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By the end of this course, you will:

1. Be familiar with the major eras and events of American history, and understand how interpretations of those events have changed over time.
2. Improve your ability to interpret a wide variety of primary source materials, from newspaper articles to movies to buildings, by placing them in their original context;
3. Clearly and concisely describe a primary source, and provide your own interpretation of it, and describe why that interpretation might interest others.
4. Improve your ability to place current-day events, texts, images, graphics and maps in their historical context, and vice-versa.

This course is an introductory survey; as such, it aims more than most history courses to ensure that you have a base of knowledge as well as some of the basic skills you need to think historically and an understanding of the things historians and others who study the past disagree about.