U.S. History Since 1876 (Fall 2024)
HIST 1362: US History Since 1876
Professor Cameron Blevins (he/him/his) | cameron.blevins@ucdenver.edu
M/W 9:30-10:45am | North Classroom 3207
Office Hours: Mon. 1:30pm-2:30pm (Sign Up Here)
Office: Student Commons Room 3108 or over Zoom
Course Description
What does it mean to be an American? How has that meaning changed over the past century and a half? What does it mean to reform society and how have different groups pursued this change? How did we end up where we are today? These are just some of the questions at the heart of HIST 1362, which provides an overview of U.S. history from the 1870s to the present.
This class is in many ways not a typical introductory history course. So what makes this class different?
- This course will NOT attempt to “cover” everything. That would be impossible. Instead, we will be moving chronologically through different periods of American history by focusing on one topic or theme from that period. This means that we will be skipping past major events and topics in U.S. history. That’s okay!
- You will NOT be evaluated on how well you can memorize a series of events, people, and dates. History isn’t about what happened (“just one damn thing after another”); it’s about analyzing evidence and material from the past and then using that evidence to build larger interpretations, stories, and narratives. This course is focused on developing your ability to think historically rather than accumulating historical facts.
- You will NOT be learning just about the past. Throughout the semester, we will be connecting historical events to things that are happening today. The ultimate goal of this class is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand how American history continues to shape the present.
See the Modules Page for the schedule of classes and readings and the Assignments page for assignment details and due dates.
Note: This course fulfills 3.0 credit hours for the CU Denver Core Humanities knowledge area.
Student Learning Outcomes
What will you learn by the end of the semester? This can be broken into two categories, Skills and Knowledge.
Skills
- Evidence 🔎: Analyze historical documents, materials, and other sources to understand the past and present
- Interpretation 🧩: Assemble evidence into interpretations, stories, or narratives about the past, taking into account things like causation, continuity and context.
- Empathy 👁️: Develop the ability to see the world from the perspective of other people in both the past and present.
Knowledge
- Identity and Citizenship 🗽: Understand how American identity has been defined and contested over time.
- Protest and Reform 📣: Compare and contrast the priorities, strategies, and outcomes of different movements for change in U.S. history.
- Politics and Democracy 🏛️: Understand the mechanics of U.S. democratic politics and identify key turning points and trends in that history.
- History and Memory 💭: Analyze how Americans remember their collective past and the ways in which history is used in the present.
Assignments
Please refer to individual assignment pages for more details and due dates.
Attendance (10%)
Regular attendance is crucial for learning in this course. You are allowed two absences over the course of the semester, after which any missed classes will lower your grade. You can use the Roll Call tool in Canvas to check how many absences you have (instructions here). Note: because there is no way for me to incorporate excused absences into your Roll Call grade as the semester progresses, I will recalculate this portion of your grade upwards at the end of the semester. If you run into health, family, or other significant challenges that will keep you from attending multiple classes, please contact me directly over email or Canvas Inbox and I will do my best to accommodate you.
Participation (10%)
Much of the learning in this course comes from active participation during class periods. This can take many forms, including small-group discussions, hands-on activities, and class debates. I will be assigning each of you a small group, which I will then change a few times over the semester to give you the opportunity to meet and interact with different classmates. Note: To accommodate students who are shy or otherwise struggle with discussions, you will also have a series of smaller "tasks" throughout the semester to complete that will contribute to your overall participation grade.
Perusall Annotations (15%)
We will be using the social annotation platform Perusall for weekly readings. Rather than passively reading on your own, in Perusall you will actively add comments and questions linked to specific passages of a document. As you read, you will be able to reply to your classmates’ comments as part of an ongoing conversation. Perusall will then generate a holistic "score" for each reading based on a combination of factors, including the number and length of comments, their quality, and your engagement with your classmates (see here for how Perusall determines comment quality). I acknowledge that this interface isn't perfect and might not be ideal for everyone; however, I've found it to be the most effective way to facilitate meaningful student engagement with readings and each other. Having said that: you get out of it what you put into it. If you focus solely on "checking boxes" to get a score (post X number of comments, reply "I agree" to Y number of classmates, etc.), it will feel like useless busywork. If you take the time and thought to engage with the reading and your classmates, I promise it will be a much more rewarding experience.
