About US History
This is an in-depth survey of American social and political history from the pre-colonial period to the present. Students will gain a better understanding of American history and all its successes and failures. Students will also be challenged to evaluate historical movements from a critical and Biblical standpoint. By the end of the year, students will have an overarching understanding of the creation of America. Rather than focusing on dates and facts, the course is designed to challenge students to reflect on how each event contributed to the creation of America.
Students who take US History will also be challenged with the following question: why study history? It’s common to read news on how differences in historical understanding causes friction between people and countries, e.g. Japan/Korea/China. What is the “correct” way to approach history? Is there a correct approach? What is the difference between history and the past? How often does history end as “the story we tell ourselves about who we think we are”? More importantly: What does it mean to honor and love God and to love our neighbors through the study of history? (Matthew 22.37, 39) We will frequently revisit these questions throughout the year.
Given that this is a non-AP course, there is more flexibility in material. This means that we have the opportunity to dive deeper into topics that interested us! For example, a student asked whether we could talk and learn more about racial tensions in current day America. As a class, we explored the history of racial policies and discussed what we can do in order to combat racism in the realm of memory and current-day politics. For this course, I would like us to spend time on events/themes that spark interest for students rather than "bulldozing" through history. If there are certain issues/events that students would like to discuss at depth, please let me know. I will take student suggestion into consideration!
Syllabus located on homepage.
Students who take US History will also be challenged with the following question: why study history? It’s common to read news on how differences in historical understanding causes friction between people and countries, e.g. Japan/Korea/China. What is the “correct” way to approach history? Is there a correct approach? What is the difference between history and the past? How often does history end as “the story we tell ourselves about who we think we are”? More importantly: What does it mean to honor and love God and to love our neighbors through the study of history? (Matthew 22.37, 39) We will frequently revisit these questions throughout the year.
Given that this is a non-AP course, there is more flexibility in material. This means that we have the opportunity to dive deeper into topics that interested us! For example, a student asked whether we could talk and learn more about racial tensions in current day America. As a class, we explored the history of racial policies and discussed what we can do in order to combat racism in the realm of memory and current-day politics. For this course, I would like us to spend time on events/themes that spark interest for students rather than "bulldozing" through history. If there are certain issues/events that students would like to discuss at depth, please let me know. I will take student suggestion into consideration!
Syllabus located on homepage.
Bellringer Policy
- There will be a bellringer at the beginning of class.
- Bellringers will cover content of the previous day or assigned homework.
- No bellringer on Mondays (or first class of the week), Quiz Day, Test Days, DBQ days, etc.
- Bellringers will be graded per week. Points will be added.
- If you missed a bellringer due to absence, it is your responsibility to reach out to me. I will provide a make-up form.
DBQ Review
| dbq_spicy_review.pdf |
