美国立国200多年便迅速发展成为世界上最发达的国家，其文明史轨迹发人深省，而随着全球一体化及中美关系的发展，中国学生也逐渐开始对美国文化发生兴趣。然而，尽管许多人言必称美国，但对美国的认识还只是停留在浮浅的层面。无论在阅读和欣赏方面还是在交流和理解方面，他们都表现出对美国历史文化知识的欠缺，而这种欠缺极大影响了他们沟通和社交的效果。本课程旨在帮助学生了解美国历史文明，以历史的眼光看待问题，并能就美国历史上的社会、法律、经贸、及文化等方面的某些重要事件和人物进行深层次交流和对话。 本课程通过基于任务的项目研究，充分调动学生获取信息和独立分析的能力，培养和启发学生用历史的眼光和方法进行批判性思维的习惯；通过多种资源的积累，提升学生的鉴赏力和想象力；通过以学生为中心的课堂模式，增强学生的表现力及沟通和交流能力。 该课程不是纯粹以讲授美国文明史为目的，而是为了帮助学生在了解活生生的历史人物和事件的同时，提高英语的理解和应用能力。与传统的英语教学形成强烈对比，本课程非常注重历史故事的完整性、历史人物的影响性、叙事方法的技巧性和描述语言的丰富性，以便使学生深刻感受到历史人物和人物的趣味性、刺激性、挑战性，对英语语言产生强烈的敏感性、好奇心和求知欲。由于学科题材真实有趣，所以尽管本课程收集的资料不尽如人意，但却受到学生的热烈响应。他们认真听课，积极配合，对于课外调研任务均以幻灯、短片、讨论等多种形式完成，师生共同营造了一个活跃生动的课堂氛围。学生在修完本课程后，一般都能够收获大量词汇，学会使用复杂的英语，并且主动查找更多相关资料，为自己的思想寻找合适的表达方式，有的甚至会产生进一步研究整个美国历史或其它历史的渴望。 The main concern of this course is continuity and concentration rather comprehensiveness. It tries to highlight the most significant figures and events in American history from the development of the colonies to the 20th century. Some minor happenings bubble around the major events, whose chronological sequence are strictly observed as carefully as possible, thus furnishing students with a linear, therefore clearer, narrative thread in the text. Strenuous efforts are made to guide the students through a complex yet coherent story, a story easier to grasp than the many voluminous books, a story meandering here and there yet streamed together with many salient figures and events, and a story containing a great reservoir of important vocabulary with profound, significant, and interesting historical repercussion. Every chapter has its own chronological table, listing not only important events in American history, but also some historical landmarks in European history and Chinese history, so as to provide the students with some striking comparable landmarks. For language–conscious students wishing to learn English in an efficient way, the historical text would provide an excellent context where the students could efficiently improve their English through discussing fascinating figures and events. The comparative continuity of the text would help students sustain their interest in English; the historical realities in the text would help enhance their desire to delve further into the historical background. Once they learn to talk about the kaleidoscopic spectrum of American civilization, students will be better motivated to acquire a mastery of English.