HIST 360
Colonial America (US) (WI)
Catalog Entry
HIST 360
Colonial America (US) (WI)
Three hours lecture: (3)
Prerequisite: Three hours of History at the 100 level.
Study of Native American societies before contact, as well as an analysis of the establishment
and development of English colonies in the New World before 1750.
Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
The topics included are intended to give students a broad background of understanding
concerning the foundations of American society. Political, economic, social, religious
and other topics provide a variety of looks at all aspects of colonial life and society
based on the latest interpretation of the historical community.
Topics for the course include the following:
• The Background for English Exploration and Colonization
• The Native American
• The Settlement of Virginia and Maryland
• The Settlement of New England
• The Settlement of the Middle Colonies
• The Settlement of South Carolina
• Colonial Relations with England in the Seventeenth Century
• The Colonies in Transition
• Colonial labor institutions: Indentured Servitude and Slavery
• Colonial Politics
• The Frontier and Immigration
• The Colonial Economy
• Colonial Society
• Women in Colonial America
• Colonial Religion
• Colonial Culture
• The Enlightenment in America
• The Colonial Wars
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
This course combines a variety of strategies to investigate the early history of America.
Lectures provide a synthesis of recent historical studies of the period. The term
paper required student analysis, organization and interpretive development. The readings
provide essential background information and require substantial analysis and evaluation.
Book reviews and article summaries also demand the use of critical thinking skills,
organizational structuring, summarizing abilities and writing development.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Students will understand the reasons and process of colonization in English North
America.
Students will understand the culture, society, race relations, and politics of each
colonial region.
Students will practice thinking critically and analytically about historical issues,
acquire a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of pertinent historical events
and processes, and cultivate a familiarity with the concepts of historical argument
and interpretation.
Students will develop disciplinary research skills by designing strategies to locate
and analyze primary and secondary source evidence, processing and organizing the resultant
data, and composing proper citation and bibliographical entries.
Students will apply their critical thinking, research, and compositional skills to
the creation and presentation of thesis driven essays that discuss, for example, historical
social, economic, political, and/or cultural developments and that address issues
such as the causes and consequences of historical change and continuity.
Assessment Measures
Knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this course will be measured
using an array of assessment tools that may include, among other things, class attendance
and participation, written examinations, formal writing assignments of various types,
and informal writing assignments. All exercises are designed to expand the student's
ability to evaluate historical events and to develop his or her ability to compose
persuasive arguments.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
October 2010 Reviewed and Approved by Sharon Roger Hepburn
04/2011
March 01, 2021