Women in United States History

Catalog description

HIST 117 / WMNST 117 provides students with an overview of the most important historical developments in the history of women in the United States, including women's actual experiences as members of a class, a race, and an ethnic community, the progress women have made as individuals, workers, and citizens as well as the opposition they have faced. While ¿knowing the facts¿ is obviously important to historical understanding, this course helps students develop critical thinking skills. These skills include: close and thoughtful reading and analysis of primary and secondary sources; looking for a broader coherence or ¿order¿ to the material; independent analysis and effective articulation (both in writing and in class discussion) of well-reasoned, well-crafted conclusions and interpretations and arguments (conclusions/interpretations/arguments which are supported by specific factual evidence derived from a variety of sources). The three specific course objectives underscore its scholarly dimensions: (1) Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of the diverse experiences of different groups of American women. (2) Students will gain an understanding and knowledge of the political, economic, and social processes that shaped the history of women in the United States. (3) Students will learn how to ¿think historically¿ by placing documents written in the past in their historical contexts, and to consider the relationship of the past to the present. By the end of the course students will: Demonstrate an understanding of the chronology of United States women¿s history. Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse experiences of different groups of American women. Demonstrate an understanding of the social, political, and ideological structures that shaped the history of American women and continue to shape the modern United States.