Course Design Guide: Axia College

Axia College
Course Design Guide

HIS/135 Version 3
The American Experience Since 1945

Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference.

Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is
considered the ruling document.

Copyright
Copyright © 2009, 2007, 2006, by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
University of Phoenix® is a registered trademark of Apollo Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Microsoft®, Windows®, and Windows NT® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Use of
these marks is not intended to imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation.
Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix® editorial standards and practices.

 Facilitator Information

 Kathleen Stillio
 kstillio@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix)
 stilliot@verizon.net (Personal)
 412-496-7284 (Eastern Standard Time)

 Facilitator Availability

 I am usually available between the hours of 4 pm – 10 pm, Eastern Standard Time in
your classroom. I do reserve Wednesdays and Saturdays for my family so I will not be
online during that time. I provide you with these times to make it easier to
communicate with me, not to limit our contact. Should you need to contact me outside
these time frames, you should not hesitate to do so. If you post a question to your
Individual Forum I will respond to you the next time I check into class, with a goal of
responding within 24 hours!

 If you would like to speak by phone, you may certainly call me. To ensure you reach
me, please post a request for phone communication in your Individual Forum to set up
a time for you to call me. Be sure to include your phone number and the time zone. I
am here to help you succeed in any way I can.
 For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to messages on the Online
Learning System (OLS), please send a message to my personal email address. In the
event a third party needs to contact me, please direct them to my contact information
listed under "facilitator information." No third party should use your login credentials
to gain access to the classroom.

Where to Go to
Class

Main: This is the main forum for the class and is where discussion is conducted. It has read-and-write access for
everyone.

Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is designed as a place to discuss issues not related to the
course content. This is the forum to which we will send our bios.

Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send any. This is
where I will post the course syllabus and materials.

Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by you and
me, the facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum. You can also ask questions here. However, if
you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the Main forum, since other
students may benefit by that exchange as well.
Policies

For class policies, please see the Policies link on the left side of the Materials page for the course on eCampus.
Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within
that link. University policies are subject to change so please be sure to read them at the beginning of each class as it
may have changed since your last class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you
attend class. If you have recently changed modalities it is important you read the policies governing your current
class modality.
Technical Support

Technical Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 1-877-832-4867, or use the e-mail support
form.
Answers to the most common issues are found in the Knowledge Base by clicking Help, found at the top of every
student Web site.
Feedback

Each week, I will provide grades or scores and comments on your assignments.
Grading Formula
Points Grade
95+ A
90-94 A-
87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B-
77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
64-66 D
60-63 D-
<59 F
Course Description

This course is an overview of the principal social, political, economic, and global events which have
shaped the American experience since World War II. Understanding modern American history is a
necessity in today's ever-changing world. This course aims to supply the tools for understanding current
political, social, cultural, and economic problems in the U.S. by applying historical perspective to analyze
contemporary issues.

Course Topics & Objectives

Week One: Start of the Cold War

 Explain the impact of McCarthyism on the U.S.
 Relate the ideology of the Cold War to the breakdown of wartime alliances after the end of WWII.
 Examine American Cold War policies and practices in international relations from the late 1940s
to the mid-1950s.

Week Two: Postwar Economy
 Explain how the American economy changed after WWII.

 Describe the culture of consumption during the Eisenhower administration.
 Explain Eisenhower’s pragmatic political measures to manage the economy and the politics of
consensus.

Week Three: New Frontiers

 Describe Kennedy’s vision of the New Frontier.
 Explain how the U.S. became involved in the politics of Southeast Asia.

Week Four: Liberal Reform

 Explain how the minority groups’ struggle for civil rights began in the 1950s.
 Describe the social structure and lifestyles of the Counterculture.
 Examine the social and political ramifications of LBJ’s Great Society and the continued struggle
for social justice.

Week Five: The Vietnam War

 Compare Nixon’s policies of engagement to foreign policy strategies used during the Cold War.
 Describe the connection between student unrest and the Vietnam War.
 Explain the political and social outcomes of the end of the war in Vietnam.

Week Six: Nixon’s Legacy

 Measure the impact of the Watergate scandal on public perception of government power.

Week Seven: Reaganomics

 Explain how the policies introduced during the Reagan presidency contributed to conservative
politics and stimulation of the economy.
 Describe the social, economic, and political composition of the decade of corporate greed.

Week Eight: End of the Cold War

 Relate the political events of the 1980s to the collapse of communism in Europe and the end of
the Cold War.

Week Nine: Moving Toward a Global Community

 Explain the role of the U.S. in the emerging global community.

