William R. Harbour, Chair
Pearl W. Agee, Secretary  

  The Department of History and Political Science offers major programs culminating in the Bachelor of Arts for History majors and either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science for Political Science majors. History majors may elect the optional concentration in public history, and majors in both fields who are interested in careers in the law may elect the optional pre-law concentrations.  Political Science majors may also elect the optional global politics concentration.  Minor programs in both history and political science are open to all students.
     The Department offers a major in History and the Social Sciences designed for students who wish to teach at the secondary school level. Our program meets all Collegiate Professional licensure requirements for teaching in Virginia. History and political science majors may be required to complete a comprehensive departmental examination demonstrating academic proficiency in major subjects. Additional requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program are cited elsewhere in this catalog.
     The Department requires Internships or Directed Research for all history and political science majors. Qualified majors may avail themselves of Congressional District Office Internships around the state, Internships with the Washington Center and Institute for Experiential Learning in Washington, D.C., and Internships with national and state historical associations, museums, and historical parks.  The Department also sponsors Internships with businesses in addition to a wide variety of state and local government offices. 
      Qualified students have the chance to participate in the Honors Program and the International Studies Program, and prestigious student research opportunities such as Senior Honors Research Program and the Marshall Scholars Program are available.  Students engaged in extensive research projects and exceptional Internship programs may also qualify for academic awards and financial support from the Fund for Student Research, Internships, and Public History.
       The Department is committed to full participation in the college program for the assessment of student outcomes. Accordingly, majors in both history and political science are required to complete all standardized and/or department tests used in the program.  

       History Course Descriptions
Political Science Course Descriptions

HISTORY PROGRAM  

Faculty

David J. Coles, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History
James W. Crowl, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History
James R. Munson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History
Megan T.  Shockley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History
Larissa  M. Smith, M.A., A.B.D., Instructor of History
James W. Vincent, Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History
Deborah Welch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History  

The major in history requires completion of HIST 100 or 110 (whichever is not selected for General Education) and HIST 221 and 222, at least 1 credit of an Internship or Directed Research, and 28 credits in additional history courses selected in consultation with a departmental advisor. Students must take HIST 461 (Senior Seminar), and, of the remaining 27 credits required, a minimum of six credits each in American and Non-American history.  Qualified students find Internships with national and state historical associations, museums, historical parks, and a wide range of state and local government offices.
     Majors in history seeking an endorsement for secondary teaching in Virginia should be thoroughly familiar with the professional education requirements listed elsewhere in this catalog. Majors may choose to undertake teacher education in history and social science. Those interested in a secondary education endorsement must complete HIST 300 and coursework in history, political science, geography, and economics. To qualify for the secondary student teaching practicum, majors must complete HIST 100 or 110 and HIST 221 and 222 with no less than a grade of C in each course. Majors seeking secondary endorsement in history are required to have a cumulative grade point average and departmental major average of at least 2.5 before student teaching.
     The optional public history  concentration requires completion of HIST 100 or 110 (whichever is not selected for General Education), HIST 221 and 222, and 55 credits in upper-level courses, including 31 hours in history, 9 in archeology/anthropology,  9 in art, and 6 in political science.  Successful completion of an internship is required of all public history majors.
     The optional pre-law concentration requires completion of HIST 100 or 110 (whichever is not selected for General Education) and HIST 221 and 222, and 46 credits in additional courses, including 22 credits in history, 18 in political science, 3 in psychology, and 3 in accounting. It is also strongly recommended that students add electives in computer science and forensic psychology and take six additional hours in social science courses selected in consultation with their advisor.
     Major programs in history require completion of a modern foreign language at the 202 level or higher. For those seeking Secondary Education certification, HIST 300 (POSC 300) must be taken in addition to the 37 credits in History stipulated below (in C. Major Requirements).

     Majors are encouraged to take POSC 331 OR 332 to fulfill General Education Goal 10, but may take any approved Ethics course listed under Goal 10.

     No grade below “C” in major course work is accepted for graduation.  

MINOR IN HISTORY  

Students seeking a minor in history are required to complete 18 credits of work, including History 100 or 110 (whichever is not selected for General Education), HIST 221 and 222, and 9 elective credits in upper-level history courses chosen in consultation with a departmental advisor.  

HISTORY MAJOR, B.A. DEGREE  

A.         General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
       See General Education Requirements  

B.          Additional Degree Requirements. 9 credits.
       See Additional Degree Requirements  

C.   Major Requirements. 38 credits.

      American History Electives/6 credits.
Non-American History Electives/6 credits.
Additional History Electives/15 credits.
HIST 461         Senior Seminar/1 credit. 

 Choose one of the following three courses:            

D.        General Electives:

           Non-teaching major/41 credits.      

E.       Total credits required for B.A. in History   - 120
         

HISTORY MAJOR, B.A. DEGREE

Public History Concentration  

A.         General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
       See General Education Requirements  

B.         Additional Degree Requirements. 9 credits.
      See Additional Degree Requirements  

C.        Major Requirements. 64 credits.

       Elective:                  Take one course (3 credits) of American History (300 level or above)

       Elective:                  Take one course (3 credits) of History (300 level or above)

D.    General Electives:  14 credits.  

E.   Total credits required for B.A. in History with concentration in Public History   -  120  

HISTORY MAJOR, B.A. DEGREE

Pre-Law Concentration  

A.  General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
See General Education Requirements  

B.   Additional Degree Requirements. 9 credits.
See Additional Degree Requirements  

C.   Major Requirements. 53 credits.

       History Electives/9 credits

       Choose one of the following three courses:            

      Choose one of the following three courses:            

D.  General Electives: 26 credits.

      Pre-law students are advised that they should present at least a 3.0 GPA (as well as a good  LSAT score) to the law school admissions committee in order to be competitive law school applicants.  

