History Major with Adolescence Education

The department of history and political science is committed to developing in students an understanding of the importance of the past in human experience. This past serves as a foundation and frame of reference for their pursuit of knowledge in the classroom and in the wider world. Students gain a sophisticated awareness of the discipline of history, discovering that it is more than mere fact-gathering; it involves multiple methods and interpretations of the past. Finally, the department’s goal is that all majors will engage in the dynamic study of history by developing their own insights and interpretations of the past.

For students pursuing careers in education a minimum GPA of 2.7 is required for student teaching.

History Core

The History Core provides the foundation for all of our programs. Students are required to take 12 credits from the following:

Six credits from the following Western Civilization and Asian Civilization courses:
HIS.Q 101 - Western Civilization I Credits: 3
HIS 102 - Western Civilization II Credits: 3
HIS.Q 103 - Western Civilization III Credits: 3
HIS.Q 106 - East Asian Civilizations I Credits: 3
HIS.Q 107 - East Asian Civilizations II Credits: 3
HIS.Q 108 - Atlantic World History Credits: 3
Six credits in American History:
HIS.Q 205 - American Republic I: Pre-Columbian America Through the Civil War Credits: 3
HIS.Q 206 - American Republic II: Civil War to the Present Credits: 3

History Requirements

In addition to 12 credits of lower division survey work, all majors must take Historical Methodology, Historical Methodology Lab, History and Historians and submit a comprehensive portfolio in their last semester.

HIS 381 - Historical Methodology Credits: 3
HIS 381L - Historical Methodology Lab Credits: 0
HIS 481 - History and Historians Historiography Credits: 3 to 4
HIS 499 - History Comprehensive Credits: 0

Additional Requirements for History Major with Adolescence Education

History majors in the adolescence education program take six upper division history electives. The department recommends for students pursuing this education program that they distribute their electives by taking two courses in American history, two in European history and two in history other than American and European. Some upper division political science courses may be substituted with the approval of the department chairperson.

In addition, students must elect a total of 15 credits from the following areas:

Economics (Six Credits) - ECO 101 and ECO.Q 102
Political Science (Six Credits: PSC 101, plus three upper division political science credits)
Geography (Three Credits)

Required Courses for Adolescence Education

See Education: Initial Teacher Certification in Adolescence Education for course requirements.

History Senior Experience

Seniors will take a writing-intense research seminar. The purpose of the course will be to apply their skills as serious students of history to a research project of their own design. The seminar’s topic will be based on the participating faculty member’s current research interest, but will be sufficiently broad to allow students to develop research projects in their own fields of interest. Each student will engage in an extensive search for sources, including both primary and secondary documents. These sources will serve as the foundation of a formal research paper, which will be the culmination of the student’s efforts in the course, and which will represent their efforts at historical interpretation.

Writings from the seminar will be included within the portfolio format of the Senior History Comprehensive.