Syllabus—US Since 1929
Jasper Johns: Three Flags, 1958.Instructor infoDr. Michael J. Kramer, Department of History, SUNY Brockport, mkramer@brockport.edu.
Who is your instructor?Michael J. Kramer specializes in modern US cultural and intellectual history, transnational history, public history, digital humanities, and cultural criticism. He is an associate professor of history at the State University of New York (SUNY) Brockport, the author of The Republic of Rock: Music and Citizenship in the Sixties Counterculture (Oxford University Press, 2013), and the director of the Berkeley Folk Music Festival Project. He is currently working on a history of the 1976 United States bicentennial celebration and a study of folk music, technology, and cultural democracy in the United States. He edits The Carryall, an online journal of US cultural and intellectual history and maintains a blog of cultural criticism, Culture Rover. His website, with additional information about publications, projects, courses, talks, and more can be found at michaeljkramer.net.
What are we up to?In this research-intensive course, we explore US history from 1929 to the present. Building on your basic understanding of US history, the course helps you develop: 1. an understanding of US history since 1929; 2. a more sophisticated comprehension of historiographic debates about US history since 1929 (the interpretive disagreements that historians have); 3. the capacity to analyze history as an empirically driven approach to interpreting, understanding, and narrativizing the past; 4. identification of key themes in twentieth-century American history concerning issues of power, identity, race, gender, class, sexuality, region, culture, the law, the state, politics, economics, and ideas; 5. the opportunity to improve your research, writing, and communication skills through a short essay based on original research; 6. the ability to synthesize and handle informational complexity (or how to “gut” a book); 7. a deeper set of resources and knowledge for teaching and other professional pursuits. We will be doing a lot of reading, but you will learn how to read for historical understanding more efficiently and effectively. Each student will complete a short biweekly teaching/research assignment; a midterm research proposal, and a final essay based on original research. The quality of our seminar depends on your participation, which involves a commitment to preparation, respectful listening and responding, and willingness to take intellectual chances in the course.
Things you are expected to do this termBy taking this course you are agreeing to do the following to the best of your abilities:
Complete the readings.Come to class prepared.Participate in discussions in class through both comments and listening and responding to others.Complete the assignments.Be respectful of yourself, your instructor, and your fellow students.This is a hybrid synchronous course. If you are attending online, please find a quiet place with a good internet connection to join the course; keep your camera on and use a headset if possible.Required booksPurchase used or new at Brockport bookstore or wherever you wish to purchase or available at SUNY Brockport Drake Memorial Library Reserves or through Interlibrary Loan from Drake Library or your local library.
Cowie, Jefferson. The Great Exception: The New Deal and the Limits of American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016. ISBN: 9780691175737Fraser, Steve, and Gary Gerstle, eds. The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780691006079Erenberg, Lewis A. and Susan E. Hirsch, eds. The War in American Culture: Society and Consciousness during World War II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780226215129Dudziak, Mary L. War Time: An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780199315857Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers’ Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. ISBN: 9780375707377Jeffries, Hasan Kwame. Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt. New York: New York University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780814743317Farber, David, ed. The Sixties: From Memory to History. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780807844625Bailey, Beth L., and Dave Farber, eds. America in the Seventies. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004. ISBN: 9780700613274Winant, Gabriel. The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2021. ISBN: 9780674292192McGrath, Tom. Triumph of the Yuppies: America, the Eighties, and the Creation of an Unequal Nation. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781538725993Lichtenstein, Nelson, and Judith Stein. A Fabulous Failure: The Clinton Presidency and the Transformation of American Capitalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2023. ISBN: 9780691245522Beck, Richard. Homeland: American Life in the War on Terror. New York: Crown, 2024. ISBN: 9780593240229Serwer, Adam. The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America. New York: One World, 2022. ISBN: 9780593230824ScheduleIntroductionsMonday, August 25
