Dr. Allan Purcell
COURSE OBJECTIVE: This
course will acquaint the student with the basic facts of United States
Military History from 1607 to present using a textbook, classroom
exposition,
outside readings, and audio-visual techniques. Although the coverage of
the material is primarily military, there will be also an emphasis on
political,
constitutional, and economic history.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a survey of American military policy from the 17th
century
to the present.
COURSE RATIONALE: This
course offers the student the opportunity to examine in depth American
military policy from 1607 to present. It provides interested
students
the ability to fulfill the Legislative Requirement in U.S.
History
with an alternative to the survey courses and provides an elective for
History majors and other transfer curriculum students.
COURSE METHODOLOGY:
This is a lecture course with opportunity for student discussion.
COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES: http://www.austincc.edu/history
TEXTBOOK: Allan R. Millett & Peter Maslowski, For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States of America. (Revised & Expanded Edition, 1994.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. The material in For the Common Defense
is to be read and studied according to the attached schedule.
2. Punctual and regular attendance is required. Any student
accumulating three (3) or more UNEXCUSED absences
MAY be dropped from this course. This
is at the discretion of the instructor.
3. The quality and quantity of the work done by the student
determines his/her final grade:
For the grade of "A",
the student must complete all four unit exams with an overall average of 90
or above AND write two analytical book reviews (at least one of which must be
graded "EXCELLENT" and the other at least
"ACCEPTABLE") AND pass the course map test.
For the grade of "B",
the student must complete all four unit exams with an overall average of 80
or above AND write one analytical book review (which must be graded at least
"ACCEPTABLE") AND pass the course map test.
For the grade of "C",
the student must complete all four unit exams with an overall average of 70
or above AND pass the course map test.
For the grade of "F",
the student who fails to take all four unit exams or who fails to maintain an
overall average of 70 on these four unit exams or who fails the course map test
or who commits any act of scholastic dishonesty will earn the grade of "F".
For the grade of "I",
the student must have a medical excuse certified by a physician. All "Incompletes"
must be completed within the first four weeks of the following semester.
There are no exceptions to this policy.
UNIT EXAMS:
Each of the four unit exams may be taken twice. The first time
will
be in class on the day mentioned in the attached semester
schedule.
If the student wishes to retest, they may take the exam one more time
in
the Testing Center. However, there are two restrictions on the
retest:
first, the HIGHEST GRADE POSSIBLE ON
THE
RETEST IS 70 and second, THIS
RETEST MUST BE TAKEN WITHIN ONE WEEK OF THE TIME THE UNIT EXAM IS GIVEN
IN CLASS. The higher of the two grades will be the one
recorded
for the student for that unit exam. (If a student misses the unit
exam in class for good cause- as determined by the instructor- they may
then take the unit exam in the Testing Center for the first time with
no
restrictions on the grade.) The unit exams consist of
multiple-choice
questions covering the textbook material and classroom exposition as
highlighted
by the learning objectives issued for each chapter.
There is no comprehensive final exam in this course.
AL'S SPECIAL DISPENSATION: If I have scheduled my exam on a day on which you already have one or more other exams scheduled, you may take my exam a day or two later, provided you tell me before the test day.
MAP TEST: Because United States military history is shaped and influenced by the geography of the continents, it is imperative that the student knows the basic facts of United States military geography. Therefore the student will be required to pass a geography map test. This test will require the student to locate on outline maps of the United States and the world twenty of the features named on the attached list. A passing score is 80. The test will be taken in class on the same day as Unit Exam #1. This map test must be passed by the mid-semester point.
ANALYTICAL BOOK REVIEWS:
Rationale:
This analytical book review will critically examine an important
scholarly
book covering some aspect of United States Military History from 1607
to
present.
The purpose of this review is twofold: first, to
acquaint
the student with a classic volume of historical scholarship and second,
to allow the student to think critically about an important facet of
American
history and then to organize your thoughts in clear, cogent
prose.
You should not view this simply as a hurdle which you must overcome in
order to earn a grade of "A" or "B" in this course, but rather approach
it as an opportunity to expand your creativity in thinking and writing,
two very important aspects of any individual's necessary life
skills.
