Application for Certification of a Course as a General Education Course
CTE HUMANITIES AND FINE ARTS CATEGORY
Applicant: Cynthia Smith(for the department)
Course Alpha and Number: History 152
Course Title: World History since 1500
Explain how the learning taking place in this course (required course only) meets the hallmarks listed below for the
Humanities and Fine Arts General Education Category. Do one or both of the following:
Identify specific course SLOs that align with each hallmark.
Describe class assignments or activities in which students learn and/or demonstrate the hallmark objective.
Assignments and/or activities cited should be sufficiently important in terms of both time spent on them and
their impact on students’ final grades in the course.
Try to address all of the hallmarks. The strength of some responses should counterbalance the weakness of others. See
hallmark questions that should be addressed in response to each of the hallmarks. Also attach a copy of the official
course outline.
The Hallmarks:
There are five core SLOs common to all World History courses. Most or all of these SLOs directly meet all
four Hallmarks.
World History since 1500 (History 152) SLOs
1. demonstrate the ability to analyze and explain cause and effect relationships in history
2. summarize key ideas in history, including major world philosophies, religions, and political theories and systems
3. demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast historical experiences across cultures and time
4. describe and define major historical events, ideas, places, people, and other items of historical import
5. demonstrate their understanding of the historical roots of current events
The course…
1. promotes knowledge of the major trends, persons, and events in the historical development of world cultures.
SLO 1. demonstrate the ability to analyze and explain cause and effect relationships in history
SLO 2. summarize key ideas in history, including major world philosophies, religions, and political theories and systems
SLO 3. demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast historical experiences across cultures and time
SLO 4. describe and define major historical events, ideas, places, people, and other items of historical import
SLO 5. demonstrate their understanding of the historical roots of current events
2. promotes an understanding of how the arts and humanities reinforce human values and constitute
significant human activity in the creation and expression of those values.
SLO 2. summarize key ideas in history, including major world philosophies, religions, and political theories and systems
SLO 3. demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast historical experiences across cultures and time
SLO 4. describe and define major historical events, ideas, places, people, and other items of historical import
3. promotes the critical evaluation of different points of view and helps students develop reasoned and
persuasive arguments in support of different historical, philosophical, religious, political, and ethical concerns or
issues.
SLO 1. demonstrate the ability to analyze and explain cause and effect relationships in history
SLO 2. summarize key ideas in history, including major world philosophies, religions, and political theories and systems
SLO 3. demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast historical experiences across cultures and time
SLO 4. describe and define major historical events, ideas, places, people, and other items of historical import
SLO 5. demonstrate their understanding of the historical roots of current events
4. promotes an understanding and ability to interpret, through critical inquiry or direct experience, one or more
forms of artistic and humanistic expression (e.g., writing, visual or performing arts, historical analysis,
philosophical inquiry).
SLO 1. demonstrate the ability to analyze and explain cause and effect relationships in history
SLO 2. summarize key ideas in history, including major world philosophies, religions, and political theories and systems
SLO 3. demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast historical experiences across cultures and time
SLO 4. describe and define major historical events, ideas, places, people, and other items of historical import
SLO 5. demonstrate their understanding of the historical roots of current events
Applicant’s signature: _____________________________________________________ Date: _________________
Please submit this application to your division secretary
CTE Categories Hallmark Questions
CTE Humanities and Fine Arts Hallmark Questions
History 152 World History since 1500
Different instructors teach this course using common SLOs and similar assignments to promote students
mastery of these SLOs.
1. The course promotes knowledge of the major trends, persons, and events in the historical
development of world cultures.
Does the course content devote time tracing the stories of major events and influences in the historical
experience of world cultures. Yes. This course provides an overview of major world cultures from the
15th century (1400’s) through to the present. Emphasis is on providing an overview understanding of
significant events and changes impacting world societies over the past 500 years, with particular
attention paid to intensified global interactions as well as the many revolutions transforming
political systems, social systems, economies, ideologies, culture and technologies.
What topics are covered?
*Knowledge of how to understand and interpret history is done through study of historical
methods and sources e.g.: primary and secondary sources, insights from modern as well as
traditional historical sources (photos, art, music, video materials)
*Knowledge of major forces in history is addressed through study of origins, impact and
spread of revolutions e.g.: Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, American Revolution, French
Revolution, Russian Revolution, Indusial Revolution
*Knowledge of major forces in history is addressed through study of other significant and
shared influences e.g.: technological changes, global economic relations, imperialism,
decolonization, humans rights movements
*Knowledge of significant influences impacting political and social developments is
addressed through study of political systems and ideologies e.g.: absolutism, constitutionalism,
liberalism, socialism, nationalism, fascism, communism
*Knowledge of how prominent societies transform historical developments and relations is
addressed through study of the rise and fall of regional and global powers e.g.: China,
Ottoman Empire, European states, U.S., Japan, Soviet Union etc..
(Knowledge of the role individuals play in historical events and changes is addressed through
study of the impact of influential leaders and thinkers e.g.: Zheng He, Ieyasu Tokugawa, Isaac
Newton, John Locke, Olympe de Gouges, Napoleon Bonaparte, Simon Bolivar, Joseph Stalin,
Adolph Hitler, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela etc..
