LAH 350 / HMN 350 the Johnson Years Unique # 30360 (HMN 29850) Tuesday, Thursday, 9:30-10:45 LBJ Library Brown Room and Briscoe Center Hatfield Room
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LAH 350 / HMN 350 The Johnson Years Unique # 30360 (HMN 29850) Tuesday, Thursday, 9:30-10:45 LBJ Library Brown Room and Briscoe Center Hatfield Room Dr. Mark A. Lawrence GAR 3.220, 475-9304 [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesday, 2-3:30 p.m.; Thursday, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.; and by appointment Nearly fifty years after it ended, the presidency of Lyndon Johnson continues to inspire enormous interest and controversy. What sort of person was LBJ? What motives underpinned his greatest achievements and biggest errors in both the domestic and international arenas? How can we reconcile the triumphs of civil rights and other transformational Great Society initiatives with the disaster of the Vietnam War? What is LBJ’s legacy? What importance does the Johnson presidency hold in the long flow of history, and why does he remain a contentious figure? These are among the major questions at the heart of this seminar. In addressing them, we will read and discuss scholarship and primary sources on President Johnson and his times. We will also meet with various participants in – or close observers of – the Johnson administration. Students will be evaluated largely on their preparation for, and participation in, seminar meetings. They will also be graded on the basis of three papers of varying lengths. The largest one – the course’s central writing requirement – will be a research paper of approximately 15 pages based on materials housed in the LBJ Library archive. This assignment challenges students to evaluate primary-source materials and arrive at their own conclusions about key aspects of the Johnson presidency. We will devote considerable time early in the term to identifying promising topics and learning how to use the library’s reading room. Over the remainder of the semester, students will be expected to conduct research and produce a polished paper. Course requirements 1. Attendance and active participation in class (25 percent of term grade) 2. 2-page paper due September 13 at class (10 percent) 3. Brief statement of research topic due September 20 (5 percent) 4. Statement of research question due October 4 (5 percent) 5. Preliminary bibliography due October 16 (5 percent) 6. Film review of 3-4 pages due October 23 at class (20 percent) 7. Draft introduction due November 20 (5 percent) 8. Research paper of 15 pages due December 12 via email (25 percent) Required texts Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin, America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s (5th ed., 2015) Mark Atwood Lawrence, The Vietnam War: A Concise International History (2008) Bruce J. Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism (2nd ed., 2007) Photocopied material on the course Canvas site Mark K. Updegrove § Dr. Lawrence is the instructor of record for this course and bears responsibility for all aspects of the class. However, students will benefit across the term from the participation of numerous guests. Above all, Mark K. Updegrove, the president of the LBJ Foundation and former director of the LBJ Presidential Library, will attend many sessions and contribute to our discussions on those occasions. Mr. Updegrove will be happy to meet with students by appointment. You can reach him via [email protected]. § Mark K. Updegrove is the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and serves as Presidential Historian for ABC News where he appears regularly on “Good Morning America” and “This Week.” From 2009 to 2017, he was the director of the LBJ Presidential Library where he hosted the Civil Rights Summit in 2014, which included Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, and oversaw a major renovation of the Library’s core museum exhibits. Updegrove is the author of four books on the presidency including The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship Between George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency. He has written for The New York Times, The Hill, Politico, The Daily Beast, Time, Parade, and National Geographic and has conducted exclusive interviews with five U.S. presidents. Earlier in his career, Updegrove served as the publisher of Newsweek and president of Time magazine's Canadian edition. Other Important Notes § The instructor will occasionally hand out short documents or other materials that should be treated as required reading. § The required books are available for purchase at the University Coop. Photocopied materials are available on the course Canvas site. § Subject to student interest, the instructor will arrange an LAH-sponsored field trip to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall. Ideally, this field trip would take place on a Saturday in October or November. Promising dates appear to be October 20, October 27, and November 