Bachelor of Arts in History

History students will

• Identify people, events, and processes significant to their courses of study
• examine similarities and differences across chronologies, geographies, and themes
•  explain how past peoples understood their worlds and how those understandings shaped the ways they acted
•  analyze the range of social, cultural, political, and economic possibilities available to people in particular contexts
•  analyze why change occurs

2.1 Inquiry and Analysis – History students will

• develop a creative, focused, and manageable question for historical research
• synthesize evidence representing a variety of perspectives
• explain the challenges of constructing historical narratives using incomplete and contradictory evidence  
• formulate a thesis and conclusion substantiated by primary and secondary source analysis
• critique alternative conclusions

2.2 Critical Thinking – History students will

• identify and analyze the central issues, arguments, and points of view in primary and secondary sources
• evaluate authors’ arguments and assess their evidence and conclusions
• critique their own and others’ assumptions and the contexts in which they develop those assumptions
• use the concept of historiography, in order to compare and contrast a variety of scholarly texts
• analyze the ways the histories historians write are products of particular historical contexts

2.3 Written Communication – History students will  

• establish the context, audience, and purpose of their written assignments
• master the conventions of historical writing, including: clear paper organization (thesis, evidence, conclusion); logical paragraph organization; clear, direct, and engaging language; proper citation methods, using Chicago style
• compose papers employing narrative, descriptive, and analytical writing to convey their historical knowledge and analytical skills  

2.4 Information literacy – History students will

• determine the types of sources that are relevant to a research question
• locate and evaluate appropriate materials for historical research, using book catalogs (Skyline, Prospector, WorldCat), article databases (particularly America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, and JSTOR), and interlibrary loan
• demonstrate understanding of the ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of published and unpublished materials, including what constitutes plagiarism and how to cite sources

3.1 Intercultural knowledge and competence – History students will  

• evaluate how their cultural biases inform their understandings of history  
• evaluate the ways that historians of different cultural perspectives produce different histories
• interpret historical evidence with consideration to historical actors’ various cultural perspectives

3.2 Ethical reasoning and action – History students will  

• analyze the ethical issues embedded in historical events and processes
• evaluate different ethical choices present in historical decision-making
• evaluate the ethical assumptions of the texts they read

History students will

• demonstrate connections between different courses and readings
• synthesize academic experiences with their experiences outside the classroom
• seek out applications of their historical knowledge and skills beyond the classroom