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HIS32660

Academic Year 2026/2027

Rise of the Right in the US since 1945 (HIS32660)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Sandra Scanlon
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module explores conservative political activism in the post-war period, with particular focus on the turbulent years of the 1960s and 1970s. Historians once conveyed shock at Ronald Reagan’s election to the presidency in 1980, and asserted that his success rested on white working class backlash against Democratic liberal reform and civil rights, and pervasive fears of economic decline. Recent scholarship has revealed, however, the emergence of grassroots conservative political activism in the 1940s and 1950s, which was predicated on resistance to the New Deal and staunch opposition to communism. From the 1960s, conservatives developed political networks, established organisations and journals, and sponsored single issue campaigns that reached far beyond their ideological base. As the nation grabbled with the social and cultural consequences of the rights revolutions that emerged during this period, conservative activists helped shape a new narrative relating to American identity that further divided the American people. Demographic shifts and the emergence of a new suburban culture enhanced the political strength of traditionally conservative areas of the country. The history of modern American conservatism reflects diverse goals and ideological division, but it also tells the story of coalition building and unanticipated political dominance.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Students completing this module will have developed:
• Their understanding of post-war American history, and the ability to identify key historical debates and issues.
• Their ability to give presentations, and to engage in informed and constructive seminar debate on the major themes and events of post-war US history.
• Their ability to synthesize historiographical issues in post-war US history.
• Their ability to present independent conclusions in essay form based on secondary reading and a limited exposure to primary sources.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Challenges to the Liberal Consensus
Week 2: Suburban Warriors
Week 3: The Draft Goldwater Movement
Week 4: White Flight and the Myth of Southern Exceptionalism
Week 5: The Rise of the Sunbelt
Week 6: The Vietnam War
Week 7: Religion and The New Right
Week 8: Ronald Reagan's American Dream
Week 9: The End of 'Big Government' during the 1990s
Week 10: Mass communication, mass shootings, mass incarceration ...
Week 11: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Week 12: Trump's 'American Carnage'

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 2

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 2
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Total

223

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a small-group, seminar-based module. It is taught through a pre-recorded weekly lecture and a two-hour seminar. The weekly lecture provides an overview of the week’s topic, focusing upon key historical trends, debates and events. The weekly seminar is focused upon individual active / task-based learning by means of class debates, discussion and student presentations. Advanced research, writing and citation skills are developed through a combined individual student presentation and a written essay or podcast. Autonomous learning is advanced through student-led debate and discussion of set sources each week, and by student's completion of a 250 word discussion post each week.

The use of Generative AI is not permitted.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Continuous Assessment: Contribute to seminars/group discussion Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
20
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Research project - 3000 word essay or 20 minute podcast. Week 14 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Discussion posts: each week students complete a 250 word response to a question. Submissions are made via Brightspace. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
30
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 09:00 - 10:50
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