U.S. History
The History of the United States 1492-1865 (Fall)
The History of the United States Since 1865 (Spring)
6 College Credits (3 per course) | UT Course Codes: HIS 315K, HIS 315L | TCCNS: HIST 1301, HIST 1302 | Core Code: 060
High School Course Prerequisites: English I and English II (or concurrent enrollment)
Take on the role of historian to discuss, analyze and reflect on the unique history of the United States of America.
In these two sequential courses, students explore the scope and depth of the American experience. The fall semester covers America’s colonial beginnings through the Civil War. The spring semester explores 1865 through the beginning of the 21st century.
Working with primary source evidence to draw their own conclusions, students construct historical arguments, analysis and interpretations of the past — and have an opportunity to discover their own passions about history.
Course Structure
Through Team-Based Learning, Socratic Questioning and Flipped Learning, students engage with course material independently and collaboratively. Each unit consists of primary and secondary sources that challenge students to uncover the complexities within historical study.
Big Ideas
- American identities: What it means to be American has been shaped and reimagined by the various experiences of individuals and groups throughout the nation’s history.
- Labor and technology: The history of American labor is closely bound to the emergence of new technologies, industries and machines.
- Reform and renewal: The phrase “in order to form a more perfect union” appears in the very first sentence of the American Constitution. This spirit of reform is continually invoked throughout American history to echo the original vision of America and its ideals through various reform movements.
- Self and society: An evolving democracy reflects the shared interests of community and nation, as historical moments shift the balance between individual freedoms and broader societal needs.
- America and the world: America’s role and influence in the colonial beginnings were on the periphery and have evolved to take a central place in international events.
What Students Gain
- Critical thinking skills
- Analysis of evidence-based historical narratives
- Archival research experience
What Students Say
“This course has a different perspective than any previous history class I have taken. Rather than focusing on dates and what happened, we explored why events happened and the result.”