America since 1945 Media, Politics, and Culture History/JMC 308-01W  M-W / 1 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. Fall 2002 Recent America Sites

Dr. S. Jonathan Bass
Office: 322 DBH
Phone: (205) 726-4133
sjbass@samford.edu

This course will examine the history of the United States since 1945, with a primary focus on media and presidential politics in the age of the Cold War (1945-1990). We will look particularly at how television developed into this nation's most important and influential medium. We will look at how television, broadcast journalism, public relations, and advertising impacted culture and politics during the Cold War.

During the course of the semester, we will look at a variety of historical and journalistic interpretations of major events, themes, and political/social theories. During this off-year election fall, we will critique each presidential campaign from 1948 to 1988-examining the media, advertising, electioneering, speeches, rhetoric and the overall "image" of candidate. We will also use Daniel Boorstin's concept of "pseudo-events" to examine the manipulation of the media by individuals and groups. From a media perspective, we will look at the use of "agenda setting" to perhaps "distort" the "news." From a historical perspective, we will examine traditional and revisionist interpretations of each American president from Truman to Reagan--all of this in a Cold War context.

Readings

These books are required for this class:

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945.
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising
• Robert Ferrell, Harry S. Truman and the Modern American Presidency.
• John Hersey, Hiroshima
• Michael S. Mayer, The Eisenhower Presidency and the 1950s.
• Bruce J. Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism.
• Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men.
• Various Texts on the Web and on Reserve in Davis Library.

Readings must be completed in advance of the class for which they are assigned.

Evaluation

Grading will be based on the following written assignments: a final examination (30%) to be administered on Monday, December 9 at 1 p.m.; a mid-term examination (20%) to be administered on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 8 and 9; a 12-15 page historiographical/content analysis essay (25%) due on Wednesday, December 4; various papers (position, evaluation, observation, quizzes.)(15%) due at various times during the semester (see due dates below).

The mid-term will be an individually scheduled oral exam. The final examination will consist of essay questions, short answer questions, and identifications covering both readings and seminar presentations. Quizzes will be administered periodically during the term to measure students' mastery of the course material.

This is an advanced seminar and your participation in class discussion(10%) is vital to success in this course. Preparation and attendance are mandatory.
 

Assignments	Percentage of grade
Class Participation	10%
Various Papers	15%
Mid Term Examination	20%
Essay (12-15 pages)	25%
Final Examination	30%

The grading system for the semester is as follows:

A- 90.0 - 92.9%	A 93.0 - 100%
B- 80.0 - 82.9%	B 83.0 - 86.9%	B+ 87.0 - 89.9%
C- 70.0 - 72.9%	C 73.0 - 76.9%	C+ 77.0 - 79.9%
D- 60.0 - 62.9%	D 63.0 - 66.99	D+ 67.0 - 69.9%

Course Objectives

1. Critically analyze primary documents, media coverage, and historical interpretations.
2. Develop critical thinking skills and formulate individual interpretations of events.
3. Discuss biased and flawed historical and journalistic interpretations of movements, events, time periods, and people.
4. Read and understand the important historiography of the time period.
5. Research and write a historiographical essay.
6. Evaluate the pros and cons of each U.S. President since 1945.
7. Understand the origins and evolution of the Cold War.
8. Understand the role of advertising and public relations in presidential and Cold War politics

• Office Hours, Attendance Policy, Assignments, and Makeup Work

Tentative Course Schedule 

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Week 1 -- Turning Point

• Introduction to the Course
• The New Deal
• World War II
• The Decision to Drop the Bomb

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 1-25.
• Robert Ferrell, Harry S. Truman and the Modern American Presidency, 44-63 (Wednesday)
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter One

• Atomic Bomb: Decision (Individual Assigned Chapters)

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Week 2 -- Origins of the Cold War

• Ground Zero
• Reality of the Bomb: Hiroshima
• The Bomb: Justified?
• Introduction to Historiography
• Origins of the Cold War: The Historical Documents
• Origins of the Cold War: The Historical Interpretations

