The undergraduate program in History at Armstrong Atlantic State University is designed to achieve a number of learning outcomes.  Upon graduation, the successful degree candidate will have demonstrated mastery of the learning outcomes outlined below.

All undergraduate students at AASU take introductory history courses as part of the core curriculum, including one Civilization course and a course taught by either History or Political Science faculty entitled Political History of America and Georgia.  The History Department also offers three additional core curriculum courses:  American History to 1877, American History Since 1865, and Ethics and Values in History.  These are the only courses that most students will take and serve to introduce majors to the discipline.  Although expected to work within clearly articulated chronological or thematic guidelines, instructors are given wide latitude in defining the specific thematic and analytical content of these courses.  Instructors introduce students to primary and secondary sources and a variety of media including texts and audio/visual materials.  The courses present vocabulary and arguments that introduce students to the interconnections between culture, society, economics, and politics. 

Standard One:  Command of Historical Content

Students will demonstrate command of a body of knowledge in American and World History by reading, interpreting, and discussing historical events and data within a meaningful chronological context.  Students will demonstrate familiarity with common themes, including demographic change, population migration, social organization and change, economic organization and change, scientific and technological developments, religious movements, urbanization, the rise of industrialism, political evolution and state formation, intellectual and ideological development, geographical regions and environmental factors, cultural and cross-cultural currents, imperialism and post colonialism, and globalization.

Standard Two:  Historical Analysis 

Students will demonstrate historical mindedness through appreciation of the political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of human experience, comprehension of causal relationships and patterns of change and continuity over time, and awareness of the social significance of ethnicity, gender, race, and class in historical events and study.

Standard Three:  Critical Reading, Thinking, and Writing

Students will demonstrate familiarity with the uses and problems of interpretation associated with primary and secondary sources by writing essays and engaging in group discussions of issues pertaining to historical narratives and sources.

Civilization I (HIST 1111):

• Origins and nature of early civilizations.
  1. Defining civilization.
  2. River valley civilizations (Nile, Indus, Mesopotamia, Yellow/Yangzi.
  3. Significance of tension between nomadic and civilized societies.
• Classical philosophy and the humanistic tradition.
  1. Greek and Chinese classical philosophy.
  2. The humanistic tradition in the Latin West from Classical Greece through the Renaissance.
  3. The humanistic tradition in Tang and Song China.
• Development of World Religions.
  1. Hinduism and Buddhism.
  2. The Judaic tradition.
  3. Christianity and Islam.
• Comparative development of political institutions.
  1. Despotism (e.g. sacerdotal kingship, the mandate of heaven).
  2. Abstract theory of state (e.g. polis, res publica) and Nationhood.
• The global economy and social change.
  1. New technology (East and West).
  2. Commercial exchange and the rise of the merchant class.
  3. The affect of thePax Mongolica.
  4. The Italian commercial revolution.
  5. The conservative backlash of Ming China.
  6. Africa and the Americas and the encounter with the West.

Civilization II (HIST 1112):

• Transitions to the Modern World.
  1. Voyages of discovery and exploration; the Columbian Exchange.
  2. Religious Reformations: Protestant and Catholic.
  3. Scientific Revolution.
• Political modernization and the rise of the nation state.
  1. Absolutism and constitutionalism.
  2. American Revolution.
  3. French Revolution and Napoleon.
  4. Latin American independence.
  5. New political ideologies.
  6. Growth and spread of representative government.
  7. Unification of Italy and Germany.
• Economic modernization.
  1. Mercantilism and early European colonization.
  2. Industrial Revolution.
  3. Socialism and Marxism.
• Scientific and technological Advances.
  1. Darwinian science and Social Darwinism.
  2. Developments in weapons, transportation, and communications.
• Imperialism.
  1. Outgrowth of industrialization and nationalism.
  2. Effects on, and responses in, Africa, the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia.
• The Twentieth Century
  1. World War I.
  2. The Great Depression and the rise of Totalitarianism.
  3. World War II.
  4. The Cold War.
  5. Independence of former colonies
  6. Globalization of political reforms and economic interdependence.