Therefore, be advised that I consider this a VERY important
aspect
of this course and your reviews will be read and graded VERY carefully.
Form: Each
book review will be approximately 1500 words long, although this is a
general
guideline and not an absolute requirement. The main objective of
this analytical book review should be to comprehensively cover the
three
sections of the following book report outline:
Part I: This
is a brief outline of the contents of the book. In the space of
one
or two paragraphs you should be able to convey the parameters of the
book's
contents. DO NOT simply reproduce the book's table of contents.
Part II: Here
is the place for a careful summary of the author's thesis.
The thesis is the primary idea the author is trying to prove and
convince
the reader to accept. You must first identify the thesis and then
show how the author either substantiates or fails to substantiate this
thesis. This will undoubtedly take you a page or two to do a good
job.
Part III: This
is the most important part of your book review. Here is where you
describe your reaction to the book. Some of the questions you
must
answer include: Do you agree or disagree with the book's
conclusions?
Why? Did the book support or contradict what you read in your
textbook
on the same subject? (You MUST
quote
some of the relevant passages from both books.) Did you detect
any
biases on the part of the author? What was the author's
background
and why did he or she write the book? How in your opinion could
the
book have been improved? You must be specific and keep in mind
there
are NO perfect books. Did you enjoy reading the book? Why or why
not? Would you recommend it to others?
Grading:
The book reviews will be graded "EXCELLENT",
"ACCEPTED",
or "NOT ACCEPTED". The second book
review, required only of those seeking the grade of "A", must be graded
"EXCELLENT".
The first book
review, required of those seeking the grades of "A" and
"B", must be graded at least "ACCEPTED".
Any "NOT ACCEPTED" book reports
will
be returned to the student to be rewritten.
Due Dates: The
first analytical book review is due at mid-semester.
The second analytical book review is due one week
before
the end of the semester.
Books: The following books may be read for the analytical book review. If you wish to substitute another book for one of these, YOU MUST RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTOR'S PRIOR APPROVAL.
Patrick Abbazia, Mr. Roosevelt's Navy: The
Private
War of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, 1939-1942
Michael C. C. Adams, Our Masters the Rebels: A
Speculation
on UnionMilitary Failure in the East
John Alden, The American Steel Navy
Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers
Arthur E. Barbeau and Florette Henri, The Unknown
Soldiers: Black American Troops in World War I
K. Jack Bauer, Surfboats and Horse Marines
_____________, The Mexican War
Richard Beringer et al, Why the South Lost the
Civil
War
John M. Blum, V Was for Victory: Politics and
American
Culture During World War II
Daniel P. Bolger, Americans at War, 1975-1986: An
Era of Violent Peace
Russell Bourne, The Red King's Rebellion: Racial
Politics
in New England, 1675-1678
Demetrios Caralay, The Politics of Military
Unification
E. Wayne Carp, To Starve the Army at Pleasure:
Continental
Army Administration & American Political Culture
Richard D. Challener, Admirals, Generals, and
American
Foreign Policy, 1898-1914
John W. Chambers II, To Raise an Army: The Draft
Comes
to Modern America
Edward M. Coffman, The Old Army: A Portrait of the
American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898
__________________, The War to End All Wars: The
American
Military Experience in World War I
Harry L. Coles, The War of 1812
Thomas Connelly and Archer Jones, The Politics of
Command: Factions and Ideas in Confederate Strategy
Benjmain F. Cooling, Gray Steel and Blue Water Navy
Graham Cosmas, An Army for Empire: The United
States
Army in the Spanish-American War
Marcus Cunliffe, Soldiers & Citizens
Alexander DeConde, The Quasi-War
Jeffrey M. Dowart, Conflict of Duty: the U.S.