Course Materials

Davidson, J. (Ed.). (2006). Nation of nations: A concise narrative of the American republic (4th ed., Vol.
2). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Axia College’s Writing Style Handbook, available online at
https://axiaecampus.phoenix.edu/Writing_Style_Handbook_AxiaUOP.pdf

All electronic materials are available on your student Web site.

Recommended Weekly Point Values

Week One
CheckPoint: McCarthyism 30
Assignment: Cold War Ideology and Policies 100
Week Two
CheckPoint: Eisenhower’s Politics 30
Discussion Questions 20
Participation 15
Week Three
CheckPoint: Kennedy’s New Frontier 30
Assignment: Southeast Asia 100
Week Four
CheckPoint: Comparing Kennedy’s New Frontier and Johnson’s Great
Society 30
Participation 15
Week Five
CheckPoint: Nixon’s Politics 30
Assignment: The Vietnam War 100
Week Six
Participation 15
Week Seven
CheckPoint: Reagan’s Economics 30
Assignment: Decade of Corporate Greed 100
Week Eight
Participation 15
Week Nine
Capstone CheckPoint: End of the Cold War 30
Final Project: Most Significant Events 250
Point Total 1,000
Week One

Start of the Cold War

 Explain the impact of McCarthyism on the U.S.
 Relate the ideology of the Cold War to the breakdown of wartime alliances after the end of WWII.
 Examine American Cold War policies and practices in international relations from the late 1940s
to the mid-1950s.

Course Assignments

1. Course Preparation

 Read the course description and objectives.
 Read the instructor’s biography and post your own.

2. Readings

 Read Appendix A.
 Read Ch. 27 of Nation of Nations: A Concise Narrative of the American Republic.

3. CheckPoint: McCarthyism

 Submit a 150- to 200-word response in which you address the following:

o Explain how McCarthyism affected the lives and political thinking of people in the U.S.
o Defend McCarthyism as appropriate or criticize it as inappropriate for the time in which it
occurred.

4. Assignment: Cold War Ideology and Policies

 Write a 250- to 350-word paper in which you address the following:
o Describe how the Cold War ideology that crystallized after WWII changed wartime
alliances that had existed during the war.
o Describe how American Cold War policies and practices influenced international
relations from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s.

 Format your paper according to APA standards.
 Post your paper as an attachment.
 Summary of Week 1 Deliverables

Assignment Location Due
Post Bio Chat Room Day 1 (Monday)
CheckPoint: McCarthyism Assignment Section of eCampus Day 3 (Wednesday)
Assignment: Cold War Ideology and Policies Assignment Section of eCampus Day 6 (Saturday)
Week Two

Postwar Economy

 Explain how the American economy changed after WWII.
 Describe the culture of consumption during the Eisenhower administration.
 Explain Eisenhower’s pragmatic political measures to manage the economy and the politics of
consensus.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

 Read Ch. 28 of the text.
2. CheckPoint: Eisenhower’s Politics

 Submit a 150- to 200-word response in which you address the following points:

o Explain the pragmatic, political measures Eisenhower used to manage the economy.
o Explain the politics of consensus.

3. Discussion Questions

 How did the U.S. economy change after WWII ended, compared to what it had been like
during the war? Use specific examples of what people were able to have and do and what it
must have felt like after the scarcity of their wartime experiences.

o Respond to your classmates’ answers by considering the following points:

 Explain how your classmates’ examples might have been experienced differently
by people who had fought abroad and people who had stayed in the United States
during the war.

 Explain how your classmates’ examples might have been experienced differently
by people who had enjoyed luxuries before the war and people who found them to be
a new experience.

 Describe the culture of consumption during the Eisenhower administration. How do you
think such large-scale, newfound getting and spending culture influenced people’s feelings
about America?

o Respond to your classmates’ answers by considering which people were more likely
than others to feel the benefits of certain kinds of economic growth. Help connect how
public spending influenced business and government budgets, which in turn helped more
people.
 Weekly Reminders
 Discussion Questions
 Discussion question responses will not count towards the class participation
requirement and will be evaluated separately.
 Participation
 All week: Remember to participate in the class discussions by posting at least 2
substantial messages in 4 out of 7 days during the week. Only posts in the Main
classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation Main Forum Ongoing (4 days per week)
Week 2 DQ 1 Main Forum Day 2 (Tuesday)
Week 2 DQ 2 Main Forum Day 4 (Thursday)
CheckPoint: Eisenhower’s Politics Assignment Section of eCampus Day 6 (Saturday)

Week Three

New Frontiers

 Describe Kennedy’s vision of the New Frontier.
 Explain how the U.S. became involved in the politics of Southeast Asia.

