BIO

Hello, my name is Trey Woodall. I am originally from Winston Salem, North Carolina, and came to Florida State University through my family. I am majoring in history with a minor in philosophy, and intend on going to law school in the future. In the field, I plan on specializing in constitutional law or perhaps international law if my plans end up changing. I have a huge amount of passion for the field of history, and this project helped me explore that passion while introducing me to new concepts and ideas I hadn't encountered within the major.

The Undergraduate History Syllabus

Abstract

In this study, the primary goal was to formulate an adequate syllabus for an undergraduate history course, rooted in readings applicable to weekly topics. The project was directed at the course titled “World History to 1500” and involved analyzing primary and secondary sources to construct a syllabus around them. Because of the early time period, findings for topics such as African Prehistory and the origins of humanity were restricted to archaeological or anthropological research. The syllabus itself consisted of assignments that were based around these readings, particularly the primary sources. Students will create three short essays that answer a prompt revolving around the source. They will also draft a final paper that satisfies Florida State University’s “Cross Cultural Studies” requirement. While it may seem superficial, the research here is incredibly significant because many history courses today are taught in the same way covering the same trivial topics. A more in-depth analysis into what makes up our vast history can allow these classes to be more creative, interesting, and engaging. Additionally, for those who are pursuing the history major (as this course is a prerequisite), the primary source analysis skills are crucial to build early on, as it is something that will be used heavily in the future.

Keywords: History, Classwork, Syllabus, Undergraduate