D2 Lower Division Social Science: US History

Course Expectations for Lower Division Social Sciences: US History (D2) (3 units)

To be certified by the Baccalaureate Requirements Committee as meeting the lower-division social sciences: US History (D2) general education requirement,

1.  The course must be lower division and open to all students. Courses that are numbered between 100 and 199 may not have prerequisites. Courses that are numbered between 200 and 299 may have a single prerequisite, but departments and programs must provide an adequate justification for that prerequisite. Typically, students should be eligible to enroll in lower division general education courses in their first year.

2.  As mandated by CSU Executive Order 405, the US History component of the American Institutions requirement may be met either by examination (AP, CLEP, or SF State competency exam) or by taking a course meeting the following content requirements and their corresponding student learning outcomes. All courses approved for the US History requirement must cover:

• significant events occurring in the entire area now included in the United States of America during a period of “a minimum time space of approximately 100 years,” including the relationships among regions within that area and with external regions and states;
• the role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and the contexts in which the events have occurred, with attention to the multiple heritages of US culture, including Native American peoples and cultures;
• the events presented within a framework which illustrates the continuity of American experience and its derivation from other cultures including consideration of three or more of the following: politics, economics, social movements, and geography; and
• basic American values and ideals, including freedom; equality of opportunity, equality before the law, equality of moral regard for each other; and social fairness.

3.  The course syllabus must list the university-approved student learning outcomes for US history (D2) and link them to activities and/or assignments that students complete to demonstrate they have met the outcomes.

Student Learning Outcomes for Lower Division Social Sciences: US History (D2) (3 units)

After completion of a lower division general education course in US History, students will be able to:

1. understand the interaction and evolution of economic, political, social and cultural processes in the development of the United States;

2. evaluate information from a variety of sources and use this information to formulate well-reasoned responses to major ideas, concerns, and debates in the study of US history;

3. describe the role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and the contexts in which the events have occurred, with attention to the multiple heritages of US culture;

4. identify and appreciate ethical issues related to US history and its study and interpretation, including the treatment of the diversity of American peoples and cultures;

5. situate significant historical events, across “a minimum time space of approximately 100 years,” in their cultural and sociopolitical contexts within and beyond the US; and

6. articulate the relevance of events in US history to their own lives.

Links between Educational Goals and Outcomes for Lower Division Social Sciences: US History

The student learning outcomes were developed in relationship to the “Educational Goals for the Baccalaureate at San Francisco State University.” The chart below illustrates that relationship for lower division social sciences: US history. The numbers correspond to the way the educational goals and student learning outcomes are numbered above.