Interpreting American History

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

Argumentation

• Students will be able to assess and craft effective historical arguments.

• Students will be able to implement historiography to craft essential historical questions.

Evidence

• Apply historical thinking methods to evaluate primary sources.

• Students will apply evaluation and synthesis skills to assess conflicting evidence, and multiple perspectives explain broad patterns of change.

Chronological Thinking

• Use chronological thinking to ask and evaluate key questions about American history from the colonial era through the twentieth century.

Contextualization

• Use evidence and knowledge of historical context to answer questions of why people acted the way they did (or thought the way they did) even when their actions seem at first irrational or inexplicable or different from what we would have done or thought.

Communication

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate analytical ideas effectively - in class presentations, discussion, and writing.

• Through effective collaboration, students plan and practice oral presentation skills.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Film Analysis	15%
Discussion Posts/Quizzes	25%
Evidence-based Essays	20%
Timeline Construction Project	25%

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter Grade
100-93	A
92-90	A-
89-87	B+
86-83	B
82-80	B-
77-79	C+
76-73	C
72-70	C-
69-67	D+
66-63	D
62-60	D-
Below 60	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance/participation is worth 5% of your overall grade.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.