Course Description
This course will focus on the U.S. presidents and the situations they faced in the 20th and early 21st centuries, which enabled the transformation from a provincial, isolationist nation with a president considered weak by monarchial standards, to its present day state. (3 credits)
Prerequisites
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Acquire substantive knowledge related to the Presidents and the presidencies of the 20th Century from Theodore Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson, covering in depth those two Presidents as well as Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.
- Develop an understanding of the issues related to international events that confronted Presidents in the Twentieth Century; most notably, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War
- Develop a personal understanding of the Presidential decision making process through a case study of President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.
- Acquire substantive knowledge related to domestic events confronting the Presidents including the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement and The Great Society initiative.
- Acquire substantive knowledge related to the elections for President in the 20th Century; with particular focus on Kennedy v. Nixon and Truman v. Dewey.
- Develop a big picture contextual understanding of the central theme of the course – how the United States transformed from an isolationist nation into the world’s most powerful country.
- Develop a greater cultural and historical understanding of how Americans were perceived at the beginning of the 20th century and how that perception evolved over time.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Class Discussions | 40% |
Homework | 40% |
Research Paper | 20% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle
- Brown Tindall, George and David Shi. America, A Narrative History - with Access Code. 12th ed. (Vol. 2). W. W. Norton & Company Publishing, 2022. ISBN-13: 978-0-393-87832-5
Course Schedule
| Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Topic: Overview of course
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2 | 1 | Topic: The Recent Presidents Reagan-Bush II
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3 | 2 | Topic: Domestic Preludes to 1945
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4 | 2 | Topic: Domestic Preludes to 1945, Conclusion
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5 | 3 | Topic: Foreign Preludes to 1945
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6 | 3 | Topic: Foreign Preludes to 1945, Conclusion
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7 | 4 | Topic: A Shift to Progressivism, 1945-1949
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8 | 4 | Topic: A Shift to Progressivism, 1945-1949
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9 | 5 | Topic: Truman's Second Term
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10 | 6 | Topic: Truman's Second Term, Conclusion
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11 | 7 | Topic: The 1950s
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12 | 8 | Topic: Camelot
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13 | 9 | Topic: LBJ and the Triumph of Liberalism
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14 | 10 | Topic: LBJ and Foreign Affairs
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15 | 11 | Topic: Comparison of Presidents
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.