A successful student will, by the end of the semester, demonstrate the following: • an understanding of basic concepts in the study of history, such as place, time, contingency, agency, structure, continuity, change, and causation. • a basic understanding of the political, social, economic, and cultural history of the Atlantic world, the Americas, colonial America, and postcolonial United States between the late 15th and mid 19th centuries. • a knowledge of key events, people, and social groups that have shaped the history of the Atlantic world, the Americas, colonial America, and postcolonial United States between the late 15th and mid 19th centuries. • a knowledge of the multiple long- and short-term causes and essential processes in the history of the Atlantic world, the Americas, colonial America, and postcolonial United States between the late 15th and mid 19th centuries. • familiarity with primary, secondary, and digital sources concerning the history of the Atlantic world, the Americas, colonial America, and postcolonial United States between the late 15th and mid 19th centuries. • the ability to recognize and interpret primary historical sources, taking into consideration authorship and purpose. • the ability to evaluate historical interpretations, and to distinguish between evidence and argument. • the ability to communicate historical arguments, and to deploy relevant evidence, in an effective and persuasive manner orally and in writing. • an appreciation of the ways in which past events have shaped political formations, cultural practices, economic conditions, and social identities up to the present. |