HIST& 215 - Women in U.S. History

Credits: 5
A survey of women’s lives and gender systems in US history from the Civil War to the present. Explores topics from women’s participation in politics, social roles, labor and family history. Course focuses on diverse experiences based on race, social class, sexual orientation and religion.

Prerequisite: Eligible for ENGL& 101 or instructor’s permission.

Satisfies Requirement: Social Science and Diversity

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Identify and describe gender as an analytic category in the study of US History to the present, including historical phenomena such as the construction of gender roles (feminine and masculine), religious beliefs and practices, race, social class, and sexual identities.
Identify and explain the major contours of women’s history in the US up to the present in regard to matters such as: family life, reproduction and health, sex and sexuality, race and ethnicity, education, labor, politics, and religion.
Demonstrate knowledge of how women helped shape and were shaped by major historical episodes in US History such as the American Revolution, Civil War, Reconstruction, Progressive Age, economic depressions and world wars, cultural and racial upheavals of the 50s and 60s to present.

Program Outcomes

Analyze how historical developments have various effects on people based on one or more of the following areas: geographical location, race, ethnicity, cultural traditions, gender and class.
Distinguish between opinions, facts, and evidence-based interpretations.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning - Quantitative Reasoning encompasses abilities necessary for a student to become literate in today’s technological world. Quantitative reasoning begins with basic skills and extends to problem solving.
Written Communication - Written Communication encompasses all the abilities necessary for effective expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in written form.