(Photo by Joe O'Connell, 5 February 2005)
POLI 100K: RAILROADS AND AMERICAN POLITICS
Summer Session I, 2008
Department of Political Science
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA, 92093-0521
Classroom: CENTR 203
Time: 2:00 - 4:50PM TuTh
Instructor: Keith T. Poole
Office:
Room 368 Social Sciences Building
Office Hours: Thursday, 2:00 - 4:00 or by appointment
E-Mail: KPoole@ucsd.edu
WebSite: Voteview Home Page
The following texts will be
used in this course:
- John F. Stover, American Railroads
- Harold C. Livesay, Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business
- John Steele Gordon, An Empire of Wealth
Requirements
Grades will be determined by two examinations -- one mid-quarter exam
and a final exam. The exams will consist of short answer questions.
The midterm will be worth 1/3 and the final 2/3 of the course grade.
The midterm will be a take home exam handed out at the end
of class on Thursday, July 17. The exam will be due back at the beginning of class on Tuesday, July
22.
The final is scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd from 11:30AM to
2:29PM. (The exam will
be 2 hours during this block).
The final exam will be closed-book closed-note -- no computers, PDAs, or cell phones allowed.
Course Outline
-
Introduction: Why are Railroads Important?
Assignment:
- American Politics, Economics, and Business prior to the Railroads: 1800 - 1830
Assignment:
- Chapters 4 - 8, An Empire of Wealth
- Chapters 1 and 2, American Railroads
Agenda For Topic 2
- Railroads as Big Business
Assignment:
- Andrew Carnegie, the Standard Railway of the World, and the Industrialization of the U.S.
Assignment:
- The Nature of Railroad Competition
Assignment:
- Railroads and the Development of Agriculture
Assignment:
Midterm Exam
- Railroads and Government Regulation: 1887-1920
Assignment:
- Chapters 6 to 8, American Railroads
- Chapters 15 to 17, An Empire of Wealth
Agenda For Topic 7
Final Exam (Due Monday, 4 August 2008 by 12:00 Noon)
- Railroads Triumphant: 1980 - 2001
Assignment:
- Chapters 9 and 10, American Railroads
- Chapters 18 to 20, An Empire of Wealth
- Railroads and the Future of the American Transportation System
