H337
MODERN AMERICA
Murphy
Fall 2000

Course Instructor: Daniel Murphy
office - Classic 312; hours - MWRF 10-11, MWF 1-2
phone - 7222; email - murphy

Course Texts: Boyer, Promises to Keep; Savage, Comic Books and America; Sinelli, Knots In My Yo-Yo String ; Wolfe, The Kandy Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby; Cleaver; Soul on Ice; Caputo, A Rumor of War; Crow Dog, Lakota Woman; Bombeck, The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank; Lasch, The Culture of Narcissism; Ellis, Less Than Zero; Are We There Yet?: The Simpsons' Guide to Springfield.

Course Evaluation: Students will take two in-class exams, October 23 and the final exam date. Each exam will be worth 25% of the course grade. Students will write two 5-6 page papers - an analysis of the historical significance of an issue of an American periodical published between September 1945 and 1960, and an analysis of the historical significance of a book-length American memoir covering some aspect of the period September 1945 to 1989. These papers will be due October 9 and November 15, and will each be worth 20% of the course grade. Class attendance and discussion will be worth 10% of the course grade. Attendance at every class session is important. Any unexcused absence will be held against the course grade. The instructor reserves the right to increase the proportion of the final grade based on attendance in cases of repeated unexcused absences.

Sept. 4 - Introduction
Oct. 25 - B10
Sept. 6 - B1
Oct. 27-30 - Caputo
Sept. 8 - B2
Nov. 1 - B11
Sept. 11 - B3
Nov. 3 - B12
Sept. 13-15 - Savage
Nov. 6-13 - Crow Dog, Bombeck
Sept. 18 - B4
Nov. 15 - B13
Sept. 20-22 - Spinelli
Nov. 17-20 - Lasch; - Saturday Night Fever
Sept. 25 - Movies
Nov. 27 - B14
Sept. 27 - B5
Nov. 29-Dec. 1 - Ellis
Sept. 29 - B6
Dec. 4 - B15
Oct. 2 - Dr. Strangelove
Dec. 6-8 - Simpsons
Oct. 4-6 - Wolfe
Oct. 9 - B7
Oct. 11 - B8
Oct. 13 - B9

Oct. 18-20 - Cleaver Oct. 23 - Midterm