Seminar in US History I

Course Description

Focused examination of primary and secondary sources as well as advanced research in the current scholarly literature on American history through the Civil War. Areas may include, but are not limited to, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, social, and diplomatic history.

Learning Outcomes

• Organize the major historical themes and issues in colonial, revolutionary, and early nineteenth-century American history as presented and debated in the scholarly literature.
• Analyze the specific characteristics of, and similarities and differences between, works of major historians of colonial, revolutionary, and early nineteenth-century America.
• Evaluate the theoretical and empirical approaches these historians take to researching and writing about colonial, revolutionary, and early nineteenth-century America.
• Research the scholarly discussion of a topic in colonial, revolutionary, or early nineteenth-century America.
• Present their main findings orally and in writing for peer review.
• Write a longer historiographic review that assesses several scholarly approaches to that topic.

Prerequisites

• HIS600