20803212Modern US History
Course Information
Description
Modern US History is an introductory survey course covering political, social and cultural trends in the United States between the end of Civil War and the present. In addition to presenting what happened in the United States during this period, the course explores the diverse sources historians use to explain the past.
Total Credits
3
Course Competencies
  1. Write about historical topics
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, and Journal entry
    Criteria
    Use a writing process
    Employ primary and secondary sources
    Present arguments that focus directly on historical issues and topics
    Construct historical arguments supported by appropriate and relevant evidence and examples

  2. Explore research, multiple/conflicting viewpoints, and perspectives about modern American history
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Identify continuities and discontinuities in modern American history and explain how they have changed/remained the same over time
    Analyze and evaluate primary and secondary sources to better understand their positions and perspective

  3. Develop historical empathy
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Interpret the American past in context and analyze the past on its own terms
    Compare past developments in modern American history with the present

  4. Analyze the African American Civil Rights movement from 1865 to the present
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Explore how African Americans responded to legal, political, and violent methods to deny them their civil rights
    Identify the different approaches, strategies, and tactics to achieve civil rights advanced by civil rights organizations, prominent leaders, and rank-and-file activists from 1865 to the present
    Explain how the African American Civil Rights movement has pushed the United States to live up to its constitutional ideals regarding liberty and equality

  5. Examine resistance and civil rights movements among historically underrepresented communities in the United States since 1865
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Examine how underrepresented groups responded to discrimination and violence from 1865 to the present
    Describe immigrant responses to legal policies that called for deportation or encouraged “voluntary” deportation
    Study how Indigenous Americans have fought to retain their sovereignty and culture when pressured to assimilate

  6. Examine immigration and immigrant experiences in modern American history
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Identify changes and continuities in immigration to the United States since 1865
    Examine differences and similarities in how immigrants have interacted with “host” communities in the United States since 1865
    Explain immigrant contributions to American culture, economics, politics, and society

  7. Examine gender roles in the United States since 1865
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Analyze how women’s and men’s cultural, political, and social roles have changed over time
    Explore women’s efforts to secure equal rights and change their legal status
    Identify the historical developments that helped change views concerning masculinity and femininity

  8. Investigate the creation of local, state, and federal policies that have discriminated against underrepresented populations in the United States since 1865
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Product, Essay, Critique, Journal Entry, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Examine how policies have restricted and constricted residential and social mobility
    Trace the development of laws and regulations that restricted voting rights
    Analyze the role of law enforcement in strengthening inequalities and oppression of marginalized groups

  9. Collaborate with peers
    Assessment Strategies
    Ungraded Oral Response, Written Product, and/or Presentation
    Criteria
    Show interest in the ideas of others
    Develop useful suggestions
    Create questions related to modern American history
    Refer to the specific ideas of peers