Module HIST1181: CRISIS, PROGRESS POWER: THE UNITED STATES C. 1896-1945

Department: History

HIST1181: CRISIS, PROGRESS POWER: THE UNITED STATES C. 1896-1945

Prerequisites

• Normally an A or B grade in A-Level History, or an acceptable equivalent (e.g. in terms of Scottish Highers or IB)

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to an understanding of late 19th and early 20th century American history.

Content

• This module will enable students to gain an understanding of major themes in US history between the crises of the 1890s, the New Deal of the 1930s, and the Second World War.
• It will emphasize the social and cultural consequences of America's transformation into an ethically and racially diverse urban nation and a modern industrial power.
• It will also focus on the development of the American party-political system and on the changing role of the federal government through periods of political reformism and reaction, meeting the enormous challenges of participating in the Great War, 1917-1918, dealing with the Great Depression, 1929-1940, and mobilizing the country for war, 1940-1945.
• It will explore the changing position of the United States in the international system between the Spanish-American War of 1898, the Great War of 1917-18, the interwar age of isolation, and America's rise to global power in the course of the Second World War.

Learning Outcomes

• an understanding of the broad contours of change in public policy and American society;
• an appreciation of American historians' approaches to explanation of these changes.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/

• Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods:
• lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection;
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative benefits from the summative assessments, plus one or more short assignments delivered orally and discussed in a group context.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University