Ranjit S. Dighe	Mahar 425; 312-3480
SUNY-Oswego	dighe@oswego.edu
Spring 2002	http://www.oswego.edu/~dighe

"The one duty we have to history is to revise it."
-- Oscar Wilde

"When information which properly belongs to the public is systematically withheld by those in power, the people soon become ignorant of their own affairs, distrustful of those who manage them, and--eventually--incapable of determining their own destinies."
-- Richard Nixon, in 1972

Office hours: M 10-12, W 1-3, and by appointment

This course deals with twentieth-century United States economic history, in particular the evolution of the economy itself and the competing claims of various economic interests. As an Intellectual Issues course, it covers a limited set of topics, which I have labeled as follows: The Rise of Big Government, tracing the rapid expansion of the federal government over the past hundred years; Prosperity With a Purpose, detailing how the benefits of U.S. economic growth have (or have not) been shared among women, African-Americans, immigrants, and others; and America Goes to War, looking at economic aspects of World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, and "moral equivalents" of war such as the 1960s War on Poverty and the current War on Drugs. We will study these issues from a variety of perspectives: economic, historical, political, and social.

Required books

• Course reading packet (available at the College Store and Kraftees)
• French, Michael.  US Economic History Since 1945. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997. ($25)
• Terkel, Studs.  Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century by Those Who've Lived It. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1995. ($17)
• Strunk, William, Jr. and E.B. White.  The Elements of Style.  4^th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. ($8)
• Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. 4^th ed. Boston: Bedford Books, 1999. (You might own this already.)

ECO 101 (introductory microeconomics) and ECO 200 (introductory macroeconomics); also, ENG 102 (Composition II) or ENG 204 (Writing About Literature) or passage of exemption examination.

Two things you should not be without as a college student: A good dictionary and a stapler.

Course web site: http://www.oswego.edu/~dighe/aeh2.htm

You should regularly check it for copies of various class handouts, future updates to this syllabus, a complete list of course materials on library reserve, and links to related sites.

Another recommended web site: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/index.html

This site is devoted entirely to "Common Errors in English" and was put together by an English professor named Paul Brians. Aside from a long list of common grammatical errors, it includes links to several online grammar books and resources. The guy has a pretty good sense of humor, too.

The College Writing Center

... is a strongly recommended resource for anyone who finds the writing component of this course to be a struggle. The tutors at the College Writing Center can offer valuable help in writing and revising your papers. The Center is located in room 203 of Swetman Hall and is reachable by phone at x2570 or x4234.

Assignments and grading

Since this course is an expository writing class, written assignments will constitute the bulk of your grade. On every written assignment, the quality of the writing will be an important determinant of your grade. The single largest component of your course grade will be a term paper (about 10 pages). You will start by writing a prospectus that describes your term-paper topic and sources. Then you will write two drafts of this paper, so when you turn in your final draft on the last day of class, it will be a polished product. You will write six short "prep papers," based on the current week's reading, as well. The course will also have a 50-minute midterm and a two-hour final exam. The weighting of the different items is as follows:
 

Your term paper can be on any important topic in twentieth-century American economic history, provided that you clear it with me first. The article by Robert Whaples (see Week 1's reading) is an excellent place to look for a topic, since it lists ten propositions in twentieth-century American economic history on which there is at least some disagreement among economic historians.

Prep papers: You will write a short (1½- to 2-page) discussion prep paper, based on your reactions to the assigned reading for the week. Each week's prep paper is due in class. You are required to write six prep papers in all. The papers should include reactions to all of the assigned readings for the week at hand. You can write up to three additional prep papers, though no more than one per week, for extra credit. Since the class will ideally include a lot of discussion -- in particular, the middle third of every class will be devoted to discussion -- class participation will also enter into your final grade.

Attendance matters, too. While just showing up for class is not enough, missing class will hurt your grade both indirectly and directly. Since this class meets just once a week, each class you miss is equivalent to missing a whole week of classes. Unexcused absences from class will cause you to lose points (out of a possible 100 points) as follows: -1 point for one missed class, -2 for two, -4 for three, -8 for four, -16 for five, -32 for six, and an automatic E for seven or more.

Draconian policy on cheating

Students who are caught cheating on either of the exams or the term paper will be punished severely. The penalty is a zero on the exam or paper and either (a) an E for the course or (b) prosecution by the college authorities.Students who are caught cheating on a prep paper or another small item will receive a zero for the item in question, as well as zeroes for two other, equivalently weighted items (e.g., the two prep papers before it; think of it as a "treble damages" policy).