In what level of detail?
The course traces complex and influential events over a 500 year period. Unifying thematic topics are
covered in depth, with consequences traced throughout the course (e.g. short term and long term effects of
European expansion). Emphasis is on understanding major events and influences and how these have
played out globally – tracing cause and effect relations as well as making regional comparisons over time.
What are students asked to do to demonstrate this knowledge?
 Quizzes and exams – identification of key terms and written explanations of cause and effect
relations, comparisons between cultures/ideas etc..
 Formal written essays
 Work with maps
 Work analyzing primary sources
 Project-based demonstration of knowledge
2. The course promotes an understanding of how the arts and humanities reinforce human values
and constitute significant human activity in the creation and expression of those values.
Does the course specifically address topics that develop student understanding of how art and other
humanities disciplines (e.g. philosophy, religion, history, political science, literature, interdisciplinary studies)
are areas of thought and expression that help societies define and explore human values? Yes
What topics are covered?
*Knowledge of major forces in history is addressed through study of origins, impact and
spread of revolutions e.g.: Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, American Revolution, French
Revolution, Russian Revolution, Indusial Revolution
*Knowledge of significant influences impacting political and social developments is
addressed through study of political systems and ideologies e.g.: absolutism, constitutionalism,
liberalism, socialism, nationalism, fascism, communism
*Knowledge of the role of artistic expression in influencing, and reflecting, historical
experiences is addressed through study of artistic and literary eras and genres e.g.:
Renaissance, Age of Anxiety (post-WWI), rise and impact of mass communication technologies
In what level of detail?
Specific topic analysis is relatively brief given the topic coverage requirements of a world civilizations class.
Focus is on understanding competing ideologies and political/social/economic systems, as well as how
transformations in technologies and intensified global interactions impacted cultural expressions and
knowledge.
What are students asked to do to demonstrate this knowledge?
 Quizzes and exams –identification of key terms and written explanations of cause and effect
relations, comparisons between cultures/ideas.
 Formal written essays
 Work with maps
 Work analyzing primary sources
 Project based demonstrations of knowledge.
3. The course promotes the critical evaluation of different points of view and helps students develop
reasoned and persuasive arguments in support of different historical, philosophical, religious,
political, and ethical concerns or issues.
Does the course cover areas where there are debates and differences related to understanding human
society and experiences (e.g. debates about causes and effects of historical events, or issues in
philosophy, differences between religions, or debates about political topics or ethical issues?) Yes
What topics are covered?
*Knowledge of significant influences impacting political and social developments is
addressed through study of political systems and ideologies e.g.: absolutism, constitutionalism,
liberalism, socialism, nationalism, fascism, communism
*Knowledge of important questions and debates in historical interpretation is addressed
through study of on-going debates e.g.: role of the individual, detecting bias in history, revisionist
challenges to traditional theories, insights from gender studies, impact of Western imperialism,
decolonization – methods and outcomes, ethical questions related to modern war tactics and actions,
Cold War origins and outcomes.
In what level of detail?
These thematic topics are covered in significant detail since these comparative themes are addressed
throughout the course – from origins to current outcomes (e.g. European expansion; impacts of the
Industrial Revolution.)
What are students asked to do to demonstrate this knowledge?
 Quizzes and exams –identification of key terms, and written explanations of cause and effect
relations, comparisons between cultures/ideas.
 Formal written essays
 Work analyzing primary sources
 Project based demonstrations of knowledge.
4. The course promotes an understanding and ability to interpret, through critical inquiry or direct
experience, one or more forms of artistic and humanistic expression (e.g., writing, visual or
performing arts, historical analysis, philosophical inquiry).
Does the course require students to show – by analyzing and interpretation, or applying in practice – their
awareness of how ideas are expressed through creative mediums (art, writing, philosophical ideas, historical
theories etc.) Yes
What topics are covered?
*Knowledge of how to understand and interpret history is done through study of historical
methods and sources e.g.: primary and secondary sources, insights from modern as well as
traditional historical sources (photos, art, music, video materials)
*Knowledge of major forces in history is addressed through study of origins, impact and
spread of revolutions e.g.: Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, American Revolution, French
Revolution, Russian Revolution, Indusial Revolution
*Knowledge of significant influences impacting political and social developments isaddressed
through study of political systems and ideologies e.g.: absolutism, constitutionalism, liberalism,
socialism, nationalism, fascism, communism
*Knowledge of the role of artistic expression in influencing, and reflecting, the above
historical experiences is addressed through study of artistic and literary eras and genres e.g.:
Renaissance, Age of Anxiety (post-WWI), rise and impact of mass communication technologies
In what level of detail?
In discussing technological changes and competing ideologies, understanding how information is imparted,
interpreted and even manipulated is an important part of modern history. In addition, there is discussion of
artistic and literary sources as evidence of transformation and/or turbulence in cultures as an integral
component of understanding topics such as the Enlightenment, Meiji Restoration, Age of Anxiety etc..
What are students asked to do to demonstrate this knowledge?
 Quizzes and exams – identification of key terms, and written explanations of cause and effect
relations, comparisons between cultures/ideas.
 Formal written essays
 Work analyzing primary sources
 Project based demonstrations of knowledge