Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

History, B.A.


Avila’s history program emphasizes the acquisition of a breadth of historical knowledge and the research skills of historical scholarship that encompass the fields of American and World history. The history curriculum incorporates multiple perspectives and methodological approaches to human history, thus capturing the experiences of the rich and poor, the powerful and oppressed.

A major in history prepares students for a variety of opportunities. Traditional professions for historians have been teaching in secondary schools, but other possibilities exist in public history (i.e., historical preservation, archival work, and museum administration.) The study of history has also been seen as an appropriate preparation for graduate study in law and information management/library studies.

Core Requirements


All students must complete the Avila University Core Curriculum as a part of their degree programs. The Core consists of a minimum of 39 credit hours that meet the requirements listed below. Please go to Core Curriculum  for more information and to view all Core classes.

Core Foundations (9-11 credit hours)


Foundations requirements provide the basic skills essential for effective participation in other classes as well as the professional world.

Core Pillars & Levels (30 credit hours)


Pillars and Levels requirements address the breadth of knowledge expected of a liberal arts education and challenges students to integrate prior knowledge and create new ideas through higher levels of coursework.

Cross-Application Note: All courses that meet a Pillar also meet a Level and may meet a Designation requirement. Some courses taken for major and/or minor requirements may also meet Core requirements.

CORE CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES
    Social Justice & Civic Life Pillar 
(6 credit hours required)

Creativity & Culture Pillar
(6 credit hours required)

Belief & Reason Pillar
(6 credit hours required)
Explorations of Nature Pillar 
(6 credit hours required)

24 credit hours required 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACQUIRE LEVEL        
TRANSFORM LEVEL        
6 credit hours required CONTRIBUTE LEVEL

 

 

     

Core Designations


Core Component Designations requirements incorporate assignments and experiences focused on developing and deepening student understanding to prepare students for responsible lifelong contributions to the global community.

CORE Designations

Interdisciplinary Studies (IS)

(9 credit hours)

Global Studies (GS)    

(9 credit hours)     

Community Engagement (CE)    

(3 credit hours) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transfer Students


The Core Component Designations requirement for transfer students is determined by the number of credit hours transferred to Avila University. Please see the Transfer Students  page within this catalog.

Cross-Application


As noted above, courses can have multiple designations and thus meet multiple requirements at once.

Example: BI 215 - Humans & the Environment (3)  meets all of the following requirements:

  • Belief & Reason Nature Pillar
  • Transform Level
  • Global Studies (GS) Designation
  • Major Requirement

Major Related Requirements


In addition to history coursework, the following coursework outside the discipline must be completed for the major in History.

Major Requirements (36 semester hours in History)


Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in History must complete all the core degree requirements as stated in the University catalog. All history majors must receive a grade of “C” or above in all history courses.

The following history courses must be completed for the history major:

Introductory History Courses: 12 semester hours (Minimum)


Any four (4) lower-division (100 or 200 level) history courses, but at least one lower-division course must be American history and at least one lower-division course must be world history.

Intermediate History Courses: 18 semester hours (Minimum)


Any six (6) upper-division (i.e., 300-level or above–excluding HI 399 and HI 499) history courses, but at least two upper-division courses must be American history and at least two upper-division courses must be world history.

Advanced Courses in History: 6 semester hours


Community Engagement


The Community Engagement core designation may be met by one of the following courses:

Comprehensive Examination


History majors will create an electronic portfolio in HI 499 - Senior Thesis (3)  which serves as the comprehensive examination in the history major.

Technology Requirement


The university computer literacy requirement will be met by the following course:

Social Studies Education


Programs in social studies education, approved by the State of Missouri, are offered. Kansas certification requirements may be completed concurrently.

Available Programs

Outcomes


In addition to the above listed course requirements, history majors must meet all of the following outcomes. History minors are expected to meet only outcomes 1) Knowledge and 2) Theory listed below, which are assessed in a course-by-course basis.

Outcome 1.

Knowledge: Identify and characterize the major questions of American and World history in terms of continuity and change using relevant political, economic, social, religious, and cultural institutions, traditions, and beliefs. *All history courses provide instruction and practice relevant to this outcome.

Outcome 2.

Theory: Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of race, gender, class, ethnicity, or religion on the experiences of ordinary and extraordinary people of the past using current historical theory and methodology. *Formal instruction and practice occurs in HI 399 Historical Methods , but preliminary instruction and practice are components of every upper-division history course.

Outcome 3.

Praxis: Using the “knowledge” and “theory” of the outcomes above, examine and analyze primary documents, pose a historical question (i.e., offer an interpretation or thesis) that the weight of evidence seems to answer, then provide context for one’s historical question and evidence using the available secondary literature synthesized in a well-written work of historical scholarship. *Formal instruction and practice occurs in HI 399 Historical Methods  and HI 499 Senior Thesis , but preliminary instruction and practice are components of every upper-division history course.

Assessment


The outcomes of the history major are formally assessed in two ways: 1) using an electronic portfolio produced in HI 499 Senior Thesis , which serves as the departmental comprehensive examination in the history major, and 2) the senior thesis produced in HI 499 Senior Thesis . The comprehensive examination generally consists of a reflective essay in which students are challenged to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the outcomes 1) Knowledge and 2) Theory. The senior thesis is the primary means to assess each history major’s ability to produce a well-written work of historical scholarship as described in outcome 3) Praxis. The criterion for each outcome is: 100% of history majors will demonstrate knowledge and application of the outcome with at least 75% accuracy.