St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 5 Designation
History and the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date: ______________________
Effective Date: ______________________
Proposal Number: _________________
1.
Prepared by: John Ness and Peter Nayenga
Phone: 8-4833 and 8-2003
Email: jpness/pfnayenga
2.
Requesting Unit: History
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: HIST 106. Historical Studies
4.
New Course
5.
Will this course be flagged as a diversity course?
x
Already Designated as Diversity
6.
Will this course also satisfy another General Education Goal Area?
If “Yes” specify which goal area.
Existing Course x
x
No
Diversity Proposal Accompanying This Form
No
x
Yes
Goal 8 GE Global Perspectives
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
Studies in multicultural, women and minority history. May be repeated with different instructor and
subject. 3 Cr. F, S.
8.
Indicate the clientele for whom this course is designed. Is the course for general education only, or
does it fulfill general education and other program needs for this or another department? Obtain
signatures from any affected departments.
All undergraduates seeking general education course in areas 5 and 8. Satisfies requirement in “Global”
form for non-history emphasis Social Studies Teaching majors. Does not satisfy requirements for history
major, but may recruit students to history major or minor by sparking interest.
9.
Indicate any changes that must be made in offerings or resources in your department or other
departments by offering this course.
None
10.
For new courses or courses not yet approved for General Education, indicate any other SCSU departments
or units offering instruction that relates to the content of the proposed course.
n/a
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11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
for which they are approved. Courses for which assessment is not included in the annual GE
assessment report for two years will be removed from the General Education Program.
x
The Requesting Unit understands and recognizes the above conditions.
12.
Provide a concise explanation of how the following goal is a “significant focus” of the proposed course.
Goal Area 5: History and the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Develop understanding of human societies and behaviors, and of the concepts, theories, and methods of
history and the social sciences.
Through the examination of topics in “historical studies” from around the globe students will acquire a
familiarity with major events and figures as studied via different human societies and behaviors. The
student will also develop skills in critical reading of both primary and secondary sources, in research, in
the comprehension of textual and lecture material, in class discussion, and in the composition of essays.
13. In order for a course to be designated as fulfilling Goal Area 5, it must address at least 4 of the 5 student learning
outcomes (SLOs) below. Check the SLOs below that are focused on in the proposed general education course.
X
1. Describe or use the methods and data by which historians, social scientists, or behavioral scientists investigate
human conditions.
X
2. Analyze human behavior, cultures, and social institutions and processes from the perspectives of history or the
social and behavioral sciences.
X
3. Develop explanations for and explore solutions to historical or contemporary social problems.
4. Reflect upon themselves in relation to family, communities, society, culture, and/or their histories.
X
14.
5. Apply and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories about human societies and behaviors.
Discuss how each Student Learning Outcome checked above is achieved in this course. (Note: Although
descriptions of typical assignments or types of assignments may be part of this discussion, it is not
appropriate to submit copies of actual assignments.)
Students are required through written and oral course work, i.e., instructor generated examination questions,
student generated theses (papers), and student oral presentations to:
1)
find and identify primary and secondary source materials and use them as illustrations or demonstrable proofs in
formulating a historical argument. At this introductory level, students are provided with “readers” of such works
in English translation.
2)
compare and contrast historical processes as introduced in the course and illustrate them with specific historical
patterns (case studies) as discussed in the course. For example, students will by comparing and contrasting gender
roles in different geographic or cultural areas become able to analyze and understand differences and change over
time.
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15.
3)
explore solutions for historical problems many of which still have resonance in the present. For example, students
will analyze religious differences and the solutions developed between different people such as BuddhistConfucian relations in South Asia, Muslim-Nativist people in the Sudan, etc., or discussion of disputed
geographic territories in East Asia such as , Africa, Latin-America or between Japan and Russia, China and India.
5)
apply and critique different theories about human societies and behaviors. For example, students will demonstrate
the ability to discuss Marxist-Leninist theories of economic and social development as well as market driven
concepts, and Marxist-Leninist theories of political organization with that of liberal-democratic models.
List or attach the Course Outline (adequately described and including percentage of time to be allocated
to each topic). Curriculum Committees may request additional information. Topics larger than 20% need
to be broken down further. Indicate in your course outline where the Student Learning Outcomes
checked above are being met.
Course outline 1.: An investigation of the different revolutionary responses of China and Japan to the
modern world. Both societies changed dramatically, China through chaos and revolution, Japan through
assimilation of foreign ideas.
I. Introduction
20%
A. Revolution and Modernization
B. Geography of China and Japan
II. Traditional China, 1644-1911
20%
A. Traditional China
B. Rebellion, Restoration, Reform, Reaction
C. Revolution of 1911
D. Intellectual Revolution
III. Nationalist China, 1911-1945
20%
A. Warlordism
B. Kuomintang, 1918-1937
C. Chinese Communist Party, 1921-1937
D. Chinese-Japanese War, 1937-1945
E. Yenan Communism, 1937-1945
IV. People’s Republic of China, 1945 to Present
20%
A. Revolution, 1945-1949
B. Consolidation and Revolutionary Change, 1949-1965.
C. Cultural Revolution, 1965-1969.
D. Contemporary China, 1969 to Present.
V. Japan, 1850 to Present
20%
A. Meiji Japan
B. Taisho Period
C. Militarism, Authoritarianism and War
Course outline 2: The nature and role of cities in Classical Greece, Renaissance Italy and Medieval Japan,
against the background of broader historical developments. The course focuses on political systems,
society and economics, religion, culture and the physical appearance of cities.
I. Introduction—Theories of Cities
15%
II. Classical Greece
35% (breakdown below)
A. Politics
10%
B. Society and Economics
5%
C. Archaic Poetry
5%
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D. Religion and Philosophy
5%
E. Athens
5%
F. Other Greek Cities
5%
III. Mediterranean and Medieval Cities
A. Hellenistic Cities
5%
B. Roman Cities
10%
C. Medieval Cities
10%
IV. Renaissance Italy
A. Politics
5%
B. Society and Economics
5%
C. Religion
5%
D. Aristocratic Cities
5%
E. Castle Towns
5%
I.
25% (breakdown below)
25% (breakdown below)
Course outline 3:
Introduction: Using novels as “texts,” the course aims at two objectives: to equip students with an
historical analysis of the socio-economic and political problems facing contemporary Africa and to make
a critical evaluation of the solutions applied to them. Given the size of the continent, a thematic approach
is used.
Myths and Realities About Africa. An examination of the misconceptions normally contained in
newspapers and books about African peoples. 10%
II. The Struggle for Independence. A study of European Colonialism and the subsequent rise of
African nationalism.
20%
III. Identifying Problems of Nation Building. Inexperienced leadership, manpower shortage. Economic
dependence, ethnicity, and regionalism.
20%
IV. Solutions to Problems of Nation Building. The experimentation in multiparty systems; the one-party
state; military intervention in politics; economic “open-door” policies, African socialism, Afro-Arab
socialism and the “Marxist” experimentation. 20%
V. Towards Continental Unity. Through Organization of African Unity (OAU), African leaders have
approached continental problems by trying to bring about closer economic and political unity and the
liberation of the non-independent parts of the continent. 10%
VI. Current Events. To keep abreast with the ever-changing political situation in Africa, there are weekly
discussions of current events on the continent. 20%
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