B.A. Degree in History, Effective Fall 2008

Learning Objectives

• Declarative knowledge (facts, definitions, and vocabulary).                                                                                                       
• The student should command–
  • An understanding of the central concepts and language of history; and
  • General competence in the historical areas the student has chosen to study.
    
    
• Intellectual skills (knowledge of concepts, rules, and procedures needed for problem-solving in a domain).  These skills include:

• Ability to formulate and solve research problems; and
• Effective written and verbal communication skills –

• Focused Writing:  All elements of the writing or presentation should
        work together toward a coherent objective or the goal of the
        work.
• Supporting Evidence:  Evidence plays a crucial role in the writing of
         a history paper.  Historical writing is generally argumentative and
         persuasive based on recorded evidence.

Organization:  The writing material should be well organized with
       the thesis objective clearly stated and the evidence analytically
       arranged to support the argument.

• Attitudes:  The student should –
• Promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding.
• Subscribe to the ethical codes of the historical discipline based on the

American Historical Association’s Statement on Standards of Professional
Conduct, 1998 edition.