History (HIST) 426

Overview

HIST 426 focuses on social change and social conflict since 1945. Beginning with a study of the Cold War in the immediate aftermath of World War II, it demonstrates both official and popular efforts to create a conservative society in which dissent was suppressed, class, sexual, and racial hierarchies were maintained, and the United States was the arbiter of political, economic, and cultural correctness.

It then examines the social pressures that challenged such an agenda in the decades following the war. Included in the study of social conflicts are the emergence of the women's movement, movements of Native peoples and visible-minority groups, as well as the Quebec independence movement and movements of regional resistance to the perceived federal agenda. Particular emphasis is placed on the social experiences of the generations born after the war, the “baby boomers,” followed by the “Generation Xers.”

Also included is a study of the emergence first of the Keynesian welfare state and later the neo-conservative challenge to its expansion and indeed to its existence.

Outline

Unit 1: The Cold War

Unit 2: Nation of Immigrants

Unit 3: Social History of the Post-War Period

Unit 4: The Changing Status of Women

Unit 5: Nationalism and Regionalism

Evaluation

To receive credit for HIST 426, you must complete all of the assignments, achieve a minimum grade of 50 per cent on the final examination, and obtain a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 per cent). The weighting of the course assignments is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.