Course Information

Textbooks

We will be using Bentley Traditions and Encounters (2nd Edition or 5th edition). I have books, but I HIGHLY SUGGEST to buy your own used book (click on the links above to buy book from Amazon). When you have your own book, much like college, you can write in your book and takes notes. But, it is not a requirement to buy your own book for this course. We will be using AMSCO as well. I have electronic versions of this book with links within each unit. You can buy your own copy by clicking on the link here.

Historical Thinking Skills and Themes

Historical Thinking Skills


Skill 1: Development and Processes--Identify and explain historical developments and processes.
Skill 2: Sourcing and Situation--Analyze sourcing and situation of primary and secondary sources.
Skill 3: Claims and Evidence in Sources--Analyze arguments in primary and secondary sources.
Skill 4: Contextualization--Analyze the context of historical events, developments, and processes.
Skill 5: Making Connections--Using historical reasoning processes (comparison, causation, continuity and change), analyze patterns and connections between and among historical developments and processes.
Skill 6: Argumentation--Develop an argument.

Themes

Theme 1: Humans and the Environment--The environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments.
Theme 2: Cultural Developments and Interactions --The development of ideas, beliefs, and religions illustrates how groups in society view themselves, and the interactions of societies and their beliefs often have political, social, and cultural implications.
Theme 3: Governance--A variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, and governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
Theme 4: Economic Systems--As societies develop, they affect and are affected by the ways that they produce, exchange, and consume goods and services.
Theme 5: Social Interactions and Organizations--The process by which societies group their members and the norms that govern the interactions between these groups and between individuals and the way they influence political, economic, and cultural institutions and organizations.
Theme 6: Technology and Innovation--Human adaptation and innovation have resulted in increased efficiency, comfort, and security, and technological advances have shaped human development and interactions with both intended and unintended consequences.