Navy's
Intelligence Dilemma, 1914-1940
Jonathan Dull, A Diplomatic History of the American
Revolution
Paul D. Escott, After Secession: Jefferson Davis
and
the Failure of Confederate Nationalism
Herbert Feis, The Atomic Bomb and the End of World
War II
John Ferling, Struggle for a Continent: The Wars of
Early America
Jack Foner, The United States Soldier Between Two
Wars
Robert W. Frazier, Forts and Supplies: The Role of
the Army in the Economy of the Southwest, 1846-1861
Paul Fussell, Wartime: Understanding and Behavior
in the Second World War
John Gaddis, The United States and the Origins of
the Cold War
John M. Gates, Schoolbooks and Krags: The United
States
Army in the Philippines, 1898-1902
William Goetzmann, Army Exploration in the American
West
Curtis T. Henson, Jr., Commissioners and
Commodores:
The East India Squadron and American Diplomacy in China
George C. Herring, America'sLongest War: The United
States and Vietnam, 1950-1975
D. Clayton James, A Time for Giants: Politics of
the
American High Command in World War II
Francis Jennings, Empire of Fortune: Crowns,
Colonies
& Tribes in the Seven Years' War in America
Archer Jones, Civil War & Strategy: The Process
of Victory and Defeat
Peter Karsten, The Naval Aristocracy: The Golden
Age
of Annapolis and the Emergence of Modern America
David M. Kennedy, Over Here: The First World War
and
American Society
Lee Kennett, GI: The American Soldier in World War
II
Douglas Kinnard, The War Managers
Richard H. Kohn, Eagle and Sword: The Federalists
and the Creation of the Military Establishment
Lawrence J. Korb, The Joint Chiefs of Staff
A. J. Langguth, Patriots: The Men Who Started the
American Revolution
Harold Langley, Social Reform in the United States
Navy
Lester Langley, The Banana Wars
Douglas E. Leach, Arms For Empire
________________, Flintlock & Tomahawk
Robert Leckie, George Washington'sWar: The Saga of
the American Revolution
Ronald Leewin, ULTRA Goes to War
_____________, The American Magic: Codes, Ciphers
and the Defeat of Japan
Guenter Lewry, America in Vietnam
Brian Linn, The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in
the Philippine War, 1899-1902
Timothy J. Lomperis, The War Everyone Lost- and Won
Callum A. MacDonald, Korea: The War Before Vietnam
John K. Mahon, History of the Second Seminole War
James McCaffrey, Army of Manifest Destiny: The
American
Soldier in the Mexican War, 1846-1848
Grady McWhiney and Perry D. Jamieson, Attack and Die
Edward Miller, War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy
to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945
Nathan Miller, The Naval Air War
Robert Miller: Shamrock and Sword: The Saint
Patrick's
Battalion in the U.S.-Mexican War
Stuart Miller, Beneveloent Assimilation: The
American
Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903
John Newhouse, War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
Dennis L. Noble, The Eagle and the Dragon: The
United
States Military in China, 1901-1937
John Pancake, This Destructive War: The British
Campaign
in the Carolinas, 1780-1782
Roland Paul, American Military Commitments Abroad
Thomas Powers, The War at Home: Vietnam and the
American
People, 1964-1968
John Prados, Presidents' SecretWars: CIA and
Pentagon
Covert Operations since World War II
Francis Paul Prucha, Indian Policy in the Formative
Years
Darrett B. Rutman, A Militant New World
David Rees, Korea: The Limited War
Ronald Schaeffer, Wings of Judgment: American
Bombing
in World War II
Herbert Y. Schandler, The Unmaking of a President:
Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam
James Sefton, The United States Army &
Reconstruction,
1865-1877
Michael Shafer, Deadly Paradigms: The Failure of
U.S.
Counterinsurgency Policy
Michael S. Sherry, The Rise of American Air Power:
The Creation of Armageddon
William L. Shy, The Virginia Militia in the
Eighteenth
Century
William B. Skelton, An American Profession of Arms:
The Army Officer Corps, 1784-1861
J. C. A. Stagg, Mr. Madison'sWar
Harry G. Summers, On Strategy: A Critical Analysis
of the Vietnam War
James Titus, The Old Dominion at War: Society,
Politics,
and Warfare in Late Colonial Virginia
John Toland, In Mortal Combat: Korea, 1950-1953
George Edgar Turner, Victory Rode the Rails
Robert Utley, Fronteirsmen in Blue
___________, Frontier Regulars: The United States
Army and the Indian, 1866-1891
James E. Valle, Rocks & Shoals
Martin Van Creveld, Fighting Power: German and U.S.
