HIST 2015 South Pass & Wind River Basin History

This course is a historical overview of South Pass, the Sweetwater and Wind River Country. This course examines: the prehistoric and historic roles of the Great South Pass through the Rocky Mountains; its place in the development of the American nation during the great Migration; unique local race and women's rights issues; and the experiences, lives and historic roles of peoples who lived in the neighboring valleys of the Sweetwater and Wind River in shaping their own homes and the nation. (3 lect.)

Credits

3 credits

Transfer Status

Transferable to UW.

Major Topics

• The American West and the idea of the "frontier";
• the Great Migration with emphasis on the Oregon-California-Mormon Trails;
• relationships between Euro-American settlers of various races and several indigenous tribes;
• women’s suffrage and related racial issues;
• 19th century mining industry; the (local) West in popular culture.

Outcomes

In order to successfully complete this course, the student will:

1. Acquire an understanding of the role South Pass played in the physical and geopolitical development of the American nation. Analyze and discuss the study-area’s place in the economic and demographic development of the American West within the contexts of the Great Migration and the philosophy of Manifest Destiny and industrial frontiers, including analysis of the region’s role in the larger history of the United States and American empire-building and American foreign relations. ASSESSMENT: may include presentations, class discussion, writing assignments, or tests.

2. Know and comprehend women’s history issues focusing on events and people at South Pass and the surrounding region including the Great Migration, women’s suffrage, etc. Identify and compare social and other forces which brought these issues to a head on the Continental Divide. ASSESSMENT: may include presentations, class discussion, writing assignments, or tests.

3. Examine the reasons for the alliances or violent hostility between various racial and ethnic groups (i.e. black, white, multiple Native American, Hispanic and Asian) who occupied the region. Understand and assess the complex interplay between these groups as they all sought to control access to natural resources and maintain or build new homes in the West. Contrast and discuss the difference between cultures in the study area and other regions of the Trans-Mississippi West. ASSESSMENT: may include presentations, class discussion, writing assignments, or tests.

4. Compare and contrast the various definitions, interpretations, perspectives, and mythical, romanticized imaginings of the local culture in the region’s history as represented in literature and film. ASSESSMENT: may include presentations, class discussion, writing assignments, or tests.

5. Investigate the basic precepts of historiography and the methodological tools of the historian. Employ appropriate approaches to the study of history, and utilize both traditional and more contemporary, technologically-based methods to complete research assignments ASSESSMENT: may include presentations, class discussion, writing assignments, or tests.