Introductions
Readings:
Thomas Andrews and Flannery Burke. “What Does It Mean to Think Historically?,” Perspectives on History, January 2007Earls, Averill, Elizabeth Garner Masarik, Sarah Handley-Cousins, and Marissa C. Rhodes. “What about Continuity?” Perspectives on History, Spring 2024Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool for StudentsThe New Deal and the Great ExceptionWednesday, August 27
The Stock Market Crash, Great Depression, and New Deal
Readings:
Cowie, Jefferson. The Great Exception: The New Deal and the Limits of American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016, Prologue and IntroductionMonday, September 01 No Class—Labor Day
Tuesday, September 02
Assignment:
Student IntroductionWednesday, September 03
The New Deal and the “Great Exception”
Readings:
Cowie, Jefferson. The Great Exception: The New Deal and the Limits of American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016, Chapters 01-07The Rise and Fall of the New Deal OrderMonday, September 08
New Deal Order Rise and Fall
Readings:
Fraser, Steve, and Gary Gerstle, eds. The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990, Introduction, Part 01Primary Source Options:
PBS US History Collection, The New DealDocsTeach, The New Deal: Revolution or Reform?Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), The New DealLibrary of Congress, The New DealNational Archives Picturing the Century, The Great Depression and the New DealFlorida Atlantic University Libraries Great Depression & New Deal: Primary Source CollectionsOr find your own!Wednesday, September 10
Neoliberal Order After 1970
Readings:
Fraser, Steve, and Gary Gerstle, eds. The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990, Introduction, Part 02Friday, September 12
Assignment:
Monday, September 15
Seeking Unity in the American Way
Readings:
Erenberg, Lewis A. and Susan E. Hirsch, eds. The War in American Culture: Society and Consciousness during World War II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996, Introduction, Parts 01 and 02Primary Source Options:
PBS US History Collection, WWIINational Archives DocsTeach, WWIIUniversity of Washington Research Guide, Primary Sources — WWIILibrary of Congress, WWIIThe National WWII MuseumOr find your ownWednesday, September 17
Mobilization and Its Effects
Readings:
Erenberg, Lewis A. and Susan E. Hirsch, eds. The War in American Culture: Society and Consciousness during World War II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996, Introduction, Parts 03-05Margot Canaday, “Building a Straight State: Sexuality and Social Citizenship under the 1944 G.I. Bill,” The Journal of American History 90, 3 (December 2003): 935-957Wartime from WWII to NowMonday, September 22
What Was WWII?
Readings:
Dudziak, Mary L. War Time: An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, Introduction, Chapters 01 and 02Wednesday, September 24
US Wars After WWII
Readings:
Dudziak, Mary L. War Time: An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, Introduction, Chapters 03, 04, and ConclusionPostwarMonday, September 29
Origins and Birth of a Consumers’ Republic
Readings:
Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers’ Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003, Prologue, Part 01 and 02Robert Korstad and Nelson Lichtenstein, “Opportunities Found and Lost: Labor, Radicals, and the Early Civil Rights Movement,” Journal of American History 75, 3 (December 1988): 786–811Manfred Berg, “Black Civil Rights and Liberal Anticommunism: The NAACP in the Early Cold War,” Journal of American History 94, 1 (June 2007): 75–96Wednesday, October 01
Landscape and Politics of a Consumers’ Republic
Readings:
Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers’ Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003, Part 03, 04, EpilogueMichelle Nickerson, “Women, Domesticity, and Postwar Conservatism,” OAH Magazine of History 17, 2: Conservatism (January 2003): 17-21Primary Source Options:
