| The History/Political Science Department introduces students to an exploration of the record of human experience -- an insight into the problems that confronted individuals, the choices they made and the consequences of those choices. These studies enable students to undertake an informed approach to the political, social, or moral issues of society as a discriminating citizen of the nation and the world. Graduates are prepared for a wide array of career options.
Programs include history, history/social studies education, justice, and political science.
Overall, the history major focuses on developing an awareness, understanding and appreciation of the experiences and achievements of men and women from the past. Students learn about the United States, Western and non-Western societies from political, social and cultural perspectives. Emphasis is placed on historical examinations that integrated all aspects of a society, rather than as separate elements unrelated to overall social development. Students first survey western civilizations and the American nation, then choose four specialized historical topics within these areas. Students also survey non-western civilizations to provide a foundation for advanced studies. Students can expect to develop needed intellectual skills including knowledge of specifics and understandings of the context in which certain facts or events occurred. Skills specific to the discipline include:
- Chronological Thinking
- Historical Comprehension
- Historical Analysis and Interpretation
- Historical Research Capabilities
- Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making
The history minor is similar to the history major in that it focuses on developing an awareness, understanding and appreciation of the experiences and achievements of men and women from the past and from the present.
The social studies teaching major draws from the disciplines of history, geography, political science, economics, anthropology, psychology, civics, archaeology, and sociology with attention given to connections among peoples and nations of the world and the forces that influence their lives. The major focuses on preparing students to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse and interdependent world.
Like the history teaching major, the minor works to prepare students as history teachers who will enlarge their students’ experience and educate them about the lives and significant events of those who have created the world in which they live.
A free society must rely on the knowledge, skills and virtue of its informed citizens and those they elect to public office. Political science, therefore, is at the heart of preserving and improving the nation’s political system. The goal of the political science minor is to prepare individuals for participation in politics as competent citizens. As a result of studying political science, students will be able to engage in the political system with a body of knowledge guided by study of the system and participatory skills.
In the United States family, religious institutions, the media and a great variety of community groups shape students’ civic knowledge, character, and their commitment to the nation’s political life. Schools have traditionally had a special role in the development of civic competence in the life of the nation’s youth. Through both formal and informal curricula, educators provide students with a basis understand if civic life, politics, and government. Students majoring in early childhood/elementary or elementary/middle education must elect a certifiable minor. This minor may be social studies with courses from the behavioral and social sciences and history. A list of courses required for the minor is available from the history department or the education department.
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