The Department of History and Political Science offers a range of programs and courses geared toward the needs of majors, general education students, and candidates for teacher certification. Most department courses satisfy University General Education requirements in history and/or social sciences. Some courses fulfill General Education requirements in foreign languages/foreign cultures. The department offers majors in history, history education, political science, social sciences education, and international studies. It offers minors in history, political science, international studies, and public administration.
The Department of History and Political Sciences has designed its programs to align with the Illinois Content Area Standards for Educators established by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and the standards of the National Council for Social Sciences (NCSS). Students who wish to become high school history teachers must seek certification in the area of social sciences with a disciplinary specialization in history. They must pass content examinations that cover a wide range of concepts from history and the social science disciplines. The department offers two majors intended to prepare students for certification under these policies: History Education (HIST ED) and Social Sciences Education (SOCSC). These two programs are similar in that both satisfy the Illinois Content Area Standards and lead to certification in social sciences with a history specialization. They differ from one another in emphasis. The History Education major is designed to provide the strongest possible preparation in history. The Social Sciences Education major provides a strong grounding in history but also allows students to develop a background in an additional social science discipline, either political science or sociology/anthropology. Interested students should discuss their options with advisors in the department. Regardless of which major they choose, students seeking secondary certification must also be admitted to the School of Education's Secondary Education Program. Students in the SOCSC and HIST ED majors must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 in major coursework in order to receive a favorable recommendation from the department for student teaching. Major coursework includes all history, political science, sociology, anthropology, and social science courses used to fulfill major requirements. They must also maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and earn a grade of C or better in all university courses. Students considering these majors should be aware that they will face a competitive job market as prospective secondary social science teachers. Success depends upon strong mastery of the content area as demonstrated by superior grades in coursework, and upon the development of professional attitudes, skills, and demeanor appropriate to teachers.
For admission as a major in one of the department's programs, a student must have completed at least six semester-hours in the intended major with a grade-point average of 2.50. The student must also have an overall GPA of 2.50. Interested students should apply for admission to the department chairperson. Once admitted to the department, students will be assigned an advisor with whom they should consult each semester about their course of study. Department majors and minors must earn a grade of C or better in department courses. Courses in which a student earns a grade of D will not count toward the fulfillment of department program requirements except by written permission from the department chair.
