History is the study of human experience through time and the many human societies and cultures of the past. It traces the path by which the society and culture of today’s world came into being. History is one important way by which we can come to understand and better appreciate what it is to be human through a look at the accumulated record of the past. It is also a road to self-knowledge, for it shows us the forces, over time, that have made our civilization and culture, enabling us to understand ourselves better as products of and participants in those forces.
The history department teaches courses to all students as part of their general education curriculum. All students take three semester hours of history in the 'Ways of Thinking in Historical Analysis" as part of the general education curriculum. HIST 465, and 466 are not applicable for general education credit. The department offers support courses for the liberal studies major and minors in women’s studies, environmental studies, and multicultural studies.
Students can major in History (39 credits) and earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (requires a foreign language). History majors take courses in three thematic categories:
- Multi – Sited Histories (transnational, comparative or international)
- The West and the World
- Historical Continuity and Historical Change.
Students may choose to take history courses in preparation for teacher certification as a broad field social studies (BFSS) major, B.S. degree. This option requires a minimum of 32 history credits, 15 of which must be in upper division courses (300 or 400). Students may also earn a B.S. or a B.A. degree in broad field social studies (BFSS) without teacher certification.
Students may also complete a minor in history as part of their B.S. or B.A. degree program, as a secondary teaching minor, or as an elementary education minor.
For more information, contact:
Michael Smuksta, Ph.D.Chair, History and Interdisciplinary Studies
608.796.3497
mjsmuksta@viterbo.edu