This course surveys American History from the end of the Reconstruction period to the present day. Emphasis will be placed upon the significant economic, political, diplomatic, and social developments, paying particular attention to changes in cultural relations, the role of government, racial and the nation's place and responsibilities in a more interconnected world.
Prerequisites
Competency
Behavioral and Social Understanding
Course Outcomes
After successfully completing the course, the learner will be able to:
- Summarize and explain the major events of the years from Colonial Times to 1876, in order to show clear, concise understanding of how they changed America.
- Communicate orally, by discussing original documents and key issues in American History from Colonial Times to 1876.
- Demonstrate informational literacy; i.e. know when there is a need for information, and to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand.
- Express themselves in formal writing, by authoring papers such as essays, analyses, book reviews, or bibliographies that offer a clear and supported position on a complex historical subject or event.
- Think critically, from analyzing the successes and failures of the past and explaining and predicting how people with values and mindsets different from our own handle similar circumstances.
- Make historical connections by recognizing contemporary behaviors, actions, and policies that demonstrate how people fail to learn lessons from those past successes and failures.