10. § By UT-Austin policy, you must notify the instructor of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class or assignment in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. § Students should be fully aware of university rules regarding academic dishonesty. The instructor assumes full compliance throughout the semester and will strictly observe all university procedures in cases of violations. (Link to University Honor Code: http://catalog.utexas.edu/general-information/the-university/#universitycodeofconduct) § The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259 or 471-6441. Students requiring special accommodations should raise this issue with the professor at the beginning of the term. § Late assignments will be penalized one-third of a grade (for example, from a B+ to a B or from a B- to a C+) for each day they are overdue. § A term grade of “A” will be assigned for students who do truly exceptional work, contributing regularly and insightfully and turning in outstanding written papers. A student will earn a “B” for mastering basic course material and submitting written work that is solid but not exceptional. Lower grades will be assigned as appropriate. All students should recognize that oral participation is a major requirement of this class. § Students will be evaluated on a grading scale that includes pluses and minuses (A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.). § Attendance is a requirement and is assumed. Each student may miss one class without explanation, but each unexcused absence thereafter will result in a three-point deduction from her/his term score. § Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender are Civil Rights offenses subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find the appropriate resources here: http://catalog.utexas.edu/general-information/appendices/appendix-h/ § Unless they obtain permission from the instructor, students MUST ARRIVE ON TIME and stay for the entire class period. § All students should be aware of the Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): 512-232- 5050. SCHEDUE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS August 30 Introduction to the Course September 4 LBJ: Character and Controversy READING: Mark K. Updegrove, Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency, introduction-chapter 1; Edward Rothstein, “Legacy Evolving at a Presidential Library,” New York Times, April 9, 2014; Michael Beschloss, “Kennedy, Johnson, and a Dispute after a Deer Hunt,” New York Times, August 15, 2014; Michael Ennis, “All the Way with LBJ,” Texas Monthly, September 2015; Jan Jarboe Russell, “Alone Together,” Texas Monthly, August 1999 September 6 The Early Years READING: Schulman, pp. 1-35 September 11 From Congress to the Vice Presidency READING: Schulman, pp. 36-59 September 13 LBJ in Texas and the White House GUEST: Former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes ASSIGNMENT: 2-page paper on impressions of LBJ September 18 The Domestic Context [HATFIELD ROOM] Isserman & Kazin, chapters 1 and 3 September 20 Introduction to the LBJ Archive GUESTS: Archivist Brian McNerney ASSIGNMENT: one-paragraph statement of research topic September 25 Introduction to the Archive: Breakout Sessions [HATFIELD ROOM] GUESTS: Archives Staff ASSIGNMENT: prepare for meetings with archivists September 27 The International Context [HATFIELD ROOM] READING: Campbell Craig and Fredrik Logevall, “The Nuclear Rubicon,” in America’s Cold War: The Politics of Insecurity (2009) October 2 Assuming the Presidency [HATFIELD ROOM] READING: Schulman, pp. 60-86; Updegrove, Indomitable Will, chapter 3 October 4 Inside the Johnson White House [HATFIELD ROOM] Guest: Ms. Luci Baines Johnson READING: Updegrove, Indomitable Will, chapter 4 ASSIGNMENT: statement of research question October 9 The First Year and the Election of 1964 [HATFIELD ROOM] READING: Isserman & Kazin, chapter 6; Schulman, pp. 87-110 October 11 Civil Rights [HATFIELD ROOM] READING: Schulman, pp. 111-132; Updegrove, Indomitable Will, pp. 133-153 ASSIGNMENT: watch “Selma” during next week or so October 16 Voting Rights and the “Selma” Controversy [HATFIELD ROOM] READING: Mark K. Updegrove, “What ‘Selma’ Gets Wrong,” Politico, December 22, 2014; Joseph A. Califano, “The Movie ‘Selma’ Has a Glaring Flaw,” Washington Post, December 26, 2014; Jennifer Schuessler, “Depiction of Lyndon B. Johnson in ‘Selma’ Raises Hackles,” New York Times, December 31, 2014; Peniel Joseph, “Selma” Backlash Misses the Point,” National Public Radio, January 10, 2015 ASSIGNMENT: preliminary bibliography October 18 The Great Society at High Tide [HATFIELD ROOM] READING: Isserman & Kazin, chapter 7; Updegrove, Indomitable Will, pp. 153-183 October 23 The War on Poverty GUEST: Michael Gillette, Director of Humanities Texas ASSIGNMENT: film review October 25 The Cold War and the Vietnam Problem READING: Lawrence, chapters 1-3 October 30 LBJ and Vietnam READING: Lawrence, chapters 4-5 November 1 Decisions for War READING: Schulman, pp.