HIST 210 - The Era of the American Civil War

Number of Credits: 3
The Era of the American Civil War surveys the major political, economic, social and cultural trends in the United States from 1840 to 1877, focusing upon the growing differences between the societies of the North and the South, the partisan debates leading to the American Civil War, the war itself and the shattering impact on the country, culminating with the reconstruction of the Union. Credit by exam available. (Fall Term Only) Three hours lecture each week. Three Credits. Three billable hours.

Pre-requisite(s): eligibility for ENGL 101.
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Summarize and explain the major events of the years from 1840 to 1877, in order to show clear, concise understanding of how they changed America (GE1, GE2, PG1, PG2, PG4)
Communicate orally, by discussing readings that offer various interpretations of key issues in American History from 1840 to 1877 and participating in classroom debates on the breakup of the Union (GE1, GE2, PG1, PG2, PG4)
Demonstrate informational literacy i.e. know when there is a need for information, and to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand (GE2, GE4, PG1, PG4)
Express themselves in formal writing, by authoring an analysis of historical newspapers and a research paper that offer a clear and supported position on a complex historical subject or event (GE1, GE2, GE4, PG1, PG2, PG4, PG5)
Think critically, from analyzing the successes and failures of the past and explaining and predicting how people with values and mindsets different from our own handle similar circumstances (GE2, GE6, GE7, PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4)
Make historical connections by recognizing contemporary behaviors, actions, and policies that demonstrate how people fail to learn lessons from those past successes and failures (GE2, GE7, PG1)
Identify and expand their world perspective by taking into account various, often divergent points of view as well as humanity s commonalities and differences (GE6, GE7, PG2, PG3)