• Davidson, DeLay, Heyrman, Lytle, and Stoff. U.S. A Narrative History (V1), 2nd ed., McGraw Hill, 2012. ISBN: 9780073385662
• Mary Beth Norton, etal. A People and A Nation (V1) to 1877 (Distance Learning Class Only), 9th ed., Hughton-Mifflin, 2012. ISBN: 978045916253

After completing this course, the student will have a better 
understanding of this nation's unique history. By learning of our
past and our rich heritage, the student can better understand 
himself/herself today and hopefully learn the best path to choose for 
his/her future.

Global Learning Outcomes:

I. CRITICAL THINKING: Students will evaluate the validity of their 
own and others' ideas through questioning, analyzing, and 
synthesizing results into the creative process. Some of these 
critical thinking skills will be developed through the following 
activities:  
A. Collect, organize, classify, correlate,and analyze and present 
materials and data from variety of academic disciplines and sources, 
distinguishing between facts and opinions, judgments and inferences, 
and the objective and subjective. Evaluating and documenting sources, 
(students may write a research paper).
B. Evaluate information, text, and numerical and/or graphical data 
for validity, recognizing when conclusions are reached or decisions 
made in absence of complete information. This may be achieved in a 
variety of ways. For example, study of disputed elections in 
American history involves numbers as well as behind the scenes
maneuvering about which we know very little.
	 
C. Consciously raise questions, suspending judgment and remaining 
open to new information, methods, cultural systems, values, and 
beliefs. Students may relate politics of the past with politics of 
the present in an exercise in civility.



II. COMMUNICATION: Students will develop effective reading, writing, 
speaking 	and listening skills to communicate verbally and 
nonverbally on literal and figurative levels. Some of these 
communication skills will be developed through the following 
activities: 

A. Listen actively, partaking in dialogue with civility and respect 
for opposing viewpoints. Students may relate politics of the past 
with politics of the present is an exercise in civility.

C. Read and discuss works of fiction and nonfiction, demonstrating 
literal and critical comprehension. Students may read biographies,
popular history on analytical history.

D. Write clear, organized prose, using correct standard English.
Students may write a formal research paper.

V. CULTURAL LITERACY: Students will develop an appreciation of human 
culture and its diversity and the role of the creative arts in 
society. Some of these cultural literacy skills will be developed 
through the following activities:  

A. Demonstrate both an awareness of the important function of the 
arts in societies and the ability of the arts to provide personal 
satisfaction and to reflect history and culture. Students may
study the emergence of a distinctive American art, which is an
amalgam of various European and African art forms.

B. Demonstrate an understanding of cultural, national, ethnic, 
religious, and gender differences among peoples of the world.
American History is the study of the many cultures from which we
came. This is more true in American than in European history.

C. Understand art, geography, history, music, philosophy and the 
evolution of ideas that shaped the world. Through supporting 
lectures, students will be aware of the cultures from which 
America came.



              
              
              

The student will have a firm grasp of the major themes, movements,
institutions and experiences in American history from colonization
through the Civil War to Reconstruction.