University of Wisconsin–Parkside: History Department

History

Contact Information

Chair
Dr. Jeffrey Alexander
Phone: 262-595-2583

Department of History
University of
Wisconsin-Parkside
Kenosha, WI 53141
Phone: 262-595-2316
FAX: 262-595-2120

Student Learning Goals and Competencies by Course Level

Note: This chart does not preclude assigning forms of upper-division work in lower-division classes, where appropriate.

Course Level	Assigned Reading	Classroom Activities	Writing Assignments and Skills	Critical Thinking in Discipline
100 & 200 level	- completing chapter-length textbook readings, secondary source articles and book chapters, and frequent source document readings - learning basic historical chronologies - reading and utilizing digital materials, to include online source materials and CD resources	- note taking in lectures - contributing to class discussions - contributing to group discussions - participating in debates - group/partner work	- reading/film responses - reading summaries - source document analysis - brief position papers - learning how to quote a source, primary or secondary - learning basic editing and formatting guidelines	- learning to select appropriate topics - conducting basic research - learning to recognize the difference between primary and secondary sources and beginning to think critically about both - beginning to formulate a thesis or claim - beginning to spot historical trends or parallels - beginning to recognize authors' claims and arguments
History 250	- any of the above - reading archival materials, microfilm, news periodicals, and complete monographs	- any of the above - writing exercises - library research - archival research - introduction to oral history as a primary source	- any of the above - primary research reports - documentary and secondary source analysis - archival source reports - a major research essay - learning to quote and cite sources, correctly and consistently - graduating to quoting mainly primary source material, rather than secondary source authors - learning to format and edit historical writing correctly and consistently - learning to manage multiple deadlines - learning how to assess the work of another historian and/or a classmate in the form of book/article reviews, feedback on drafts	- learning to write comparative source analyses - learning to formulate a thesis or claim - learning to spot historical trends or parallels - learning to reconcile or synthesize varying or discrepant data, claims, or evidence - leaning to support claims with evidence - learning to identify poor or conflicting evidence - learning to identify bogus claims and faulty reasoning - introduction to/development of the ability to recognize and assess historical interpretation
300-400 level	- any of the above	- any of the above - group or individual presentations - making/ presenting slides - engaging with community sources, archives, museums - conducting original interviews	- any of the above - writing comparative papers across differing fields, eras, regions, etc. - coming to master written format: structure, quoting sources, editing, citations, notes, and bibliographies - writing often and meeting multiple deadlines	- coming to master the above - formulating more sophisticated responses to source documents or works of scholarship - expressing complex ideas orally and in writing - learning to build complex arguments supported by various sources
History 350	- any of the above	- any of the above - participating in a simulation of a professional conference: organizing themed panels presenting paper, using PowerPoint/visuals *engaging in discussion and question/answer with audience.	- any of the above - a major historiography paper	- recognizing and articulating the difference between history as "sum total" of past events vs. history as the created, written record of the past - understanding that the discipline of history has a history of its own - recognizing and identifying various schools of historical thought and interpretation - understanding that written history and historical interpretations are conditioned by the cultural context in which they originate - understanding history as a profession and learning about opportunities for practice of that profession