Professor Gil Troy September, 2010
Office: Leacock 628 Monday 5:00-7:00
e-mail: gil.troy@mcgill.ca Phone: 918-7235
HIST 461D1: TOPICS IN TWENTIETH CENTURY HISTORY:
RONALD REAGAN AND THE MODERN PRESIDENCY
As we approach the 30th 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 22. 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.
University Policies
In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change. In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.
Academic Integrity statement [approved by Senate on 29 January
2003]: McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see http://www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information).
L’université McGill attache une haute importance à l’honnêteté académique. Il incombe par conséquent à tous les étudiants de comprendre ce que l’on entend par tricherie, plagiat et autres
infractions académiques, ainsi que les conséquences que peuvent avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de l’étudiant et des procédures disciplinaires (pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez consulter le site www.mcgill.ca/integrity.
Office Hours
My office hours will be Mondays at 3:30 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. 13: Ronald Reagan Grades Himself:
Ronald Reagan, “Farewell Address to the American People,” January 11, 1989 [distributed in class],
Week 2: Sept. 20: The Reagan Administration: OVERVIEWS 3
Michael Schaller, Right Turn: American Life in the Reagan-
Bush Era, ALL.
ASSIGNMENT: BOOK REVIEW of Schaller (500 WORDS ONLY) DUE.
Week 3: Sept. 27: Reagan and the 1980s: OVERVIEWS:
Gil Troy, Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s
Week 4: Oct. 4: Reagan and the 1980s:
OVERVIEWS: Gil Troy and Vince Cannato, Living in the Eighties
ASSIGNMENT: FIVE-PAGE ANALYTICAL ESSAY #1 DUE
Week 5: Oct. 11: NO CLASS: CANADIAN THANKSGIVING
Week 6: Oct. 18: Reagan and America: OVERVIEWS:
John Patrick Diggins, Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History
Week 7: Oct. 25: VIDEO: REAGAN AS PRESIDENT
Week 8: Nov. 1: 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. 8: CONTEXT: Bruce Schulman, The Seventies
Week 10: Nov. 15: CONTEXT: Culture Wars: Allan Bloom, the Closing
of the American Mind
Allan Bloom The Closing of the American Mind
Week 11: Nov. 22 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 12: Nov. 29: CONTEXT:
Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make
ASSIGNMENT: FIVE-PAGE ANALYTICAL ESSAY #3 DUE
Gil Troy -- Courses 
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