Course Syllabus

HIST 1700 American History

Course Description

This course is designed to provide an introduction into American history from pre-contact Native American societies through the present day. The course analyzes not just history, but also how politics, culture, and societal factors shaped American identity. The course provides for the basis of American History, and how early America has shaped the country we now live in.

Justification

This course satisfies the American Institutions (AI) requirement established by the Utah Legislature and USHE. It provides a foundation for understanding the history of America.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. After completing this course, students are prepared to recognize and appreciate the diversity of ideas that constitute American history. Students read and discuss a variety of primary sources in order to understand these ideas from a variety of perspectives. Class discussions, written assignments, and exams will ask students to consider readings in a variety of contexts.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. After completing this course, students are prepared to work competently with a variety of media sources as they engage in analysis of American history. Students read, watch, and listen to a variety of primary media and are assessed, in discussion and written response, on content. Class discussions, written assignments, and exams are designed to elicit constructive and critical responses.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students must demonstrate an understanding of cultural, social, and historical influence. This is measured in every class discussion, written assignments, and exam as problems have become increasingly multidimensional.
   
   
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Understanding "America" and its history requires reasoning analytically, critically, and creatively about multiple factors. As students continue to learn American history, they will be better equipped to become civically-minded citizens because of the analytical and critical skills developed over the period of this course. This outcome will be assessed through exams and written assignments.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Through the study of primary source documents students will examine a variety of factors that explain the origins, development, and current dynamics of the political, social, and economic system of United States. Class discussions, written assignments, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they can articulate ways in which scholars and critics have addressed these factors; they will also allow students to demonstrate they can participate in the conversation.  Through the study of primary source documents students will examine a variety of factors that explain the origins, development, and current dynamics of the political, social, and economic system of United States. Class discussions, written assignments, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they can articulate ways in which scholars and critics have addressed these factors; they will also allow students to demonstrate they can participate in the conversation. 
2. Explain and use historically, politically, and economically relevant information. Through reading primary and secondary sources, students will understand how to evaluate and use historically relevant information to make and critique arguments about American history. Students will be asked to demonstrate their ability to use historically relevant information in attendance and participation, written assignments, and exams.
3. Communicate effectively about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States. Through the study of primary source documents students will examine a variety of factors that explain the origins, development, and current dynamics of the political, social, and economic system of United States. Class discussions, written assignments, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they can articulate ways in which scholars and critics have addressed these factors; they will also allow students to demonstrate they can participate in the conversation. This method will be measured by discussion, assignments, and exams.
4. Engage a diversity of viewpoints in a constructive manner that contributes to a dialogue about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States. Through reading a range of sources, students will understand multiple viewpoints on the history of the United States. They will be able to discuss these viewpoints in historical context and be able to articulate connections with contemporary issues. Class discussions, written assignments, and exams will allow students to make their own contribution to the dialogue about the history of the United States.
5. Use historical, political, and economic methods to come to an understanding of the United States that integrates those viewpoints. Students will be introduced to the methods of History. Through reading diverse primary and secondary sources within this discipline, students will understand how to use these methods to come to an understanding of the United States that reflects the diversity of viewpoints within historical scholarship. Students will be asked to demonstrate their ability to use historical methods in the context of American heritage via written assignments, exams, and classroom participation.

Course Content

The course traditionally follows a chronological path, analyzing how politics, culture, and societal factors shaped American identity. The course takes broad purview of American history, looking at larger issues across time, while also more closely examining how individuals and groups responded to the various issues that Americans faced during their time. Additionally, students will be able to examine what issues caused and forced these larger changes to occur. Both primary and secondary source reading assignments are intended to present a more complete picture of early American history. Possible Topics: • Pre-Contact Native American Societies • Old World/New World• Colonization of the New World • The American Revolution • The Constitution • War of 1812 • Jacksonian Era • Antebellum Slavery • Civil War Reconstruction• Gilded Age and Progressive Era • The Jazz Age • The Great Depression and the New Deal • World War II • Society in Flux-the Nation Transformed• 9/11, The War on Terror, and the post 9/11 World