General Education at Fredonia 

Revised General Education Program Guidelines
VIII. American History

Students who have scored below 85 on the American History Regents TEst must take HY105 or 106 or other American History narrative; all others may take any course in this category.

A. For approval of a course in the area of American History, the instructor will provide a comprehensive description of the course, addressing its aims and general requirements, including:

1. basic narratives of American history from the period of contact (Indigenous Peoples/Europeans) to the contemporary period, including:

1. political, economic, social, and cultural contexts and how they affect change;
2. a critical awareness of unity and diversity in American society;
3. attention to common institutions and how they have affected different groups;
4. contexts for understanding America's evolving relationship with the rest of the world;

2. evidence that students will be given the opportunity to acquire or improve all or most of the following:

1. the ability to ready and respond to primary sources with understanding ("primary sources" as opposed to textbook summaries);
2. the ability to use print and electronic resources to locate and share relevant information;
3. a critical or analytical approach to the subject matter, such as might be developed through assigned paper or discussion topics requiring independent thinking, understanding of multiple causation, recognition of bias, or the like;

3. a brief description of the methods to be used to assess student understanding of the course's subject matter and student attainment of the abilities and understandings listed above, as well as a method for providing for course improvement.

Courses in this section can and should come from many departments and interdisciplinary programs outside of the History Department.

B. For approval of a course in the are of Aspects of American Society, the instructor will provide a comprehensive description of the course, addressing its aims and general requirements, including:

1. narratives of American experience that vary in scope from the HY 105-106 requirement and that include:

1. coverage of particular histories and cultures of American experience;
2. awareness of multiple American cultures, subcultures, and values;
3. recognition of the existence of multiple world-views and how they influence the recording of American history and interpretations of Americanness;
4. discussion of the concept of American identity and analysis of its repercussions on other cultures;

 

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