Ethics and Values in History (HIST 2000):

• Concepts and practices comprising ethics or moral philosophy as related to specified historical topics or eras.
• The meaning and operation of ethics and values as expressed in cultural texts, including fiction, non-fiction, art, music, and material culture.
• The historical significance of race, gender, and class
• Ethics and values in relation to multiculturalism and globalization.
• Human progress in relation to science and technology.
• Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism.

Political History of America and Georgia (HIST 1100):

• English origins of the thirteen American colonies and their political traditions.
• Causes and consequences of the American Revolution
• Constitutional and political developments in relation to early nationalism.
• Slavery, expansionism, and the sectional crisis in the United States.
• The origins and effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
• Rise of the industrial age and its social, economic, and political impact.
• Causes of World War I and the United States’ emergence as a world power.
• The 1920s and the causes of the Great Depression.
• The New Deal and the development of the American welfare system.
• The effects of World War II on American politics and society.
• The rise and impact of the Civil Rights and Women’s movements.
• Contemporary American political developments.

History of America to 1877 (HIST 2111):

• European exploration of the new world and the Columbian Exchange.
• British colonization and its political, economic, and social effects.
• Society and politics in eighteenth-century America and the causes of the American Revolution.
• Development of the Constitution and the American political system.
• Development and expansion of Slavery.
• Origins of sectionalism and nineteenth-century reform movements.
• Manifest Destiny and the causes of the Civil War.
• Civil War and Reconstruction.

History of America Since 1865 (HIST 2112):

• Reconstruction and its legacy in the United States.
• Westward expansion, the rise of big business, and the Populist movement.
• Imperialism and Dollar Diplomacy.
• The social and political impact of Progressivism.
• World War I and its impact on American politics and society.
• The Roaring Twenties.
• Causes and effects of the Great Depression and the rise of the New Deal.
• The effects of World War II on American society.
• The effects of the Cold War on American foreign and domestic affairs.
• Causes and effects of the Civil Rights and Women’s movements and their legacy.
• The Vietnam War.
• Contemporary American political, social, and cultural developments.

As indicated by the diagrams that follow, requirements for the major differ slightly according to the degree selected. Students enrolled in the B. A. in History degree take six upper division history courses and one public history course.  Students enrolled in the

B. A. in History with Teacher Certification take six upper division history courses (two American, two European, and two Non-Western), substituting one Seminar for an upper division course because they are required to take a Secondary Social Science Education Methods course instead of the capstone Seminar. The B. A. in History program of study includes three capstone courses:  Research Seminar in Historical Methods, American or European Historiography, and a Seminar in History.  The B. A. in History with Teacher Certification Program also includes a Secondary Social Science Education Methods course.

Seminar in History		HIST 4500 Research Seminar in Historical Methods		American or European Historiography
Four Social Science and/or Humanities Courses		Six Upper Division History Courses		One Public History Course
-		HIST 3500 Foundations of Historical Studies		-
HIST/POLS 1100 American & Georgia Political History	HIST 1111 Civilization I	HIST 1112 Civilization II	HIST 2111 History of America to 1877	HIST 2112 History of America Since 1865	HIST 2000 Ethics & Values in History (optional)

MGSE 4492 Secondary School Curriculum & Methods Social Science		HIST 4500 Research Seminar in Historical Methods		American or European Historiography
Two approved Geography Courses		Six Upper Division History Courses: Two American, Two European, Two Non-Western (must include a Seminar)		Two courses from an approved Social Science field
-		HIST 3500 Foundations of Historical Studies		-
HIST/POLS 1100 American & Georgia Political History	HIST 1111 Civilization I	HIST 1112 Civilization II	HIST 2111 or 2112 History of America to 1877 or Since 1865	HIST 2111 or 2112 History of America to 1877 or Since 1865 (optional)	HIST 2000 Ethics & Values in History(optional)

The Foundations course is a prerequisite or corequisite for upper division history courses required of the major.  Instructors select topics, themes, or historical eras within their own expertise and introduce students to the knowledge and skills appropriate to the professional study of history, including research techniques through the use of libraries, the internet, and archives, the use of primary and secondary materials relevant to historical analysis and knowledge, and the application of historical theory.  Students are evaluated on the quality of their research, validity of their arguments, and persuasiveness of their written and oral presentations.