Voting and Government in Colorado (10%)
This "quiz" (untimed, open book) will help you learn about voting and government in Colorado, both in the past and today.
Immigration Court Hearing (10%)
Attend a session of federal immigration court in downtown Denver and write a reflection about your experience that connects to the history of immigration in the United States.
Reacting to the Past (10%)
Conduct a historical simulation over several class periods in which each of you will take on the persona of a politician, protestor, or journalist during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Unessay (15%)
An unessay consists of a project that takes any format besides a traditional written paper. This could mean a painting, recipe book, board game, meme collage, podcast episode, series of TikTok videos, poetry, historical fiction - whatever you want! In your unessay you will research and communicate how a local/personal/present-day subject has been shaped or impacted by larger trends in US history.
Final Exam (20%)
A take-home, open-notes final exam will be distributed during Finals Week and will help me evaluate what you have learned over the course of the semester. It will not involve detailed fact-recall; instead it will require you to draw on some of the larger themes, concepts, topics, and connections from the course while providing specific evidence and examples from lectures, class discussions, readings, or other material directly related to the class. You may consult your notes from class along with any of the assigned readings themselves, but you are not allowed to consult outside sources such as Wikipedia, talk about the exam with fellow classmates, or use any Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. There is no specific time limit for taking the exam, other than completing and submitting it by its due date.
Course Policies
Required Course Materials
College is expensive enough; whenever possible, I try to keep your costs for course materials to a minimum. Nearly all of the assigned textbooks, articles, videos, podcasts, etc. are available for free and there are no required books or textbooks to purchase.
Communication
I will be using Canvas Announcements for class-wide reminders or instructions and Canvas Inbox for individual messages to specific students. Please make sure that you have set up notifications so that you know when I post an Announcement and that you check your Canvas Inbox regularly. You are welcome to send me a message directly by using Canvas Inbox (instructions) or by email at cameron.blevins@ucdenver.edu.
🤖 Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) 🤖
Full disclosure: I don't think Generative AI is inherently a Bad Thing. I regularly use ChatGPT in my own work, and in other courses I actually teach students how use Generative AI tools. But not in this class. Why not? Take two examples. An athlete could use a robot to lift weights for them, but they would never get stronger or faster. A guitarist could use a computer to play a song for them, but they would never get better at playing the instrument. Similarly, using ChatGPT or other forms of Generative AI to complete assignments in this class undermines some the central learning goals of the course: honing your historical thinking skills and building your own body of knowledge about US History.
Any student work in this course that is written, developed, or created with or by Generative AI outside of permitted uses listed below (or within specific assignment descriptions), is considered unauthorized assistance under the University’s Academic Integrity policy. If I have reasonable evidence that a student has used AI in an unauthorized way, it is the student’s responsibility to prove otherwise. I will determine penalties for violations on a case-by-case basis, which may result in a student failing an assignment, failing the course, or being reported to the CU Denver Office of Student Conduct.
The following is a list of permitted and not permitted uses of AI in this course. Note that this list is not meant to be comprehensive; given the sheer number and variety of different ways to use Generative AI, it's impossible to cover them all. If you have a question about a particular use-case, please reach out to me directly - I love hearing about how students are using (or thinking about using) these tools.
|
✅Permitted Uses of AI ✅ |
🛑 Not Permitted Uses of AI 🛑 |
|
|
Health and Wellness
Every student should prioritize their physical, emotional, and mental health. Any student who is struggling to do so (lacking a safe and stable place to live, having difficulty affording sufficient food to eat every day, facing financial stresses, etc.) is urged to consult the resources listed here, and in particular the University’s Counseling Center. My goal is to provide you with a valuable learning experience, and I plan to teach with as much flexibility, resilience, and compassion as I can. To that end, please contact me over email or Canvas Inbox if you are experiencing any unforeseen challenges that will keep you from learning. I will do my best to work with you to meet those challenges.
