The goal of courses in this category is to increase students’ knowledge of the diversity of traditions that have characterized the United States and to explore the ways in which this heterogeneity acts as a touchstone for national identity and gives rise to tensions that shape the nation. Upon completing a course in this category, students should be able to do at least three of the following:
- Describe the political, diplomatic, social, economic, cultural, scientific, and/or environmental interactions between the United States and the world.
- Identify major practices, institutions, and ideas of the United States (its nations, regions, and peoples) as well as how those constructions are applied and contested.
- Explain the political, economic, and cultural history of the United States.
- Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the role and/or place of “America” in the world.
- Evaluate evidence and create their own arguments in relation to existing arguments.