• John Hersey, Hiroshima, all (Monday)
• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 37-46
• Robert Ferrell, Harry S. Truman and the Modern American Presidency, 64-84 (Wednesday)

• Selected Cold War Documents

• Evaluation Paper (Monday, September 2)
• Brief Historiographical Report (Wednesday, September 4)

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Week 3 -- Truman Years

• Background and Domestic Issue
•  The Election of 1948
• Korea
• Assesing the Truman Presidency
• Defining Issues

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 25-37, 46-52.
• Robert Ferrell, Harry S. Truman and the Modern American Presidency, 1-43, 85-107 (Monday), 108-209 (Wednesday)

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Week 4 -- Anti-Communist Crusade

• HUAC
• Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers
• Joseph McCarthy
• The Hollywood Blacklist
• Climate of Hysteria

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 52-57.
• Michael S. Mayer, The Eisenhower Presidency and the 1950s, 49-80(Wednesday),
• Is This Tomorrow?
• Salem, 1950 (Wednesday)
• Arthur Miller,"Are You Now Or Were You Ever?" (Wednesday)

• HUAC and McCarthy Documents

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Week 5 -- Eisenhower Era

•  The Election of 1952
• Domestic Issues
• Evolving Cold War
• Assesing the Eisenhower Presidency

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 57-88.
• Michael S. Mayer, The Eisenhower Presidency and the 1950s, xi-45, 121-138. (Wednesday).
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapters Two and Three

• TBA

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Week 6 -- The Fifties

• Organization Man
• Rebels With and Without Causes
• Civil Rights and Social Injustices
• Space Race
• Television

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 25-37, 46-52.
• Michael S. Mayer, The Eisenhower Presidency and the 1950s, 157-226 (Monday).

• TBA

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Week 7 -- Kennedy vs. Nixon

•  The Election of 1960
• The Debates
• Camelot vs. Tricky Dick

• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter Four

• TBA

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Week 8 -- New Frontier

• No Class, Monday, October 14 (Fall Break)

• "The Image"
• Agenda Setting
• Psuedo Events
• Kennedy Assasination
• Assesing the Kennedy Presidency

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 89-92, 96-102.

• Daniel Boorstin, The Image

Week 9 -- Lyndon Johnson and American Liberalism

• Background
•  The Election of 1964
• The War on Poverty
• Toward a Great Society

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 103-116.
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter Five
• Bruce J. Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism, 1-81, 247-252 (Monday), 82-124, 173-208 (Wednesday)

• TBA

Week 10 -- Falling Apart

• Vietnam
• Assesing the Johnson Presidency
• Origins of the Youth Rebellion
• The New Left

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 116-128.
• Bruce J. Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism, 125-154, 208-228, 155-166, 228-245 (Monday)

Week 11 -- The Sixties Explode

• Counterculture
• Hippies
• Backlash
• 1968
•  The Election of 1968

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 128-131, 132-161.
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter Six

• Tom Wolfe, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
• Jack Kerouac, On the Road

• The Hippies

Week 12 -- Nixon

• Domestic Issues
• Watergate
• Nixon vs. Clinton

• Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men (all) (Wednesday)
• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 161-191.
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter Seven

TBA

Week 13 -- The Seventies

• Assessing the Nixon Presidency
• Beyond Watergate
• Ford and Carter
• Me Generation

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 191-210.
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter Eight

• Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, The Final Days

Week 14 -- Rise of Conservatism

• No Class, Wednesday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Holiday)

• Origins of an Idea
• Origins of a Revolution
• Religious Right and Political Might

• Barry Goldwater, Conscience of a Conservative
• Russell Kirk, Selected Readings

Week 15 -- The Reagan Revolution

• Background
•  The Election of 1980
• Winning the Cold War

• Irwin Unger, Recent America: The United States Since 1945, 211-254.
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign Advertising, Chapter Nine, Ten, Eleven

e-mail  sjbass@samford.edu

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