Course Number:
HST 202
Transcript Title:
History of the United States 1840-1914
Created:
Aug 11, 2022
Updated:
Jul 12, 2023
Total Credits:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture / Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:
Yes
Satisfies General Education requirement:
Yes
Grading Options
A-F, P/NP, Audit
Default Grading Options
A-F
Repeats available for credit:
0
Prerequisites

Placement into MTH 65 or MTH 98

Prerequisite / Concurrent

WR 121 or WR 121Z

Course Description

Examines cause and effect, and significant trends and movements related to political, social and economic ideas and events from 1840 to 1914. History courses are non-sequential and may be taken in any term and in any order. Prerequisites: placement into MTH 65 or MTH 98. Prerequisite/concurrent: WR 121 or WR 121Z. Audit available.

Course Outcomes

  1. Articulate an understanding of key events in the nineteenth century history of the United States and use critical thinking in order to evaluate historical changes and their impact on current U.S. society.
  2. Recognize the historical contributions of different groups (national, ethnic, racial, religious, sexual and gendered) that interacted in the United States in order to appreciate and evaluate current U.S. diversity.
  3. Identify culturally grounded assumptions which have influenced the perceptions and behaviors of people in the past in order to assess how culture continues to affect human behavior.
  4. Communicate effectively using historical analysis.
  5. Connect the past with the present to enhance citizenship skills.

Alignment with Institutional Learning Outcomes

Major
1. Communicate effectively using appropriate reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. (Communication)
Major
2. Creatively solve problems by using relevant methods of research, personal reflection, reasoning, and evaluation of information. (Critical thinking and Problem-Solving)
Not Addressed
3. Extract, interpret, evaluate, communicate, and apply quantitative information and methods to solve problems, evaluate claims, and support decisions in their academic, professional and private lives. (Quantitative Literacy)
Major
4. Use an understanding of cultural differences to constructively address issues that arise in the workplace and community. (Cultural Awareness)
Major
5. Recognize the consequences of human activity upon our social and natural world. (Community and Environmental Responsibility)

To establish an intentional learning environment, Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) require a clear definition of instructional strategies, evidence of recurrent instruction, and employment of several assessment modes.

Major Designation

  1. The outcome is addressed recurrently in the curriculum, regularly enough to establish a thorough understanding.
  2. Students can demonstrate and are assessed on a thorough understanding of the outcome.
    • The course includes at least one assignment that can be assessed by applying the appropriate CLO rubric.

Minor Designation

  1. The outcome is addressed adequately in the curriculum, establishing fundamental understanding.
  2. Students can demonstrate and are assessed on a fundamental understanding of the outcome.
    • The course includes at least one assignment that can be assessed by applying the appropriate CLO rubric.

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

The determination of assessment strategies is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: writings (journals, self-reflections, pre writing exercises, essays), quizzes, tests, midterm and final exams, group projects, presentations (in person, videos, etc), self-assessments, experimentations, lab reports, peer critiques, responses (to texts, podcasts, videos, films, etc), student generated questions, Escape Room, interviews, and/or portfolios.

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

Competencies and Skills

  • Connect evidence to its relevant historical context.
  • Analyze and evaluate written, artistic, or other evidence.
  • Assess the motivation and purpose of evidence.

Evaluate different interpretations of past events and construct your own interpretation:

  • Identify a historian’s thesis and supporting evidence.
  • Evaluate the arguments used to support different interpretations of historical issues.
  • Develop your own thesis and historical interpretation and use evidence to support it.

Think critically about the relationship between past and present events and issues:

  • Recognize and identify historical roots and parallels to current issues.

Compare and contrast the experience of diverse groups in American society.

  • Listen to and appreciate the experience of students from a variety of backgrounds.
  • Assess the contributions and experiences of various groups in American society.

Communicate effectively in writing about a historical topic.

  • Communicate in writing an understanding of historical process and an evaluation of how concepts or values change over time.

Clearly articulate thoughts and ideas to a particular audience which may include:

  • Working collaboratively with other students to evaluate and understand historical events.
  • Working collaboratively with others in discussions, debate, or role plays.
  • Presenting information in oral presentations.

Themes, Concepts, Issues

  • Slavery, abolitionism and sectionalism
  • Immigration
  • Indian Country
  • Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny
  • Civil War and Reconstruction
  • Other wars, conflicts and diplomacy
  • Constitutional challenges
  • Jim Crow
  • Women’s Movement
  • Imperialism and colonialism
  • Industrialization and labor systems
  • Gilded Age
  • Populism
  • Urbanization
  • Progressive Era
  • Gender
  • Class
  • Ethnicity
  • Religion
  • Sexuality
  • Racism and other systems of discrimination
  • Liberty and equality
  • Demography
  • United States in international context
  • Geography and the natural environment
  • Technology
  • Social, political and economic reform movements
  • Historiography