This survey course covers the key events and themes of U.S. History through 1945. We will study the main political, economic, social, and cultural developments during this period so that you will understand the chronology of U.S. history. Another objective is to enhance your ability to evaluate historical information. An adequate overview of any historical period requires a balance of factual knowledge and critical analysis; the memorization of facts is useless without understanding how they fit into the bigger picture.

We will develop your academic writing, test-taking, and critical thinking skills in this course to prepare you for future college-level history courses. You will be expected to complete several writing projects, each progressively more challenging. The format of your exams will be similar to what you will encounter in a university-level history course in the US (don’t panic, the exams are designed to be finished in 50 minutes). You also will learn to think critically and conceptually about history. You will learn how to judiciously make constructive and relevant connections between US History and current issues in US politics, society, and media. You also will be introduced to historiography, the theoretical side of history that analyzes the frameworks, biases, and assumptions behind historical writing and research.

- Weekly lectures
- Group activities, discussions, debates, and presentations will take place periodically in a collaborative learning environment throughout the entirety of each term.
- Individual homework assignments which introduce or enhance writing techniques and methods and help students better understand the subject material.
- Google Classroom will be used for assignments and necessary study materials.

Together we will practice building habits required for academic success and intellectual growth. If a student is willing to put in the work to the best of their ability, be on time with their work, cooperate in groups as a team player, and actively participate in all classroom activities with a positive attitude, positive results will likely follow.