HIST 222-50: United States History 1877-Modern Times (Spring 2020)
I took an honors section of HIST 222 in the spring 2020. This course confirmed my decision to study history. What I most enjoyed about this class was how easy Dr. Dudley-Shotwell made it to participate, as her lectures consisted of asking questions that related to our readings. The primary sources we analyzed offered various view points, making it easy for us to immerse ourselves in the era we were studying and see how it has affected our own lives, decades later. Before taking this class, American history, especially recent American history was my least favorite historical topic, but this class has changed the way I think about history and helped me to understand current events and how history applies to them. The learning style worked well for me and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I was still able to learn a lot in the latter half of the semester because of Dr. Dudley-Shotwell’s commitment to teaching. My other history classes tend to glorify the past, but this section analyzed the problems faced by Americans as a result of inequality and corruption, which is important to discuss, especially since hardship is often glossed over. Overall, I am incredibly grateful to be able to take honors courses like this one.
This artifact is my final project. It consisted of making a BuzzFeed-like article incorporating a common theme in our course.