Standard One:  Demonstrate ability to access historical data and information through libraries, archives, the internet, or oral interviews.
Standard Two:  Demonstrate computer and technology skills appropriate to the discipline.
Standard Three:  Demonstrate ability to evaluate textual, oral, quantitative, and multimedia evidence.
Standard Four:  Demonstrate ability to exchange information and ideas and deliver arguments persuasively through oral and written presentations.
Standard Five:  Demonstrate ability to construct historical narratives based on primary and secondary sources.
Standard Six:  Adhere strictly to high ethical standards while creating oral and written presentations, including full citation of sources.

A substantial part of the program for history majors consists of intermediate-level courses.  These courses combine lecture and discussion in presenting in-depth analysis of specific topics and historical themes.  Because the nature of research material and intellectual approaches to these courses will vary, instructors are allowed wide latitude regarding their pedagogical approaches and selection of source materials.

Standard One:  Demonstrate mastery of subject matter in each course, including specified topics, themes, and other historical data.
Standard Two:  Demonstrate familiarity with the problems of interpretation associated with the use of primary and secondary sources.
Standard Three:  Participate actively in group discussions dealing with topics and issues in specified historical fields.
Standard Four:  Create, organize, and support in written form historical theses or arguments as relevant to the subject matter specified in each course.
Standard Five:  Identify and document all evidence used in the construction of written narratives and oral presentations.
Standard Six:  Use effectively resources such as the library, the internet, archives, and oral interviews, and demonstrate computer skills appropriate to the discipline.
Standard Seven:  Demonstrate interdisciplinary awareness by critiquing and using material from other fields such as geography, economics, political science, art history, literature, psychology, and anthropology, as appropriate to area of specialization.
Standard Eight:  Demonstrate commitment to the professional values of the discipline by free and open inquiry into ethics and values in all fields of historical study, strict adherence to high standards of fidelity to evidence, and tolerance for alternative points of view and approaches to historical knowledge.

Research Seminar in Historical Methods is a capstone course required of the major that builds upon the skills and knowledge that students acquire in the Foundations course and at the intermediate level.  Instructors or students select topics, themes, or historical eras within their own expertise.  Students write a major research paper in which they demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills appropriate to the professional study of history, including research techniques through the use of libraries, the internet, and archives, analysis of primary and secondary materials in support of a well-developed thesis, and application of relevant historical theory.  Students are evaluated on the quality of their research, validity of their arguments, and persuasiveness of their written and oral presentations.

Standard One:  Develop an original project with a clear thesis.
Standard Two:  Access data and information in libraries, archives, oral interviews, or other repositories of primary and secondary sources including the internet.
Standard Three:  Write and professionally document an extended historical narrative that combines data, information, previous narrative, and theoretical constructions.
Standard Four:  Deliver an oral presentation that summarizes the results of the research project.

Standard One:  Demonstrate familiarity with the ways that individual historians and schools of historians during different periods of history have viewed the writing of history.
Standard Two:  Write historical narratives that explicate select historiographical themes and issues.
Standard Three:  Deliver an oral presentation related to a select historiographical theme, school of history, or major historian.

Standard One:  Conduct a detailed analysis of a specific problem, theme, or topic in history.
Standard Two:

a.  If colloquium format utilized by instructor, write several critical essays related to extensive readings on specified problem, theme, or topic.

b.  If research format utilized by instructor, write and professionally document an extended historical narrative that combines data, information, previous narrative, and theoretical constructions, with appropriate documentation.

Standard One:  Identify current issues in Secondary Social Science education and American public education.
Standard Two:  Demonstrate teaching methods, strategies, and techniques suitable for Social Studies instruction.
Standard Three:  Evidence command of mandated standards of knowledge and performance by successful completion of the Praxis II Test in Social Studies prior to Student Teaching internship.
Standard Four:  Display appropriate professional demeanor toward students and subject matter.
Standard Five:  Achieve familiarity with routines and practices of the Secondary Social Studies classroom through field visitations.