entry into World War One
Readings:
Week 5
Lecture:
The End of Isolationism?: The United States and World War II
Tutorial:
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor, and US Entry into World War II
Readings
Week 6
Lecture:
The Cold War I
Tutorial:
The United States and the Origins of the Cold War
Readings
Week 7
Lecture:
The Cold War II
Tutorial:
The Korean War
Readings
Week 8
Lecture:
The US, the Third World, and the Middle East
Tutorial:
On the Brink: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Readings
Week 9
Lecture:
The Making of a Quagmire: The US and Vietnam
Tutorial:
The Vietnam War
Readings
Week 10
Lecture: Richard Nixon's World
No Tutorial
Week 11
Lecture:
“Tear Down the Wall, Mr Gorbachev!” The End of the Cold War (1980s & 1990s)
Tutorial:
End of the Cold War
Readings
Week 12
Lecture:
To 9/11 and Beyond: The US and the World since the end of the Cold War
Tutorial:
9/11 and the War on Terror
Readings
Week 13
Lecture: Summing Up
No Tutorial
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This is a new unit.