Apr 24, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

History, BA


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College Arts and Sciences
Academic Award Bachelor of Arts
Credits Required 125 semester credits
Faculty Lead Joshua Meeks

The major in History is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of and familiarity with the cultural, social, intellectual, political, economic and religious development of world civilizations. This foundation will enhance the student’s ability to understand and evaluate the historical origins of contemporary society and culture. The History major will provide a well-informed foundation for the pre-professional and future graduate student alike. The elective component in conjunction with personal advising allows students to target their specific future and intellectual goals.

Outcomes

Graduates with a degree in History will be able to:

  1. Relate past events to present topics
  2. Integrate faith into the study of history
  3. Analyze dominant schools of historical thought
  4. Critique primary and secondary sources
  5. Create effective verbal and written history presentations
  6. Produce original historical research

The attainment of these objectives will be measured by written exams as well as by oral and written assignments.

Course Sequence

Courses to be taken in the freshman and sophomore years are the same as the Core Curriculum requirements for all majors at Northwest University.

The course sequence for the junior and senior years will depend upon the student’s interests. The student and his/her advisor will work together to design a sequence of study that fulfills the requirements of the major.

Admission to Major:

  • Average GPA of 2.7* in General History courses
  • Writing sample that demonstrates primary source analysis
  • 250-word Letter of Intent

*applications of students with less than a 2.7 in these courses will be considered on a case by case basis

Course Selection

Students take a series of courses that provide the core of their program. This ensures that a broad foundation exists upon which to build further, more in-depth study. More specific, advanced courses are offered covering a variety of historical and related subjects from which students choose, depending on their particular interests and career plans. The courses listed below are offered during various semesters in formats including lectures, seminars, and research projects. Available topics include, but are not limited to:

United States History

  • U.S. Diplomatic History I, II
  • Pacific NW History and Govt.
  • U.S. History I: before 1877
  • U.S. History II: after 1877
  • U.S. History: since 1945
  • Special Topics in U.S. History

European History

  • Medieval Europe
  • Renaissance and Reformation Europe
  • History of England
  • Special Topics in European History

Non-Western History

  • Modern Middle East History
  •  
  • East Asian Politics and History
  • African History
  • History of Islam
  • Special Topics
  • Latin American Studies Program
  • Middle East Studies Program

Related Subjects

Students may want to gain a greater understanding of the cultural and political milieu of a particular geographic locale or historical epoch, or to gain an understanding of the historical development of ideas. Any one of these pursuits can be done by studying cognate work in Art and Literature, Psychology and Sociology, Philosophy, or Political Science.

  • Church History I, II
  • History of Ideas I, II, III, IV
  • History of Christian Missions
  • History of the Pentecostal Movement
  • History of Political Ideas I, II
  • Intertestamental History

Core Curriculum Requirements: 60


Humanities: 9


  • 6 credits in this area must be from Writing Practice courses* (see Course Descriptions  for applicability)
  • ENGL xxx3 Any Literature course 3 credits
  • HIST xxx3 Any Course in History 3 credits
  • 3 additional credits selected from the following 3 credits
    Art (ARTE), Bible (BIBL), Drama (DRAM), English (ENGL), History (HIST), Language (LANG), Music (MUSI), or Theology (THEO)

Social Sciences: 9


  • 6 credits in this area must be from Writing Practice courses* (see Course Descriptions  for applicability)
  • Select a minimum of two disciplines from the following:
    Business Administration (BUSM), Communication (except COMM 1213), Economics, Education (EDUC), Geography (GEOG), Health & Fitness (PEDU), Management (BMGT), Marketing (BMKT), Philosophy (PHIL), Political Science (PSCI), Psychology (PSYC), or Sociology/Anthropology (SOCI)

Science and Mathematics: 7


  • MATH xxxx College-level Mathematics 3 credits
  • SCIE xxxx Science course with Lab 4 credits

Formation and Calling: 5


Core Electives: 9


Any college-level courses

History Major Core Requirements: 54


Upper Division Requirements: 30


Thesis/Research Project: 3


(select one)

Upper Division Distribution:


  • HIST 3/4xx3 Upper Division U.S. History elective 3 credits
  • HIST 3/4xx3 Upper Division European History elective 3 credits
  • HIST 3/4xx3 Upper Division World Regions History elective 3 credits
  • HIST 3/4xx3 Upper Division History elective 15 credits

Related Fields: 9


General Electives: 11


Any college-level courses or students may choose a minor course of study in another subject area.

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