History Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the History major will be able to:

• demonstrate a knowledge of specific facts, concepts, and generalizations regarding past human activity in social, political, intellectual, economic, cultural, geographic, technological sphere
• demonstrate a knowledge of chronology and periodization
• demonstrate an understanding of the historical concept of change and continuity over time
• explain the connections between pat development and contemporary issues
• articulate the value and belief systems of past societies, the contexts in which they developed and the functions they served
• identify differing interpretations of historical phenomena and evaluate the evidence used to support those interpretations
• compare and contrast contemporary social and individual values with other value systems both contemporary and historical
• locate information resources and conduct research using a variety of information media
• evaluate the quality and accuracy of the information provided
• demonstrate an ability to extract information from narrative text
• demonstrate an ability to distinguish between the major generalizations and the supporting evidence in a narrative
• extract and interpret information from documentary sources
• evaluate evidence contained in documentary sources in the context of previously learned historical material
• identify flaws in arguments and resist claims that have no supporting evidence
• compare and contrast data from two or more historical sources
• construct and defend an analytical argument based on evidence contained in primary and secondary sources
• construct hypotheses and research questions based on historical data
• conduct research in both primary sources and secondary literature
• clearly and correctly communicate historical knowledge both orally and in writing
• students will be able to write argument-driven essays using historical evidence
• articulate what historians do
• articulate how skills learned in the pursuit of history are relevant to the whole range of professional activities