General College Curriculum Goals

Course Number: GC 1231 US Growth of National Power

Credits: 4

Diversified Core: Social Sciences

Designated Theme: Historical Perspectives

Writing Intensive: Yes

Completed by: Thomas Buckley

Date completed: 5 February 1999

A. Develop academic skills (i.e., processes involved with both acquiring and demonstrating knowledge) and successfully apply them to college-level coursework

Curricular Goals	Course Goals	Learning Activities
1. Students will read college-level texts.	Improve college level reading ability.	Information from reading assignments is asked for in quizzes and exams
2. Students will understand lecture material.	Improve listening and note-taking skills	There are quizzes on lecture material where students can use lecture notes. Those with better notes get higher scores.
3. Students will participate in classroom discussions.	Improve ability to articulate knowledge	Discussion is primarily related to individual term paper topics and the value of different sources of information. Students are invited to raise questions about lectures but they are expected to deal with content ranging from 1000 to 1990, with which few students are familiar prior to lecture and few read ahead.
4. Students will write a variety of documents.	Intensive writing	The Term project is built from shorter papers in which students prepare and comment on their term project bibliography, write a critical review of one of the books in their bibliography, write a first draft, and write a final paper incorporating suggestions for improvement.
5. Students will understand quantitative problems.	Not applicable
6. Students will be able to use a computer.	Yes and no. Computer use is urged for ease in writing and modifying their papers but is not required.	90% to 100% of paper are written on a computer.
7. Students are willing to receive information and respond to it.	Improve ability to articulate knowledge	Ten percent of the grade is based on attendance and participation, but we do not eject the lazy nor embarrass the shy. Many students find discussion classes a waste of their time. Many come here lacking the most basic knowledge of history necessary to become responsible citizen or succeed in college.
8. Students develop values, organize them into systems, and apply those systems to their private and public lives.	Instill a sense of historical perspective. This is not a course in indoctrination, individual adjustment, or political activism.	The course looks as changing social and political values from the Native American cultures to the era of Clinton. In their papers and oral reports the change and continuity with the present is dealt with.
9. Other.

B. Build and use a foundation of general knowledge in the discipline

Curricular Goals	Course Goals	Learning Activities
10. Appreciate the discipline as a valuable area of knowledge.	Students engage in historical research using secondary sources.	Through their historical research, students become aware that historical writing consists of more that the homogenized writing of history textbooks.
11. Identify and describe issues or problems in the discipline.	Students engage in historical research.	Students discuss in class and in individual meetings conflicts in fact and interpretation arising from their research.
12. Analyze and reflect upon issues or problems in the discipline.	Students engage in historical research.	In oral reports and individual meetings students sometimes bring up conflicts in fact and interpretation arising from their research.
13. Solve issues or problems in the discipline.	No.	We do not have time.
14. Think creatively.	No	Their written and oral reports are to be based on facts not emotions. They do not research nor write historical novels.
15. Other.

C. Demonstrate greater awareness of and respect for individual, cultural, ethnic, and religious differences

Curricular Goals	Course Goals	Learning Activities
16. Awareness and respect for diversity in terms of content.	Understand the contributions of the many ethnic groups that built the country	This is explicit in text and lecture, and is prominent in many of the oral and written reports given by students
17. Awareness and respect for diversity in terms of process.	Understanding the contributions of the many ethnic groups that built the country.	It is explicit in written and oral reports on topics where diversity is integral to completion of their research and understanding of the topic.
18. Other.

D. Develop attitudes and behaviors that are associated with success in college

Curricular Goals	Course Goals	Learning Activities
19. Class participation.	Improve ability to articulate knowledge.	Students give oral reports on their term projects.
20. Use of learning resources.	Conduct research using the University and metropolitan libraries.	Students use the University and city libraries in their research, and the GC Academic Resource Center in preparing their papers.
21. Task completion.	Academic acculturation	A schedule is established for completion of each phase of the term project.
22. Appropriate interaction with peers, faculty, and staff on academic issues.	Academic acculturation	Students make appointments and meet individually or in teams with the instructor or teaching assistant to discuss their progress on the term project.
23. Understand themselves better as learners.	Academic acculturation	More implicit than explicit.
24. Evaluate their own strengths, limitations, and interests.	Academic acculturation	More implicit than explicit.
25. Set attainable academic and career goals.	Not applicable unless they decide to become history majors and/or are considering teaching or historical research/writing as careers
26. Time management.	Academic acculturation	A schedule is established for the completion of each phase of the term project.
27. Test taking.	Academic acculturation	Tests become progressively complex moving from multiple choice to identification to significance to short essay to final exam essay.
28. Library skills.	Conduct library research	Students use the University and metropolitan area libraries for their term projects.
29. Condensing and summarizing.	Academic acculturation	Information from their term projects has to be organized, condensed, and summarized in their oral reports and term papers.
30. Techniques for organizing knowledge.	Academic acculturation	Information from their term projects has to be prioritized and put in chronological order in their term paper.
31. Familiarity with different learning strategies.	Academic acculturation	Students are exposed to different types of tests, and also build points through oral and written reports and meetings with the instructor.
32. Awareness of personal learning styles.	Academic acculturation	This is implicit as students observe different learning styles when they work in teams.
33. Other.