Professor Gil Troy September, 2008
Office: Leacock 628 Monday 3:30-5:30
e-mail: gtroy@videotron.org Phone: 398-3898
HIST 461D1: TOPICS IN TWENTIETH CENTURY HISTORY:
RONALD REAGAN AND THE MODERN PRESIDENCY
Now that we have passed the twentieth-fifth anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, we can begin to place his administration in historical perspective. Already it is possible to discern some of the central questions historians will be debating about the Reagan administration: how successful was it? by what standards should it be judged? just how revolutionary what is it, if at all? what impact, if any, did Reagan’s policies have on winning the cold war? what is Ronald Reagan’s legacy?
In assessing Ronald Reagan’s presidency, one also inevitably assesses the 1980s. Then, as now, the conventional wisdom viewed the decade as a paroxysm of selfishness, greed, and materialism. Yet, while Americans were learning how to be material girls and boys, their society was convulsed by a serious debate about individual conscience and social responsibility — a debate that seems to have been missing from the equally prosperous 1990s.
Amid all the squabbles, one thing is clear: to understand Reagan and his era, to take a stand in this debate, it is also essential to tackle broader questions about progressivism, conservatism, the welfare state, the cold war, the presidency, popular culture, and the media in modern U.S. history. This seminar will address some of these questions, while exploring various methods used to assess one of the most enigmatic, controversial, popular, and important postwar presidents.
Assignments, and Grading
In addition to coming prepared to all sessions and participating fully, you will be required to write four short papers this semester. These papers must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Late papers will be penalized. The second semester will be devoted to preparing a 25-page paper based on original primary source research. You must choose a topic by November 24. The final grade will be based on written work and class participation, which entails active contribution to the discussions as well as consistent attendance. Failure to submit any of the papers will warrant a “J” grade.
Plagiarism
All work submitted for this course must be original. Please refer to university and departmental guidelines, or consult me if you are unsure how to proceed.
Office Hours
My office hours will be Mondays at 11:30 and by appointment.
WebCT
This course will rely on the WebCT for announcements, additional readings, and “chats” following up on issues raised in class. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR INFORMATION POSTED ON WebCT.
SCHEDULE FOR HIST 461D1
All Readings are on Reserve; all books are available at McGill Bookstore
Week 1: Sept. 8: Ronald Reagan Grades Himself:
Ronald Reagan, “Farewell Address to the American People,”
January 11, 1989 [distributed in class],
Week 2: Sept. 15: The Reagan Administration: OVERVIEWS
Michael Schaller, Right Turn: American Life in the Reagan-
Bush Era, ALL.
ASSIGNMENT: BOOK REVIEW of Schaller (500 WORDS ONLY) DUE.
Week 3: Sept. 22: Reagan and the 1980s: OVERVIEWS
Gil Troy, Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the
1980s
Week 4: Sept. 29: VIDEO: The Reagan Experience [Start reading Diggins]
Week 5: Oct. 6: Reagan and America: OVERVIEWS:
John Patrick Diggins, Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History
ASSIGNMENT: FIVE-PAGE ANALYTICAL ESSAY #1 DUE
Week 6: Oct. 13: NO CLASS: CANADIAN THANKSGIVING
Week 7: Oct. 20: VIDEO: REAGAN As PRESIDENT
Week 8: Oct. 27: Reality Check: Reagan’s Voice – and Pen: Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson, eds., Reagan in His Own Hand including intro and Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson, eds., Reagan: A Life in Letters.
ASSIGNMENT: FIVE-PAGE ANALYTICAL ESSAY #2 DUE
Week 9: Nov. 3: CONTEXT: Bruce Schulman, The Seventies
Week 10: Nov. 10: Context: Culture Wars: Allan Bloom, the Closing
of the American Mind
*Allan Bloom The Closing of the American Mind
Week 11: Nov. 17: Video: “River’s Edge”
Week 12: Wed., Nov. 24: Context: The Big Picture: James T. Patterson, Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore
PAPER TOPIC DUE – YOU MUST SUBMIT A ONE-PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM, THE OPERATIVE THESIS, AND YOUR RESEARCH STRATEGY
Week 13: Dec. 1: Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make
ASSIGNMENT: FIVE-PAGE ANALYTICAL ESSAY #3 DUE
Gil Troy -- Courses 
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