The initial study of American history typically broken into two parts.  The first part concerns the study of social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period.  This effort includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government.

The second part of American history serves as a survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the Civil War/Reconstruction era to the present.  This portion examines industrialization, immigration, world wars, the Great Depression, Cold War, and post-Cold War eras. Themes that may be addressed in this course include: American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, urbanization and suburbanization, the expansion of the federal government, and the study of American foreign policy.