PBS US History Collection, The Cold WarDocsTeach, Cold WarDocsTeach, American Society of the 1950s and 1960sDocsTeach, Tensions of the Cold WarTracey, Liz. “Joseph McCarthy in Wheeling, West Virginia: Annotated.” JSTOR Daily, 24 March 2025Tracey, Liz. “Declaration of Conscience: Annotated.” JSTOR Daily, 23 June 2023Baruch College, Consumer CultureOr find your ownCivil Rights and Black Power After WWIIMonday, October 06
A Freedom Struggle Develops
Readings:
Jeffries, Hasan Kwame. Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt. New York: New York University Press, 2009, Introduction and Chapters 01-04Primary Source Options:
PBS US History Collection, Civil Rights MovementLibrary of Congress, Civil Rights MovementNational Archives, Civil RightsWisconsin Historical Society, 1964 Freedom Summer ProjectUniversity of Alabama, Jim Peppler Southern Courier Photograph CollectionStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Digital Gateway Primary SourcesFreedom’s Ring ProjectBill Moyers, Two Versions of John Lewis Speech, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and FreedomOr find your ownWednesday, October 08
Black Power and Other Civil Rights Movements: Two Case Studies and Their Larger Implications
Readings:
Jeffries, Hasan Kwame. Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt. New York: New York University Press, 2009, Chapters 05-07 and EpilogueLori Flores, “An Unladylike Strike Fashionably Clothed: Mexican American and Anglo Women Garment Workers Against Tex-Son, 1959-1963,” Pacific Historical Review 78, 3 (August 2009), 367-402Friday, October 10
Assignment:
World War II Teaching Assignment Using Primary SourcesMonday, October 13 No Class—Fall Break
The SixtiesWednesday, October 15
The Sixties in History and Memory
Readings:
Farber, David, ed. The Sixties: From Memory to History. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994, Introduction, Chapters 01-04Primary Source Options:
PBS US History Collection, Vietnam WarLibrary of Congress, LGBTQ ActivismLibrary of Congress, Arts and Entertainment, 1945-1968DocsTeach, CountercultureAmerican Archive of Public Broadcasting, Student Protests in the 1960sYoung Americans for Freedom, Sharon Statement, 1960Students for a Democratic Society, Port Huron Statement, 1962Free Speech Movement Digital Archive Text DocumentsSixties Project: Primary Document ArchiveCNU Primary Sources, 1960s: WomenMonday, October 20
The Sixties in History and Memory
Readings:
Farber, David, ed. The Sixties: From Memory to History. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994, Introduction, Chapters 06-10The SeventiesWednesday, October 22
The Age of Decadence or Limits?
Readings:
Bailey, Beth L., and Dave Farber, eds. America in the Seventies. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004, Introduction, Chapters 01-04Primary Source Options:
American Archive of Public Broadcasting, The American Indian Movement (AIM)CNU Primary Sources, 1970sDocsTeach, 1970s America‘Ritchie, Donald A. “Investigating the Watergate Scandal.” OAH Magazine of History 12, no. 4 (1998): 49–53PBS US History Collection, Watergate | Journalism in ActionPBS US History Collection, The Oil Crisis | Teaching with Primary SourcesOr find your ownFriday, October 24
Assignment:
Monday, October 27
The Age of Decadence or Limits?
Readings:
Bailey, Beth L., and Dave Farber, eds. America in the Seventies. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004, Chapters 05-09Katherine Turk, “Out of the Revolution, into the Mainstream: Employment Activism in the NOW Sears Campaign and the Growing Pains of Liberal Feminism,” Journal of American History 97, 2 (September 2010): 399–423DeindustrializationWednesday, October 29
The First Shift: Factory Work
Readings:
Winant, Gabriel. The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2021, Introduction, Chapters 01-03Friday, October 31
Assignment:
Monday, November 03
The Next Shift: Care Work
Readings:
Winant, Gabriel. The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2021, Chapters 04-06, EpilogueDePillis, Lydia, and Christine Zhang. “How Health Care Remade the U.S. Economy.” The New York Times, 03 July 2025The EightiesWednesday, November 05
Rise of the Yuppies in Reagan’s America
Readings:
McGrath, Tom. Triumph of the Yuppies: America, the Eighties, and the Creation of an Unequal Nation. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2024, Introduction, Parts I-IIIPrimary Source Options:
DocsTeach, 1980sMiller Center, Ronald Reagan SpeechesOr find your ownFriday, November 07
Assignment:
Monday, November 10
Fall of the Yuppies in Reagan’s America?
