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Name: Heather Koller
College: Motlow State Community College
Course: HIST 2010 Survey of American History I
Module Title: The International Roots of the American Revolution.
This module will be incorporated into the Survey of American History I course. Both lectures and class
discussion will be used. Oftentimes, Americans believe that the United States “invented” the ideals seen
in the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. These ideals were
actually part of a larger international movement known as the Enlightenment, which had its roots in
Europe. Through lectures, readings, and class-wide discussions students will see that ideals which
deeply influenced American development had international roots.
Objectives:
Objective 1: Students in internationalized classes will develop greater knowledge of cultures
other than their own and the impact of diverse cultural perspectives on world events.
Through class lecture and the examination of documents, students will learn the main ideas of
the international movement known as the Enlightenment and how these ideals impacted
United States history.
SLOs (Knowledge): 1b
Students will recognize the role that differing cultural perspectives play in shaping world events.
Students will gain an understanding of the concept of “rights” and different theories of
government and how the American Revolution and the American concept of proper government
and democracy has roots in a European movement known as the Enlightenment. This
information will be largely imparted through class lecture and the examination of documents.
Students will gain awareness that this concept of “rights” comes from an international
movement known as the Enlightenment, which was especially influenced by the French and the
English.
Objective 2: Students in internationalized classes will acquire increased understanding of the
international aspects of the respective subject area/course discipline.
Students will demonstrate their knowledge and comprehension of the Enlightenment through
their examination of primary documents in U.S. history and in modern world history. Students
will do this through class-wide discussion and lecture.
SLO (Comprehension): 2a
Students will understand how international cultural diversity shapes the foundational elements,
theory, research, and practice of various academic disciplines and related
occupations/professions. To ensure students understand that Enlightenment ideals impacted
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the development of the United States, students will study writings from Enlightenment
philosophers (at least two documents) and discuss Enlightenment ideals present in the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This international movement had a great
impact on American thought.
Objective 3: Students in internationalized classes will demonstrate an awareness and
understanding of the interdependency and consequences of international events and issues.
Students will understand the international impact of the Enlightenment on U.S. history.
SLO (Application) 3a:
Students will recognize how events in other nations affected the United States. Students will
apply their knowledge of the Enlightenment, its main ideals, and its impact on U.S. history
through a well-written test essay.
Methodology:
Lectures/Discussions:
The module will be mostly lecture based. The causes of the American Revolution, the concept of rights,
and the Enlightenment movement will be taught through one to two lectures. After students are wellversed in the topics, they will be assigned readings which demonstrate both the goals and impact of the
Enlightenment. There will be class-wide discussions which point out how the readings reflect the
Enlightenment. The instructor should use these discussions to guide the students through the material
and emphasize key points.
Readings:
Students will read assigned documents related to the topic. Documents will include at least two items
written by Enlightenment philosophers in Europe. Students should then read the following American
documents: The Bill of Rights, Letters Between John and Abigail Adams, and The Declaration of
Independence. All of the readings will be examined by students for evidence of Enlightenment thought.
The instructor can choose an Enlightenment document not on the list if she so chooses. The students do
not need to read the entire document, but could read pieces of documents chosen by the instructor.
The students should read and study at least two items.)In general, any of these readings are readily
accessible on-line. Teachers should either provide links or handouts of the readings to the class.
(Suggested Readings: John Locke's Second Treatice on Government, Montesquieu's The Spirit of the
Laws, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, and Jean-Jacque Rousseau's The Social Contract, Voltaire’s Candide,
Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights.
Assignments:
Students will do the assigned readings, bring in notes about each reading, and discuss them in class.
Professors should guide their students through the discussions and make sure main points are
addressed.
Their grade will be based on a 100-point essay question which will address the Enlightenment, its main
ideas and thinkers, the concept of human rights, and the impact of the Enlightenment on the American
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Revolution. This essay should be a take-home essay of two-three pages. This essay should include
supporting examples from the readings, discussions, and lectures provided by the professor and guided
class-wide discussions. Professors should choose a certain style of formatting and documentation and
ensure that the students follow it consistently.
Effectiveness Standard :
70% of the students will be expected to meet the standards as listed in the rubric with a score of 3 or 4.