E.    Total credits required for B.A. in History with concentration in Pre-Law   - 120    

Teacher Preparation in History And Social Science  

A.  General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
      See General Education Requirements  

      Students who do not take these courses for General Education goals 7, 8 and 10 must take them as general electives, in order to satisfy licensure requirements.

B.  Additional Degree Requirements. 9 credits.
      See Additional Degree Requirements

C.  Major Requirements. 52 credits.

       Choose six credits from the following US History courses:

       Choose six credits from the following European History courses:

       Choose six credits from the following Non-Western History courses:

      Choose six credits from the following:

      Take all of the following courses:

        Take three credits from the following:

D.  Secondary Education Licensure Grades 6-12. 35 credits
      See also Professional Education requirements

     Additional certification requirements:

E.   Total credits required for B.A. in History/Social Science with Secondary Education Endorsement - 129  

History Course Descriptions

Political Science Course Descriptions

POLITICAL SCIENCE PROGRAM  

Faculty

David S. Calihan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science
William R. Harbour, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science
  

The major in political science requires completion of HIST 100 or 110 (whichever is not selected for General Education), HIST 222, and POSC 150 and 216, at least 1 credit of an Internship or Directed Research, and 31 credits in additional work in political science.  Qualified majors may avail themselves of Congressional District Office Internships around the state, Internships with the Washington Center and Institute for Experiential Learning in Washington, D.C., law offices, businesses, and a wide variety of state and local government offices. 

     Majors in political science seeking an endorsement for secondary teaching in Virginia should be thoroughly familiar with the professional education requirements listed elsewhere in this catalog. Majors may choose to undertake one of two tracks: a) secondary education endorsement in history (see section E); OR b) teacher preparation in history and social science.  To qualify for the secondary student teaching practicum, majors must complete POSC 150 with no less than a grade of B.

      The optional pre-law concentration requires completion of HIST 100 or 110 (whichever is not taken for General Education credit), HIST 222, and POSC 150 and 216, and 34 credits in additional courses, including 25 credits in political science, 3 in history, 3 in psychology, and 3 in accounting. It is also strongly recommended that students add electives in forensic psychology (PSYC 430) and writing skills (ENGL 382) and take six additional hours of work in social science courses selected in consultation with a departmental advisor.

     The optional global politics concentration requires 46 credits as outlined below.

     Political science majors may earn either the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree.  For Teacher Preparation in History and Social Science, please see History major.             

MINOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE  

The minor in Political Science requires completion of POSC 150 and 216 and of 12 credits of additional courses in political science chosen in consultation with a departmental advisor.  

POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR, B.A., B.S. DEGREE  

A.            General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
                See General Education Requirements  

B.            Additional Degree Requirements, B.A. degree. 9 credits.
                Additional Degree Requirements, B.S. degree. 10 credits.
                See Additional Degree Requirements  

C.            Major Requirements. 44 credits.

      Choose one of the following:

     Choose one of the following:  

     Choose one of the following:  

     Choose one of the following three courses:            

     Political Science Electives/9 credits  

D.          Secondary Education Endorsement. Grades 6-12/50 credits.
       See Teacher Preparation in History and Social Science
       See also Professional Education requirements:
       Secondary Education Program
      Add-On Endorsements
             

E.          General Electives:
       B.A. Political Science (Non-teaching)/35 credits.
       B.S. Political Science (Non-teaching)/34 credits.       

F.          Total credits required for B.A., B.S. in Political Science   -  120
        

POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR, B.A., B.S. DEGREE

Pre-Law Concentration  

A.         General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
       See General Education Requirements  

B.          Additional Degree Requirements, B.A. Degree. 9 credits.
       Additional Degree Requirements, B.S. Degree. 10 credits.
       See Additional Degree Requirements   

C.          Major Requirements. 47 credits.

Political Science Electives/9 credits

Choose one of the following:

Choose one of the following three courses:            

D.          General Electives: 31/32 credits.
       PSYC 430 is strongly recommended.

       Pre-law students are advised that they should present at least a 3.0 GPA (as well as a good LSAT score) to the law school admissions committees in order to be competitive law school applicants.  

E.   Total credits required for B.A., B.S. in Political Science with a concentration in Pre-Law   -  120  

POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR, B.A.  DEGREE

Global Politics Concentration  

A.    General Education Core Requirements. 33 credits.
See General Education Requirements        

B.   Additional Degree Requirements, B.A. degree. 9 credits.
 See Additional Degree Requirements  

C.   Major Requirements. 47 credits

       1.   Core Political Science Courses (18 credits)

     2.    Regional and Area Studies (18 credits)

         Choose 18 credits from the following:

3.    International Political Economy (3 credits)

Choose three credits from the following:

4.    Transnational Community and Issues (6 credits)

            Choose six credits from the following:

         5.   Senior Seminar (1 credit)

                POSC 461              Senior Seminar/1 credit  

       6. Internship Requirement

                 Choose one of the following three courses:            

D.   General Electives: 32 credits.  

E.   Total credits required for B.A. in Political Science with a Concentration in Global Politics - 120  

History Course Descriptions

Political Science Course Descriptions

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