Army Performance, 1939-1945
Harry M. Ward, The Department of War, 1781-1795
Peter Booth Wiley, Yankees in the Land of the Gods:
Commordore Perry and the Opening of Japan
W. J. Wood, Battles of the Revolutionary War,
1775-1781
Robert Wooster, The Military and United States
Indian
Policy
Donald A. Xerxa, Admirals and Empire: The United
States
Navy and the Caribbean, 1898-1945
You will notice that the list contains no
biographies
or campaign studies. This does not mean you can not use these
types
of books for your book reviews. It simply means they are too numerous
to
list here. If you are interested in specific biographies or
campaign
studies, you should consult the bibliography sections of the textbook
and
then check with me concerning a specific title.
Course Schedule
Date | Classroom Activity | Textbook Chapter | |
Aug 23 |
Introduction | ||
Aug 25 |
Early Colonial Conflicts | Chapter 1 | |
Aug 30 |
Colonial Wars for Empire | Chapter 2 | |
Sep
6 |
LABOR DAY HOLIDAY |
||
Sep 6 |
American Revolution | Chapter 3 | |
Sep 8 |
American Revolution | ||
Sep 13 |
Constitutional Framework | Chapter 4 | |
Sep 15 |
War of 1812 | ||
Sep 20 |
EXAM #1 | ||
Sep 22 |
Indian & Mexican Wars | Chapter 5 | |
Sep 27 |
Civil War | Chapter 6 | |
Sep 29 |
Civil War | ||
Oct 4 |
Civil War | Chapter 7 | |
Oct 6 |
Indian Wars |
Chapter 8 |
|
Oct 11 |
Military & Naval Reform | ||
Oct 13 |
EXAM #2 | ||
Oct 18 |
|
Chapter 9 | |
Oct 20 |
Military & Naval reform |
Chapter 10 | |
Oct 25 |
World War I | Chapter 11 |
|
Oct 27 |
World War I | ||
Nov 1 |
World
War I |
||
Nov 3 |
Interwar Policy | Chapter 12 | |
Nov 8 |
EXAM #3 | ||
Nov 10 |
World War II | Chapter 13 | |
Nov 15 |
World War II | ||
Nov 17 |
World War II | Chapter 14 | |
Nov 22 |
World War II | ||
Nov
24 |
THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAY |
||
Nov 29 |
Cold War & Korea | Chapter 15 | |
Dec 1 |
Vietnam | Chapter 16 | |
Dec 6 |
Post Vietnam | Chapter 17 | |
Dec 8 |
EXAM #4 |
OFFICE HOURS: M
W 6:30AM TO 10:30AM IN ATT 214
T H 6:30AM TO 9:00AM IN ATT 214
TELEPHONE:
223-3398
E-MAIL: apurcell@austincc.edu
DUE DATES:1st
Book Review for "B" and "A": Oct. 13, 2004
2nd Book Review for "A": Dec. 1, 2004
WITHDRAWAL POLICY:
Punctual and regular attendance is required. Any student
accumulating
three (3) or more UNEXCUSED
absences
MAY
be
dropped from this course. This is at the discretion of the
instructor.
LAST DAY TO
WITHDRAW:
November 18, 2004
COURSE
COMPLETION DEADLINE: December 8, 2004
ADA:"Each ACC Campus offers support services for students with documented
physical or psychological disabilities. Students with
disabilities must request reasonable accomodations through the Office for Students
with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to
take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this
three weeks before the start of the semester." (ACC Student
Handbook)
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY:"Acts
prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include
scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating
on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with
another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted
by students shall be the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression.
Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken
electronically or on paper; projects, either individual
or group; classroom presentations, and homework." (ACC Student Handbook)
Anyone committing these acts
in this course will receive the grade of "F" for the course.
PRIVACY:
The Family Educational Rights and
Privacy
Act (FERPA) protects confidentiality of educational records.
Grades
cannot be given over the phone, through a fellow student, or by e-mail
in this course.
TESTING CENTER POLICY:
http://www2.austincc.edu/testctr
ACADEMIC FREEDOM:
The free exchange of information is
vital
to the pursuit of learning.
BUILDING REGULATIONS:
Building regulations prohibit smoking, drinking or eating in the
classrooms.
These regulations will be strictly enforced in this course.