Required ReadingsRequired ReadingsThe two required readings are at the Bronco Bookstore and should be purchased at your earliest convenience. If going to the Cal Poly Pomona campus bookstore is inconvenient, alternatives are suggested.
John Hollitz, Thinking Through The Past: A Critical Thinking Approach to U.S. History (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997), Volume II: Since 1865. ISBN: (0-669-33488-X)
From the Houghton Mifflin home page:
Thinking Through the Past is a new U.S. History reader to supplement any U.S. survey course. Hollitz offers students an opportunity to do history through the application of critical thinking skills to the examination of historical sources. The chapter format provides an introduction to the historical problem, followed by the Setting, the Investigation (including questions for the student to consider), the Sources, and the Conclusion. There are thirteen chapters in each of the two volumes. Each volume addresses a sequence of historical thinking skills beginning with an introduction to historical documents and progressing to the assessment of the impact of historical interpretations on public policy and events. Each skill is developed in relation to a specific event, trend, or issue in US history in a progression that roughly parallels the topical coverage in US history survey textbooks. Hollitz includes both secondary and primary sources, demonstrating the different nature of the information that may be gleaned from each source. Sources include essays, statistical data, photographs, posters, songs, newspaper articles, speeches, and monographs.
Text can be ordered directly at Customer Service and Ordering for Houghton Mifflin, Phone: (800) 225-1464; Fax: (800) 458-9501
E-mail: College_Customer_Service@hmco.com
James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 1996). ISBN: 0684818868
Lies.... is a popular book that you can find in most bookstores. You can also order it on-line for $11.20+ from Amazon Books, one of the Net's largest discount cyber-bookstores.
Some reviews from Amazon Books:
Midwest Book Review: Lies My Teacher Told Me goes beyond
recounting fallacies of history and correcting American image: it surveys
social issues misreported, ideas misrepresented, and encourages students
of history to think about not only the facts, but the reporting which embellishes
and colors their presentation. An invaluable guide for the reader.
Synopsis: Based on careful research at the Smithsonian Institution, here is a bold, direct challenge to the errors, misrepresentations, and ommissions of the leading American history textbooks. In fascinating detail, James W. Loewen offers a wonderful retelling of American history as Loewen believes it should--and could--be taught to American students. -
Thinking Through The Past.... is not available from Amazon.
For the purposes of this course, a general survey text is not needed. They are generally expensive and we will be using Internet history resources to supplement the required readings.
For those who would like a general survey that provides a comprehensive overview of U.S. History from 1865 to the present, I would recommend Norton, et. al., A People & A Nation, Volume II. This is the textbook that I use with my non-virtual History 202 classes. The 5th edition is due in Sept., 1997. You could check local college bookstores and see if there's a used 4th edition of this or any number of other survey texts that meet your needs and checkbook if you wish.
HarperCollins College Outline used to publish Arnold S. Rice and John A. Krout's United States History from 1865 (ISBN 0-06-467100-3, 20th edition 1997) but when I last checked the book was out-of-print. This $13 narrative outline would be good background reading if you can find it.
The following books are available from Amazon Books and many local bookstores.
Student's Guide to the Internet by David Clark,
2nd Edition (Que Corp., 1996), ISBN: 0789708817 List: $14.99
Amazon.com Books: Although Student's Guide to the Internet is intended for high school and college students, it may be more suited for a younger crowd. At this point, it's hard to imagine any college student who doesn't have some online experience, and a lot of this book details the ins and outs of the Internet. Also, chapter titles such as "Impressing Your Friends with FTP" are a bit condescending, and the chapter on UNIX commands is largely irrelevant to today's Internet. Still, you'll find helpful hints on how to send listserv messages and how to glean useful information from the loads of garbage available online. Twenty-five pages are devoted to resources grouped by academic subject.
Internet 101 : A College Student's Guide by Alfred Glossbrenner, Emily Glossbrenner, 3rd Edition (Computing McGraw-Hill, 1996), ISBN: 0070244480, List: $19.95
Synopsis: This is the third edition of the first and best guide for college students, one of the largest and most vibrant markets for Internet books. The guide is a wonderful blend of the practical (e.g., landing a summer job through the Net) and the fun (e.g., movies, TV and comics). Driving the revision will be a discussion of the latest Web browsers--Netscape and HotJava--and the quick and chea p routes to creating your own Web site.
The Internet for Dummies Quick Reference (For Dummies)
by John R. Levine, 3Rd/spiral Edition, (IDG Books Worldwide, 1997), ISBN:
0764501100, List: $12.99
Synopsis: This quick and easy-to-use fingertip reference offers plain English explanations, in an efficient comb binding, and guides readers through the Internet with helpful icons, tips, and examples. It gives a quick rundown of Internet basics, email, news groups the World Wide Web and more.
Last updated 17 June 1997 by Susan Kullmann Puz