Readings:
McGrath, Tom. Triumph of the Yuppies: America, the Eighties, and the Creation of an Unequal Nation. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2024, Parts IV-VGottlieb, Dylan. “Hoboken Is Burning: Yuppies, Arson, and Displacement in the Postindustrial City.” Journal of American History 106, no. 2 (September 1, 2019): 390–416Gottlieb, Dylan. “Yuppies: Young Urban Professionals and the Making of Postindustrial New York.” Enterprise & Society 22, no. 4 (December 2021): 962–69Phillips-Fein, Kim. “The Dark Legacy of Reaganism.” The New Republic, 19 February 2025The NinetiesWednesday, November 12
Rise of Clinton and the Return of New Deal Liberalism?
Readings:
Lichtenstein, Nelson, and Judith Stein. A Fabulous Failure: The Clinton Presidency and the Transformation of American Capitalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2023, Introduction, Parts I-IIPrimary Source Options:
1996 Telecommunications Reform Act documentsPolitical Rhetoric Archive, President Clinton’s 1997 Welfare to Work SpeechMiller Center, Bill Clinton SpeechesOr find your ownMonday, November 17
Clinton and the New Neoliberalism
Readings:
Lichtenstein, Nelson, and Judith Stein. A Fabulous Failure: The Clinton Presidency and the Transformation of American Capitalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2023, Parts III-IV, EpilogueGanz, John. “The Year the Clock Broke.” The Baffler 42 (November 2018)The 2000s and the War on TerrorWednesday, November 19
Connecting the Homeland to the Globe
Readings:
Primary Source Options:
9/11 Digital ArchiveGeorge W. Bush Presidential Library, Global War on Terror DocumentsCarnegie Council for Ethics in International Affiars, 2008 Global Financial Crisis: Primary SourcesChristina D. Romer, Council of Economic Advisers, Treatment and Prevention: Ending the Great Recession and Ensuring that It Doesn’t Happen Again, City Club of Cleveland, 3 May 2010Case Western University, Occupy Archive Digital Exhibits: Spring 2020 CWRUOr find your ownFriday, November 21
Assignment:
No Class—Thanksgiving Break
Monday, December 01
Connecting the Globe to the Homeland
Readings:
Beck, Richard. Homeland: American Life in the War on Terror. New York: Crown, 2024, Introduction, Parts III and IV, EpilogueRecent HistoryWednesday, December 03
Readings:
Serwer, Adam. The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America. New York: One World, 2022.FinalMonday, December 15
Research Essay DueAssignments and evaluationsStudent Introduction = 5%Teaching Assignments Using Primary Sources 5 x 5% = 25%The Stock Market Crash, Great Depression, and New DealNew DealWWIIPostwarUS Since 1980Research Essay Development 3 x 10% = 30%Research Essay Preliminary IdeasPrimary Source List, Research Question, HypothesisResearch Essay UpdateFinal Research Assignment = 30%Seminar Participation = 10%RubricYes! = A-level work.
on-time submission of assignmentsfor class meetings, regular attendance and timely preparation overall, plus insightful, constructive, respectful, and regular participation in class discussionsa thorough understanding of required course materials as expressed in seminar meeting participationFor writing assignments:accurate, clear, well-written responses to prompts when relevanta credible, persuasive argument of originalityargument persuasively supported by relevant, accurate, and clearly explicated evidencepersuasive integration of argument and evidence in an insightful overall analysisexcellent organization: introduction, topic sentences, coherent paragraphs, use of evidence, contextualization, analysis, smooth transitions, conclusiongraceful, clear, logical prose style with effective word choice, avoidance of clichés, and free of spelling and grammatical errorscorrect page formatting when relevant, with regular margins, double spaced, and 12-point fontaccurate formatting of footnotes and, when required, bibliography with required citation and documentation using Chicago Manual of Style guidelines
Getting Closer = B-level work, It is good, but with minor problems in one or more areas that need improvement.