Course Assignments

1. CheckPoint: Kennedy’s New Frontier

 Submit a 150- to 200-word response describing what Kennedy hoped to accomplish with
the New Frontier.

2. Assignment: Southeast Asia

 Create a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation of 6 to 9 slides in which you address the
following points:

o Explain how the U.S. became involved in the politics of Southeast Asia.
o Explain how this involvement affected the U.S. political climate of the 1950s.

 Include text and visual elements in your slides; however, visual elements may not comprise
more than one third of your information. This means, for example, that no more than 3 of 9
slides may be pictures, or no more than one third of each slide may be pictures.

 Include speaker notes.

 Post your presentation as an attachment.


CheckPoint: Kennedy’s New Frontier Assignment Section of eCampus Day 3 (Wednesday)
Assignment: Southeast Asia Assignment Section of eCampus Day 6 (Saturday)
Week Four

Liberal Reform

 Explain how the minority groups’ struggle for civil rights began in the 1950s.
 Describe the social structure and lifestyles of the Counterculture.
 Examine the social and political ramifications of LBJ’s Great Society and the continued struggle
for social justice.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

 Read Ch. 29 & 30 of the text.

2. CheckPoint: Comparing Kennedy’s New Frontier and Johnson’s Great Society

 Identify the legislative items in the table of Appendix B as pertaining to Kennedy’s New
Frontier, to Johnson’s Great Society, or to the legislative proposals of both presidents.

 Post your completed appendix as an attachment.

 How did the minority groups’ struggle for civil rights begin in the 1950s? Which event
from this time do you think was most responsible for bringing public attention to the American
Civil Rights Movement? Explain why you selected this event.

o Respond to the events your classmates see as most important by reflecting how the
same activities would influence society today. What about society today would make the
public reaction similar or different?

 Describe the social structure and lifestyles of the 1960s Counterculture. How did the
Vietnam War influence the Counterculture? Do you think there is a counterculture today?

o Respond to your classmates’ answers by adding or elaborating on information related
to the 1960s Counterculture and about where we see subcultural reactions to today’s
social, economic, and political issues.

Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.
Participation
All week: Remember to participate in the class discussions by posting at least 2 substantial messages in 4 out of 7
days during the week. Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation
score.
Summary of Week 4 Deliverables

Participation Main Forum Ongoing (4 days per
week)
CheckPoint: Comparing Kennedy’s and Assignment Section of Day 5 (Friday)
Johnson eCampus

Week Five

The Vietnam War

 Compare Nixon’s policies of engagement to foreign policy strategies used during the Cold War.
 Describe the connection between student unrest and the Vietnam War.
 Explain the political and social outcomes of the end of the war in Vietnam.

Course Assignments

1. CheckPoint: Nixon’s Politics

 Submit a 150- to 200-word response comparing Nixon’s policies of engagement with
foreign policy strategies used during the Cold War.

2. Assignment: The Vietnam War

 Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you address the following points:

o Describe the connection between student unrest and the Vietnam War, noting how each
affected the other.

o Explain the political and social outcomes of the end of the Vietnam War.

o Use at least two resources to support your response, including one related to the
connection of student unrest and the war, and another related to the political and social
outcomes of the war.

 Post your assignment as an attachment.


CheckPoint: Nixon’s Politics Assignment Section of eCampus Day 3 (Wednesday)
Assignment: Vietnam War Assignment Section of eCampus Day 6 (Saturday)
Week Six

Nixon’s Legacy

 Measure the impact of the Watergate scandal on public perception of government power.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

 Read Ch. 31 & pp. 941–956 of the text.

 If you had been a voter at the time of Nixon's impeachment and resignation, how would the
Watergate scandal have affected your perception of government power? Do you think the
Watergate scandal has had an enduring effect on the public's perception of government
power today? Explain your answer.

o Respond by considering how later politicians had to respond to reactions similar to those
of your classmates’ in order to restore public confidence in government figures.

 Post your response to the following: Investigative reporters are bolder today than they
were 30 or 40 years ago. How do you think the influence of Watergate has contributed to this
boldness? Do you think investigative reporters are justified in being bold to get information for
the public, or do you think they are too aggressive?

o Respond to your classmates’ answers by playing devil’s advocate. This means that
when a response posts asserting investigators are too aggressive, ask how it is that the
investigators can get at the truth. When a response posts asserting that investigators are
justified in being bold to get information, ask how it is that people can preserve their
privacy and not be tried by public opinion. Remember that this point or counterpoint type
of discussion must be conducted with mature courtesy.

