This facilitated discussion, intended for graduate student instructors but open to all, will guide participants through a process to hone in on the value and purposes of introductory history courses. Participants will have opportunities to share their experiences and listen to others, and to build a collective picture of the kinds of courses that serve as effective gateways to college learning in general and to the history discipline in particular. We will then dig into questions about how to design courses that build on those characteristics and meet the needs of diverse student groups.