Needs Work = C-level work is acceptable, but with major problems in several areas or a major problem in one area.
Needs A Lot of Work = D-level work. It shows major problems in multiple areas, including missing or late assignments, missed class meetings, and other shortcomings.
Nope = E-level work is unacceptable. It fails to meet basic course requirements and/or standards of academic integrity/honesty.
Citation and style guide: Using Chicago Manual of StyleHistorians generally use Chicago Manual of Style for citation, bibliography, and formatting. Please familiarize yourself with Chicago Manual of Style.
There is a nice overview of citation at the Chicago Manual of Style websiteFor additional, helpful guidelines, visit the Drake Memorial Library’s Chicago Manual of Style pageYou can always go right to the source: the Chicago Manual of Style is available for reference at the Drake Memorial Library Reserve DeskWriting consultationWriting Tutoring is available through the Academic Success Center. It will help at any stage of writing. Be sure to show your tutor the assignment prompt and syllabus guidelines to help them help you.
Research consultationThe librarians at Drake Memorial Library are an incredible resource. You can consult with them remotely or in person. To schedule a meeting, go to the front desk at Drake Library or visit the library website’s Consultation page.
Attendance policyYou will certainly do better with evaluation in the course, learn more, and get more out of the class the more you attend meetings, participate in discussions, complete readings, and finish assignments. That said, lives get complicated. Therefore, you may miss up to six class meetings, with or without a justified reason, with no penalty. You do not need a note from a doctor, but feel free to notify the instructor of your absence. If you are ill, please stay home and take precautions if you have any covid or flu symptoms. Moreover, masks are welcome in class if you are still recovering from illness or feel sick. After six absences, subsequent absences will result in reduction of final course grade at the discretion of the instructor. Please note: the instructor does not offer extra credit in this course.
Disabilities and accommodationsIn accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Brockport Faculty Senate legislation, students with documented disabilities may be entitled to specific accommodations. SUNY Brockport is committed to fostering an optimal learning environment by applying current principles and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion. If you are a student with a disability and want to utilize academic accommodations, you must register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to obtain an official accommodation letter which must be submitted to faculty for accommodation implementation. If you think you have a disability, you may want to meet with SAS to learn about related resources. You can find out more about Student Accessibility Services or by contacting SAS via the email address sasoffice@brockport.edu or phone number (585) 395-5409. Students, faculty, staff, and SAS work together to create an inclusive learning environment. Feel free to contact the instructor with any questions.
Discrimination and harassment policiesSex and Gender discrimination, including sexual harassment, are prohibited in educational programs and activities, including classes. Title IX legislation and College policy require the College to provide sex and gender equity in all areas of campus life. If you or someone you know has experienced sex or gender discrimination (including gender identity or non-conformity), discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or pregnancy, sexual harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or stalking, we encourage you to seek assistance and to report the incident through these resources. Confidential assistance is available on campus at Hazen Center for Integrated Care. Another resource is RESTORE. Note that by law faculty are mandatory reporters and cannot maintain confidentiality under Title IX; they will need to share information with the Title IX & College Compliance Officer.
Statement of equity and open communicationWe recognize that each class we teach is composed of diverse populations and are aware of and attentive to inequities of experience based on social identities including but not limited to race, class, assigned gender, gender identity, sexuality, geographical background, language background, religion, disability, age, and nationality. This classroom operates on a model of equity and partnership, in which we expect and appreciate diverse perspectives and ideas and encourage spirited but respectful debate and dialogue. If anyone is experiencing exclusion, intentional or unintentional aggression, silencing, or any other form of oppression, please communicate with me and we will work with each other and with SUNY Brockport resources to address these serious problems.
Disruptive student behaviorsPlease see SUNY Brockport’s procedures for dealing with students who are disruptive in class.
Emergency alert systemIn case of emergency, the Emergency Alert System at The College at Brockport will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the College’s Emergency Information website.