 Participation
Week 6 DQ 2 Main Forum Day 3 (Wednesday)

Week Seven

Reaganomics

 Explain how the politics introduced during the Reagan presidency contributed to conservative
politics and stimulation of the economy.
 Describe the social, economic, and political composition of the decade of corporate greed.

Course Assignments

1. CheckPoint: Reagan’s Economics

 Submit a 150- to 200-word response in which you explain how Reagan’s policies
reflected conservative politics and contributed to stimulation of the economy.

2. Assignment: Decade of Corporate Greed

 Review the Electronic Reserve Readings for this week, located on your student web site,
which provide additional information about Reaganomics and the decade of corporate greed.
These readings demonstrate different viewpoints, so read carefully to understand the
arguments both for and against Reaganomics. Notice that an article in favor of Reaganomics
may give you arguments against it, and vice versa.

 Create a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation of 6 to 9 slides in which you address the
following point:

o Describe the social, economic, and political composition of the decade of corporate greed
and how it affected the political climate of the 1980s. Keep in mind that Reagan's tax
policies favored some people over others.

 Include text and visual elements in your slides; however, visual elements may not comprise
more than one third of your information. This means, for example, that no more than 3 of 9
slides may be pictures, or no more than one third of each slide may be pictures.

 Include speaker notes.

 Post your presentation as an attachment.


CheckPoint: Reagan’s Economics Assignment Section of eCampus Day 3 (Wednesday)
Assignment: Decade of Corporate Greed Assignment Section of eCampus Day 6 (Saturday)
Week Eight

End of the Cold War

 Relate the political events of the 1980s to the collapse of communism in Europe and the end of
the Cold War.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

 Read pp. 956–965 & Ch. 33 of the text.


 Which political events of the 1980s had the most influence on the collapse of Communism in
Europe and the end of the Cold War? Explain your answer.

o Respond by discussing how history may have been different if the events in your
classmates’ answers had not happened or if they had happened at a different time. For
example, if they had happened either sooner or later, how might they have affected other
events? Explain these differences in detail.
 Looking at how Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies changed the Soviet Union, would you consider
him a patriot, or in a sense, a subversive? Explain your answer.

o Respond by using the reasons your classmates discuss to compare how other historic
figures may be considered similarly either patriots or subversives.

 Participation

Week Nine

Moving Toward a Global Community

 Explain the role of the U.S. in the emerging global community.

Course Assignments

1. Capstone CheckPoint: End of the Cold War

 Resources: Appendixes A and C (Appendix A is located in the Course Materials tab.)
 Submit a 150- to 200-word response in which you explain the role of the U.S. in the
emerging global community.

2. Final Project: Most Significant Events

 Resources: Appendix A
 Write a 1,750- to 2,050-word essay in which you address the following points:

o Choose one social, economic, or political event that you studied from each of the five
decades following World War II—1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s—that you think
had a more powerful effect on the American people than other events within the same
decade.

o Introduce the paper with a short explanation of the overall purpose of the final project.

o Conclude the paper by hypothesizing changes you anticipate to happen in the U.S.
social, economic, or political climate of the next ten years. Explain the reasons for your
hypothesis.

o Review the Electronic Reserve Reading for this week, located on your student Web
site, to get an idea of how you might present your hypothesis. Notice how you may trace
the thread of a topic through the last five decades as you lead up to your prediction.
Notice also how you may make personal comments—the hypothesis is an opinion, so
you may show your bias. You are not expected to write as much as the supplemental
reading, but it might be helpful.

 Include at least two references in each decade’s section of your paper.
 Organize all sections into a unified, final paper with subtitles for each section.
 Refer to Appendix C to verify that you have written a collegiate paper.
 Post your paper as an attachment.


Capstone CheckPoint Assignment Section of eCampus Day 3 (Wednesday)
Final Project: Most Significant Events Assignment Section of eCampus Day 7 (Sunday)

Kathleen Stillio
Faculty
University of Phoenix
kstillio@email.phoenix.edu
stilliot@verizon.net
412-496-7284

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Course Design Guide

Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference.

 Explain how the American economy changed after WWII.

 Summary of Week 1 Deliverables

2. CheckPoint: Eisenhower’s Politics

3. Discussion Questions

Summary of Week 4 Deliverables

Summary of Week 5 Deliverables

Assignment Location Due

Summary of Week 7 Deliverables

Assignment Location Due

Summary of Week 9 Deliverables

Assignment Location Due

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