AMERICA DURING THE THIRTIES: THE GREAT DEPRESSION, DUST BOWL, AND THE NEW DEAL Instructor Information: Robin Belue rabelue@valdosta,edu 229-881-4465 Course Description: The Great Depression was not just an economic catastrophe; it altered every aspect of American society. Families lost their homes, whole farming communities were destroyed, and hope and belief in the American Dream was shattered. This course looks into the causes and consequences of the economic depression of the 1930s, and how Americans responded to the Great Depression. Students will learn the details of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and understand the experience of citizens surviving through the Dust Bowl. Course resources explain the important policies, institutions, and personalities of the New Deal era, and explore how the Great Depression and the New Deal affected American society. Furthermore the students will understand Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (FDR’s) New Deal policies that many attribute to ending the Great Depression. Course Objectives: The goals of this course are for the learner to be able to: Understand the causes of the Great Depression and American’s response to this economic catastrophe Describe the major events and impacts of the Great Depression including the 1929 Crash, the Dust Bowl, and the Dust Bowl Migration Use historical fiction to understand the hardships many Americans faced during the 1930’s Analyze the effectiveness of FDR’s New Deal in bringing the country’s people out of the depression Professional Standards: SSUSH17 The student will analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression. a. Describe the causes, including overproduction, underconsumption, and stock market speculation that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. b. Explain factors (include over-farming and climate) that led to the Dust Bowl and the resulting movement and migration west. c. Explain the social and political impact of widespread unemployment that resulted in developments such as Hoovervilles. SSUSH18 The student will describe Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in need. a. Describe the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority as a works program and as an effort to control the environment. b. Explain the Wagner Act and the rise of industrial unionism. c. Explain the passage of the Social Security Act as a part of the second New Deal. d. Identify Eleanor Roosevelt as a symbol of social progress and women’s activism. e. Identify the political challenges to Roosevelt’s domestic and international leadership; include the role of Huey Long, the “court packing bill,” and the Neutrality Act. Course Activities: The course includes a combination of reading assignments with graphic organizers for active reading, reflective journaling, application activities, and a final project. Course Assignments: Module 1 (Week 1): Watch Part One of American Experience: The 1930s: The Crash of 1929 and complete: The Crash graphic organizer Journal entry Application Activity: Diary Entry Assignment Module 2 (Week 1): Watch Part Two of American Experience: The 1930s: Surviving the Dust Bowl documentary and read Children of the Dust Bowl and complete: The Dust Bowl graphic organizer Journal entries Application Activity: Dust Bowl Photos Module 3 (Week 2): Read one selected section of The Grapes of wrath and complete: The Steinbeck’s Depiction of The Dust Bowl Migration graphic organizer Journal entry Application Activity: Employing Steinbeck Quotes Module 4 (Week 2): Watch Part Three and Four of American Experience: The 1930s: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Hoover Dam and complete: The FDR’s New Deal graphic organizer Journal entry (Week 4) Application Activity: New Deal Program Flyer Project Final Project: The final project is a summative assignment with the goal of pulling together everything you have learned in the course. In the final project, you will write an assignment that asks students to imagine that they were alive during the 1930’s and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) had appointed them to his cabinet. From this position, they will write a proposal for a program or agency they think FDR should include as part of his New Deal. Method of Evaluating Student’s Performance: Completion of all activities is required to receive a grade. Assignment(s) Percentage of final grade: Course Activities 60% Final Project 40% *Please note that to pass this course, you must receive a grade of 80% or higher. Course Evaluation: The total number of points that students can receive for this course is 100 points Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned based on the grading scale below. A= 90-100 B= 80-89 C= 70-79 F= 69 and below Instructor and Student Interaction Expectations: The instructor will: 1) provide feedback in a timely manner 2) provide a variety of learning styles and opportunities for all types of learners 3) assist with any technical problems experienced by students as they complete this course 4) maintain frequent interaction with students 5) provide a variety of means for students to maintain communication with me The students will: 1) maintain proper online etiquette with their instructor and their peers. 2) Complete all posted assignments by the due date. 3) Notify the instructor immediately if any emergencies should arise during this course 4) Submit only work that has been proofed and is original. Relevant Resources: PBS: American Experience: The 1930s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcTuyy_Hons http://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/new-deal/recovery-programs http://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraid=14&smtid=1 Academic Honesty: All work submitted should be the work of that student. If you have any questions about the originality of the work that you are submitting or about the policy regarding plagiarism for this course, please refer to you Student Handbook and read through the section outlining academic dishonesty. If you have any questions about this information, please feel free to contact me.
