STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Substantive Knowledge: At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to

• * demonstrate a basic understanding of the founding and political, social and
economic development of the United States;
• * demonstrate an understanding of what the discipline of history is and what methods
historians employ;
• * demonstrate knowledge of the chronology of major issues, events, themes that
played a role in the creation of the American Republic and the development and
evolution of U.S. institutions;
• * describe large thematic historical concepts;
• * demonstrate an understanding that history is contested territory rather than a set of
agreed upon facts;
• *distinguish between primary and secondary materials and be able to describe the
assets and liabilities of each.

Effective Communication: At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to

• * speak and write effectively and clearly about the history, principles, and form of
government of the United States;
• * construct a narrative around an evidence-based argument;
• * demonstrate orally and in writing that the ethics and practice of history mean
recognizing and building on the work of others and providing appropriate and
thorough attribution.

Critical Thinking: At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to

• * evaluate a variety of historical sources for their credibility, position and perspective;
• * Contextualize materials from the past with appropriate precision and detail;
• * make horizontal (in time) and vertical connections (over time);
• * explore the dynamics of change and continuity;
• * generate a historical argument that is reasoned and based on historical evidence;
• * generate relevant open-ended questions about the past;
• * identify the competing definitions of American liberty and citizenship as well as the
roles of conflict and consensus in the development of American institutions;
• * explore multiple historical and theoretical viewpoints;
• * place American History within a wider global context Civic Engagement: At the
conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
• * demonstrate an understanding of the meaning and implications of participatory
democracy;
• * engage a diversity of viewpoints in a civil and constructive fashion;
 • * apply historical knowledge and analysis to contribute to contemporary social
dialogue

Computer and Information Literacies: At the conclusion of this course, students will be
able to:
• * have the skill to post a threshold assignment and reflection on an electronic portfolio
• * use scholarly publications in their research with regard to the writing
• * Use credible sources in their work and properly cite them.

GENERAL EDUCATION STATEMENT:

This course fulfills the History requirement for the General Education Program at Salt Lake

Community College. It is designed not only to teach the information and skills required by the

discipline, but also to develop vital workplace skills and to teach strategies and skills that can
be

used for life-long learning. General Education courses teach basic skills as well as broaden a

student’s knowledge of a wide range of subjects. Education is much more than the acquisition
of

facts; it is being able to use information in meaningful ways in order to enrich one’s life.

While the subject of each course is important and useful, we become truly educated through

making connections of such varied information with the different methods of organizing human

experience that are practiced by different disciplines. Therefore, this course, when combined

with other General Education courses, will enable you to develop broader perspectives and

deeper understandings of your community and the world, as well as challenge previously held

assumptions about the world and its inhabitants.