NVCC COLLEGE-WIDE COURSE CONTENT SUMMARY
HIS 121-122 - UNITED STATES HISTORY I-II (3 CR.) (3 CR.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Surveys United States history from its beginnings to the present. HIS 121 begins in the pre-Columbian period and ends with the Civil War. HIS 122 begins with Reconstruction and ends in the present. Preferable, but not mandatory, that courses be taken sequentially. Lecture 3 hours per week.

GENERAL COURSE PURPOSE

Provide students with a basic understanding of the development of United States history and fulfill College’s general education requirements. HIS 121-122 is included in the VCCS transfer module.

ENTRY-LEVEL COMPETENCIES

Ability to use English language correctly and effectively at the college-entry level is expected. No history prerequisites.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Help students to understand the foundations of American culture and society.

2. Enhance students’ ability to read, think, and write critically.

3. Promote and encourage students’ computer proficiency.

4. Stimulate lifelong learning.

 MAJOR TOPICS TO BE COVERED – HIS 121 1. Pre-Columbian America

2. Colonial period

3. Revolutionary War and Adoption of the U.S. Constitution

4. Early National Republic

5. Age of Jackson

6. Origins and Development of American Slavery

7. Coming of the Civil War

8. Civil War

 MAJOR TOPICS TO BE COVERED – HIS 122 1. Gilded Age

2. Populism and Progressivism

3. World War I

4. Great Depression and the New Deal

5. World War II

6. Origins of the Cold War

7. Nineteen Sixties

8. Reagan’s America

 EXTRA TOPICS MAY BE COVERED

Flexibility in method and emphasis allow for inclusion of additional topics.

Revised 8/01

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