Telling Stories, Making History invites students to tell their own stories in relationship to local history and the history of the Southwest. The syllabus includes readings in biography, autobiography, and history, and students will reflect on their own personal histories in a variety of forms, asking how their own lives and the lives of their families are related to the histories that we tell about our cities, nations, and world.

This course happens entirely through the Internet. While the course is asynchronous, that is, you are not required to show up at a particular time in a particular place, it is not a self-paced course. In other words, you are required to check in with the online class through your email at least three times a week, to prepare readings as assigned, to participate in online discussions, and to submit assignments in a timely manner. Your success in this course depends on your becoming a member of an online community, and that can happen only if your are a frequent and engaged participant in the online conversations. The more you contribute, the better you will do in the class and the better the class will be for everyone involved in it.

This course counts towards the UA Women @ Work program. Students can earn certification in a wide variety of academic and technological skills by completing course assignments, including research skills (in print resources as well as the Web and government documents), word processing, email, and web design. Students will also show competency in critical thinking and writing.

You will acquire these skills through a method called just in time learning. That is, you will learn skills you need to have in order to complete an assignment in the process of doing that assignment. The Daily Syllabus provides links to a variety of web resources where you can learn the basics of any tech or writing or research skill needed for this course. You will always be able to start with the basics if you've not yet developed a particular skill or build on your abilities if you've already learned the basics.