Course outline and schedule
 

Week	Date	Topics
1	Jan. 28	Introduction to Economic History; The Life Cycle of the American Economy What to read: * Course syllabus (every word!) * French, "Introduction" and Chapter 1 ("The US population since 1945"; 18 pp. total) * Robert Whaples, "Where Is There Consensus Among American Economic Historians? The Results of a Survey on Forty Propositions," Journal of Economic History (1995; edited to include twentieth-century issues only; 7 pp.; distributed in class) NOTE: One-third of this day's class will be devoted to a diagnostic writing test. FRI., FEB. 1: LAST DAY YOU CAN ADD THIS COURSE
2	Feb. 4	The Writing of Economics * Strunk & White, The Elements of Style * Hacker, Sections W2-W3 ("Wordy sentences," "Active verbs"; pp. 139-45) NOTE: This week's prep paper (on Strunk & White and Hacker) is mandatory and due on Mon., Feb. 4.
3	Feb. 11	The Rise of Big Government: The Progressive Era and World War I * Harold U. Faulkner, "The Era of Reform," Chapter XV of The Decline of Laissez Faire, 1897-1917 (1951; 17 pp.) * Gene Smiley, "The American Economy Prior to 1920," Chapter 1 of The American Economy in the Twentieth Century (1990; 11 pp.) TUES., FEB. 12: LAST DAY YOU CAN DROP THIS COURSE
4	Feb. 18	The Rise of Big Government: Understanding the Great Depression * Stephen G. Cecchetti, "Understanding the Great Depression: Lessons for Current Policy," Chapter 6 of The Economics of the Great Depression, edited by Mark Wheeler (1998; 25 pp.) * Irving Bernstein, "Collapse," Chapter 8 of The Lean Years (1960; 22 pp.) * Terkel, pp. 124-30 ("Merle Hansen, 74") TERM PAPER TOPIC DUE IN CLASS TODAY
5	Feb. 25	The Rise of Big Government: The Response to Depression * Gary M. Walton & Hugh Rockoff, "The New Deal," Chapter 24 of History of the American Economy, 9th edition. (2002; 22 pp.) * Terkel, pp. 15-24 ("Wallace Rasmussen, 80," and "Paul Miller, 74") and pp. 145-49 ("Jacob Lawrence, 76")
6	March 4	The Rise of Big Government: Is the Era of Big Government Over, or Here to Stay? * French, Chapters 2 and 3 ("US government since 1945"; "US government and management of the economy"; 30 pp. total) * Terkel, pp. 329-33 ("John Kenneth Galbraith, 85") and pp. 377-83 ("Admiral Gene LaRocque, 74")
7	March 11	Prosperity With a Purpose: Economic Welfare and Inequality * French, Chapter 9 ("US incomes and consumption since 1945") * Richard B. DuBoff, "Economic Growth in the Corporate Era: Trends, Triumphs, Paradoxes," Chapter 9 of Accumulation and Power: An Economic History of the United States (1989; 18 pp.) * Gregg Easterbrook, "America the O.K.," The New Republic, Jan. 4 & 11, 1999, pp. 19-25.
8	March 18	Prosperity With a Purpose: The Economic Progress of Women * French, pp. 85-91 ("Women and employment") * Terkel, pp. 25-29 ("Estelle Strongin, 82") and pp. 76-81 ("Judith Vladek, 70") * "A Man's Place" (panel discussion moderated by Michael Weinstein), The New York Times Magazine, May 16, 1999 (4 pp.) The MIDTERM EXAM will be part of this day's class.
MON.-FRI., MARCH 25-29: SPRING BREAK
9	April 1	Prosperity With a Purpose: The Economic Progress of African-Americans * French, Chapter 8 ("African-Americans and the Civil Rights Movement"; 26 pp.) * Robert Margo, "What Is The Key to Black Progress?" Chapter 8 of Second Thoughts, edited by D. McCloskey (1993; 5 pp.) * Terkel, pp. 48-54 ("Timuel Black, 74") and pp. 353-60 ("Erskine Moore, 72") FRI., APRIL 5: LAST DAY OF COURSE WITHDRAWAL PERIOD
10	April 8	Prosperity With a Purpose: A Land of Immigrants? * French, pp. 8-12 ("Immigration since 1945") * Ruth Gruber, Chapters One and Two of Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How They Came to America (1983; 27 pp.) * Irving Bernstein, "Immigration: Righting the National Origins Wrong," Chapter 9 ofGuns or Butter: The Presidency of Lyndon Johnson (1996; 16 pp.)
11	April 15	Prosperity With a Purpose: The Working Life * Terkel, Chapter Five ("Hold the Fort"; 30 pp.) * French, Chapter 5 ("Work in the United States since 1945"; 25 pp.) * Sanford M. Jacoby, "Introduction," from Modern Manors: Welfare Capitalism Since the New Deal (1997; 8 pp.)
12	April 22	America Goes to War: The World Wars and the Economy * George Soule, "The Army of Producers," Chapter III of Prosperity Decade (1947, 17 pp.) * Robert Higgs, "Wartime Prosperity? A Reassessment of the U.S. Economy in the 1940s," Journal of Economic History 52: 41-60 (1992) * Robert Higgs, "How Military Mobilization Hurts the Economy," Chapter 8 ofSecond Thoughts, edited by D. McCloskey (1993; 8 pp.)
13	April 29	America Goes to War: Prohibition and the War on Drugs * Jeffrey A. Miron, "Alcohol Prohibition," EH.Net Encyclopedia, edited by Robert Whaples, September 25, 2001 (6 pp.). Internet: http://www.eh.net/encyclopedia/contents/miron.prohibition.alcohol.php * Jeffrey A. Miron and Jeffrey Zwiebel, "The Economic Case Against Drug Prohibition," Journal of Economic Perspectives 9(4): 175-92 (1995).
14	May 6	America Goes to War: Vietnam and the War on Poverty * Irving Bernstein, "Guns or Butter," Chapter 20 of Guns or Butter: The Presidency of Lyndon Johnson (1996; 18 pp.) * Rebecca Blank, "Fighting Poverty: Lessons from Recent U.S. History," Journal of Economic Perspectives 14(2): 3-19 (2000).

FINAL EXAM (COMPREHENSIVE): Mon., May 13, 6:00-8:00 P.M.

Recommendations for further reading

Carnes, Mark C., ed. Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies (1996). Watching the movies will never be the same: several dozen distinguished historians discuss the historical accuracy (or lack thereof) of more than seventy historically-minded movies, from Gone With the Wind to The Grapes of Wrath to JFK to Apocalypse Now.

James W. Loewen. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (1995). Revisionist left-wing history at its best, this passionate and witty book combines a critique of high school American history textbooks with renderings of numerous crucial events and details that those textbooks typically ignore.