1. Course Learning Objective One
1.1. Examine the major themes and issues in the History of the American West and the historical forces that have shaped them.
1.1.1. Collision of Cultures
1.1.1.1. Distinguish the racial and cultural diversity of the West.
1.1.1.1.1. http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/sea.html
1.1.2. The American West
1.1.2.1. Analyze the validity of both primary and secondary source material.
2. Course Learning Objective Two
2.1. Distinguish the racial and cultural diversity of the West and how this shaped the West and the nation.
2.1.1. Mapping the West
2.1.1.1. Examine the American mapping of the West and the role of the federal government in shaping that process.
3. Course Learning Objective Four
3.1. Deconstruct the variety of historical interpretation
3.1.1. War and the Hinterlands
3.1.1.1. Examine the growth of railroads and how they shaped the History of the American West.
3.1.2. Gold and the Hinterlands
3.1.2.1. Identify how the growth of the railroads shaped the History of the American West.
3.1.2.2. Identify how the Gold rush shaped the History of the American West.
4. Course Learning Objective Three
4.1. Analyze the validity of both primary and secondary source material.
4.1.1. Research Topic Proposal
4.1.2. Reflection Essay One
4.1.3. Reflection Essay Two
4.1.4. Research Paper
5. This course explores the history of the trans-Mississippi West from the 16th century to the present. Included are historical issues associated with the region, including cultural contact and conflict, economic development, visions and meanings of the West, human interaction with nature and the environment, the relationship between western states and the federal government, tourism, the growth of sunbelt cities, and the shifting nature of race, class, gender, and power in the region.
6. Course Learning Objective Five
6.1. Analyze the image of the "Old West" in popular culture versus historical reality.
6.1.1. Homesteading, Railroads, and Ranches
6.1.1.1. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/riseind/west/
6.1.2. A New Century
6.1.2.1. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-atomic-detonation-at-the-nevada-test-site
6.1.2.2. http://www.ushistory.org/us/21a.asp
6.1.2.3. http://dcc.newberry.org/collections/imagining-american-west
6.1.3. From Cold War Suburbia to the 21st Century