American History
Embark on a trans-America romp through history with the Nomadic Professor
The Nomadic Professor’s first program is a four-course American History set. This opens with our very first course, To Begin the World Over Again, a survey of American history from the pre-Columbian era to the ratification of the constitution. Part 2, The Noise of Democracy, begins as George Washington takes office and ends with Reconstruction. Part 3, Monsters to Destroy, takes the survey up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Part 4, A Great Consolidation (available in early 2024), will bring the narrative through WWII, the Cold War and almost to the present day.Â
Comprehensive learning tools
In total, this four-course series offers a stunning amount of material:Â
- Forty units of 4-5 sessions each, over two thousand pages of text (also delivered in audio/podcast format and read by the Professor!)
- Hundreds of on-location videos filmed all over the world
- Guided notes, forty document lessons, rigorous self-assessments, and CLEP prep (among other goodies)
- Maybe the best part: these courses aren’t static! We are constantly adding to them, improving them, supplementing them, and otherwise providing extra educational value.
Introducing our four-part American History series
- Content: Pre-Columbian American to the ratification of the Constitution
- Skills: Thinking like a historian; reading historical documents; reading political cartoons; logic and rhetoric; generating research questions
- Credits: 0.5 credit U.S. History; 0.5 credits historical methods; 0.5 credits college writing; prep for U.S. CLEP 1
- Content: The ratification of the Constitution to the end of Reconstruction
- Skills: Research and writing; primary and secondary sources; researching in databases and search engines; citations and annotation; plagiarism; outlining and thesis construction; anticipating counterarguments; drafting and editing; introductions and conclusions; cohesion and clarity
- Credits (combined with US1): 1 credit U.S. History; 0.5 credits historical methods; 0.5 credits college writing; prep for U.S. CLEP 1
- Content: The 1880s through the beginning of WWII
- Skills: Reading fiction, drama, and poetry; using literature as historical evidence; taking notes without guidance; research and writing in new forms
- Credits (combined with US4): 1 credit U.S. History; 0.5 credits rhetoric and logic; 0.5 credits American Literature; prep for U.S. CLEP 2
- Content: WWII through the Cold War and the War on Terror
- Skills: Taking notes without guidance; research and writing new kinds of historical papers; preparing for standardized tests; using Nomadic History Courses on your transcript
- Credits (combined with US3): 1 credit U.S. History; 0.5 credits rhetoric and logic; 0.5 credits American Literature; prep for U.S. CLEP 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Premium
Teachers and parents overseeing one or more students can sign up for a Premium account. By taking this route, you will benefit from a virtual classroom setup complete with a focused dashboard where you can monitor progress, manage grades and assignments, and adjust the number of available seats in your group.Â
Standard
Students of all ages can sign up for a Standard account. This is the best option if you’re taking the course out of personal interest rather than for school credit: you don’t plan on submitting assignments, tracking grades, or generating a transcript, you just want full access to excellent content from The Nomadic Professor.
Click “View Pricing” above to get the details on each of these options.
What credits do your courses offer?
- US1-2
- 1 credit in U.S. History
- .5 credits in Historical Methods
- .5 credits in College Writing
- US 3-4
- 1 credit in U.S. History
- .5 credit in Rhetoric and Logic
- .5 credits in American Literature
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Can my student earn high school credit?
Each Nomadic Course fulfills the hours and content requirements for the credits listed above. Students, instructors, supervisors, and/or parents should organize coursework into a portfolio that can be used to justify the credits and grades claimed on final high school transcripts. The Nomadic Professor does not provide the high school transcript, however each Nomadic Course comes with an Instructor’s Guide with further details about how to document hours and content for transcript credit.
What do your American History courses cover?
- US1
- Content: Pre-Columbian America to the ratification of the Constitution
- Skills: Thinking like a historian; reading historical documents; reading political cartoons; generating research questions
- US2
- Content: The ratification of the Constitution to the end of Reconstruction
- Skills: Research and writing; primary and secondary sources; researching in databases and search engines; citations and annotation; plagiarism; outlining and thesis construction; anticipating counterarguments; drafting and editing; introductions and conclusions; cohesion and clarity
- US3
- Content: The 1880s through the beginning of WWII
- Skills: Reading American literature; taking notes without guidance; logic and rhetoric; research and writing in new formats
- US4
- Content: WWII through the War on Terror
- Skills: Taking notes on a blank page; logic and rhetoric; research and writing in new formats; preparing for standardized tests; using Nomadic History Courses on your transcript
Is there an audiobook?
Yes. Every session is recorded as a downloadable audio file read by the Professor.
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When should my student take these courses?
For high school students we recommend the following course of study. For middle school students, teachers and parents should make a judgment for their students after spending some time in the course previews and getting a feel for the reading level and student self-management requirements.
- 9th or 10th grade: US1 and US2
- 11th or 12th grade: US3 and US4
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Who grades the student work?
There are consistent graded elements in each Nomadic Course. Daily quizzes are automatically graded and recorded in the student gradebook. Other graded assignments must be assessed by a qualified supervisor, parent, or instructor, who will manually enter scores into the gradebook.
To assist with grading student work, all graded assignments include (1) an answer key, and (2) an easy-to-use checklist rubric. In most cases student work can be graded in a few minutes a day, or in short sessions at the end of each week. The gradebook is pre-weighted, and will immediately reflect changes as new scores are entered.
In some cases students can be trained to assess their own work, perhaps overseen by a supervisor, but this should be decided case-by-case.
Further grading guidance is included within the course as part of the course Instructor’s Guide.
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How much time will the courses take?
Sessions are designed to be completed in 30-90 minutes, depending on the reader and what parts of the course they utilize. Each course has approximately 50 sessions.
Courses are designed to be completed in 4-6 months, depending on how many days a week students will be in the class. Most students will be able to finish two courses in one school year (e.g., US1&US2, or US3&US4).
Further calendar and planning guidance is included within the course as part of the course Instructor’s Guide.
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