Office Hours
Office hours are a weekly block of time for students to meet with me individually. This can be a time talk about any aspect of the class: ideas and strategies for upcoming assignments, feedback you have received, or difficult themes and concepts. Or, just drop by and let me know how the rest of your classes, work, etc. are going! I truly enjoy hearing about what my students are doing outside of my class. With some exceptions, I will be available each week on Monday from 1:30-2:30pm, along with additional time-slots that I will post on a week-to-week basis. If none of these times work for your schedule, please contact me over Canvas Inbox or email and we will find a different time to meet.
Use this link to see a list of available time-slots and then sign up for one that best fits your schedule. In order to accommodate my students who aren't on campus as frequently, I am available to meet over Zoom. Some weeks I will be additionally be available in person, at my office in Student Commons 3108.
Late Assignments
If unforeseen circumstances come up during the semester and you need an extension on a particular assignment, please contact me via email or Canvas prior to the due date. Otherwise you are expected to submit all assignments by the due date.
Course Content Note
This course will involve historical topics that you may find emotionally distressful, including episodes of violence. I have included these topics because they are foundational to understanding the major themes of the course. If you have concerns about reading and discussing particular topics, please come talk to me at the beginning of the semester. I will work with you to find alternative readings or ways for you to participate on the days in which we discuss those topics.
Learning Community
My goal is to build a strong learning community for all of my students. I expect everyone to treat your fellow classmates and professor with respect: listening attentively, not interrupting, and maintaining a civil discourse. It is my intent to create an environment that respects diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, religion, and culture, etc., and supports a wide array of thoughts, perspectives and experiences. If, because of religious obligations, you have conflicts with required assignments/attendance please contact me directly as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester. To maintain this learning community, bullying or personal attacks will not be tolerated. Learn each other’s names and preferred pronouns, and always assume the best intentions in each other. If something was said in class (by anyone, including myself) that made you feel uncomfortable please talk to me about it either directly or through anonymous feedback forms that I will periodically administer in class.
More broadly, the University of Colorado Denver is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment. The University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, creed, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, political philosophy or political affiliation in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities, working, and living environment. University policy prohibits sexual misconduct, including harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or related retaliation. If you have experienced some sort of sexual misconduct or discrimination, please visit the Office of Equity/Title IX web site to understand the resources available to you or contact the Office of Equity/Title IX Coordinator (303-315-2567).
Accommodation
I am committed to providing everyone the support and services needed to participate in this course. If you have a learning disability please contact Disability Resources and Services at 303-315-3510 or by e-mail at disabilityresources@ucdenver.edu and, if you are comfortable, notify me directly as well. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, please reach out to Disability Resources and Services.
Students Called for Military Duty
Students in the military with the potential of being called to military service and /or training during the course of the semester are encouraged to notify their school/college Associate Dean or Advising Office.
CLAS Incomplete Policy
The faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences passed the following policy relating to the awarding of incomplete grades. Incomplete grades (IW or IF) are meant for students with special circumstances beyond their control that preclude them from attending class and completing graded assignments. They are not granted for low academic performance, and students must have completed a majority of the course’s assignments and classes in order to qualify. Incompletes cannot be awarded that stipulate: (1) a student may repeat the entire course, (2) repeat or replace existing grades, (3) allow the student an indeterminate period of time to complete a course, or (4) allow the student to repeat the course with a different instructor. The CLAS Course Completion Agreement is available from the CLAS Advising Office, NC 2024.