Undergraduate Course: History of the United States (HIST08045)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course offers an introduction to the history of the United States, spanning from the revolutionary era of the eighteenth century through to the twenty-first century. From the creation of the American republic, the course explores the nation's development and challenges it faced over time. |
| Course description |
In exploring key themes in the history of the United States, the course examines: how Americans created a new nation that achieved continental expansion, and how sectional crisis - leading to Civil War - emerged; how norms of race, gender, and class attained entrenchment, and how Americans over time undertook fights for racial, social, and gender equality; how the U.S. government interacted with the wider world, and how - and with what consequences - the United States emerged as a world power; and how the U.S. economy underwent transformation, and how Americans responded to the challenges posed by economic crisis.
The course promotes the development of students' skills (both written and non-written) in historical research and analysis, encompassing critical engagement with both historiographical debates and primary sources.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
The Historian's Toolkit (HIST08032)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 336 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
153 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1,000 word Historiographical Essay (30%)
3,000 word Essay (70%)
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| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with their tutor during published office hours or by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate command of a substantial body of historical knowledge
- demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain historical arguments in a variety of literary forms, formulating appropriate questions and utilizing evidence
- demonstrate an understanding of the varieties of approaches to understanding, constructing, and interpreting the past; and, where relevant, knowledge of concepts and theories derived from the humanities and social sciences
- demonstrate the ability to address historical problems in depth, involving the use of contemporary sources and advanced secondary literature
- demonstrate clarity, fluency, and coherence in written and oral expression
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Reading List
The American Yawp, open resource (Stanford, CA, 2020): http://www.americanyawp.com/
Jane Dailey, Building the American Republic, vol. 2: A Narrative History from 1877 (Chicago, 2018): http://buildingtheamericanrepublic.org/
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History (New York, 2005-2020)
Harry L. Watson, Building the American Republic, vol. I: A Narrative History to 1877 (Chicago, 2018): http://buildingtheamericanrepublic.org/ |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Megan Hunt
Tel: (0131 6)50 9110
Email: Megan.Hunt@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Katy Robinson
Tel: (0131 6)50 3780
Email: krobins3@ed.ac.uk |
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