History 2000 syllabus

History 2000 is a team-taught course with many faculty participating. In this course we will explore the question: What is History? A definitive answer is unlikely, but we can examine and discuss the various ways in which historians have attempted to understand and write about the past.

The course is intended to help students learn the tools to do history, and thereby to develop crucial skills for more advanced courses. HISTORY 2000 is a required course for all history majors.

Please -- no electronic devices in class (laptops may be used for note taking). This class is a Walden Zone!-- a room or office that contains no electronic technology, particularly devices with Internet connections.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Historical Thinking. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
    • Compare competing historical narratives
    • Recognize a range of viewpoints
  • Historical Skills. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
    • Evaluate debates among historians
    • Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations
    • Assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources
    • Formulate historical questions
    • Construct a well-organized historical argument

Activities in Support of Learning:

  • short (300 words) response papers
  • short (3 minute) oral presentations
  • class discussions
  • scholarly article analysis (written)
  • genealogy project
  • Intermountain Histories (research project

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