Students
MHIS3020 – The United States Since 1945
2020 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jessica Johnson
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| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above OR (20cp in HIST or MHIS or POL or POIR or MHIX or POIX units at 2000 level)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides an in-depth examination of American history since 1945, including an analysis of the profound political, economic, and social changes within the United States, along with the transformation of America's role in world affairs following World War II. Although most lectures will deal in turn with domestic and foreign aspects of modern US history, the unit also explores their interactions at every stage from the era of McCarthyism, when Cold War paranoia produced social and political repression at home, to the 1960s with its challenges to the prevailing order and values, through the post-Cold War period, characterized by uncertainties in foreign policy and ongoing domestic divisions. The unit concludes with an examination of the post-9/11 period, which has posed new challenges to American foreign policy, and tested the social, political, and cultural fabric of what Winston Churchill once described as "the great republic." Considerable attention will be given to the aspirations and activism of African-Americans, other minorities, and women, whose experiences have often been at odds with American ideology and rhetoric about national uniqueness based on freedom and democracy.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Demonstrate an understanding of the scholarly issues in the field of United States history since 1945.
- ULO2: Demonstrate an understanding of the major changes in US society during this period.
- ULO3: Demonstrate an ability to assess research problems, and identify, organize, marshal, and deploy relevant primary and secondary source materials pertaining to United States history since 1945.
- ULO4: Demonstrate an understanding of some of the debates and interpretations about US history since 1945.
- ULO5: Formulate complex ideas, defend and qualify them appropriately and civilly, and communicate them concisely, fluently, stylishly and compellingly, in both written and oral forms.
Assessment Tasks
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
General Assessment Information
Late Assessment Penalty
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.
Delivery and Resources
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.
Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
Required Text: William H. Chafe, The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II 8th edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014).
Two copies of the required text will be held in the library reserve. However, to ensure that you always have access I recommend that you purchase your own copy. I suggest that you order online through Booktopia (which has bought the Coop business), Amazon, Book Depository, Fishpond, or Abe Books. I have ordered copies for purchase with the Coop, however, I doubt that they will arrive because the Coop is going out of business. If you want to purchase, do not wait for the Coop stock to arrive. Purchase your copy ASAP. Do not wait for the beginning of semester.
Note, you are expected to do readings and to find them yourself. Due to copyright restrictions I can not make the weekly readings available online.
We will use the 8th edition and it will cost $130 approximately, depending on whether you can buy new or 2nd hand. However, the 7th edition is very similar to the 8th, except for the final chapter on Barack Obama. If availability or cost is a concern, you may buy the 7th edition (but the 6th edition is too out-of-date). You will have to photocopy the final chapter on Obama using the reserve copies if you buy the 7th edition.
Unit Schedule
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
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Lecture |
Tutorial | Assignments |
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1
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Introduction: From Colonies to Superpower – The US, 1776-1945 |
No tutorial this week |
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2
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The United States and the Cold War, 1945-1952 |
The Cold War Abroad |
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3
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“Happy Days”?: Affluence and Anxiety During the 1950s |
America in the Fifties: Anti-Communism and Social Reform at Home |
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4
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“A Change is Gonna Come”: The Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1963 |
Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolent Social Change |
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5 |
“Love Me, I’m a Liberal”: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and American Liberalism | The New Frontier and Great Society: Liberal Reform in the Sixties |
Essay Plan Due 29 March |
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6
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US Foreign Policy in the 1960s: Cuba, Vietnam and the Limits of American Globalism |
The United States and the Vietnam War |
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7
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“The Times They are a-Changin”: Political and Cultural Protest during the 1960s and 1970s |
The 1960s in America: Radical Protest and the Turmoil of 1968 |
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Mid-Semester Break (13-26 April 2020) |
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8
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The Seventies: Nixon, Watergate, and the Southern Strategy |
The Seventies: Progress, Reaction, and Malaise |
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9
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“A New Morning in America”?: Ronald Reagan and the Conservative Revival of the 1980s. |
The Reagan Revolution |
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10
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Political and Cultural Life in the Nineties: From George H. W. Bush to Bill Clinton. |
No Tutorial |
Annotated Bibliography and Essay Due 17 May |
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11
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"The Indispensable Nation": The US and the World Since the End of the Cold War |
George W. Bush, 9/11, and the US in the Early Twenty-First Century |
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12
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"Change We Can Believe In": Barack Obama's Presidency |
A Post-Racial or Post-Truth America? |
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13
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American Backlash: The Presidency of Donald Trump/ Summing Up |
No Tutorial |
Take-home test Due 8 June |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
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Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
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Changes from Previous Offering
Compared to the 2018 iteration (then a 2nd year subject), the week 3 and 4 lectures and tutorials have been merged (into week 3) to make room for a new week 8 lecture: "The Seventies."
Lecture Change
I merged lectures 3-4 from the 2018 course structure and inserted a new lecture in Week 8 on The Seventies