Program Mission
The History program at Bethany College trains students to think critically about the past and to analyze the ways in which historical events and processes deeply inform our present and illuminate possibilities for the future. It provides students with vital context for recognizing their place in a world of rich cultural diversity and change. Through classes in European, United States and World history, Bethany History majors study the world-changing military, political and diplomatic events of the past, the great economic and cultural developments that transformed human existence, and the art and ideas that fundamentally altered how humans see and think about the world around them.
Program Goals
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The program will instruct students on how to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources.
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The program will provide students with opportunities to locate primary and secondary historical sources and use them as evidence in support of a clearly stated, defensible thesis, in a style appropriate to the conventions of the historical discipline.
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The program will prepare students to identify and discuss some of the key themes and major issues of broad periods in U.S., European and World history and demonstrate an understanding of change over time.
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The program will train students to distinguish between various approaches to the study of history and to discuss their major practitioners.
Student Learning Outcomes
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Students will analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources.
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Students will locate primary and secondary historical sources and use them as evidence in support of a clearly stated, defensible thesis, in a style appropriate to the conventions of the historical discipline.
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Students will identify and discuss some of the key themes and major issues of broad periods in U.S., European and World history and demonstrate an understanding of change over time.
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Students will be able to distinguish between various approaches to the study of history and to discuss their major practitioners.
Introductory Surveys
Twelve credits in introductory surveys of American and world history, including
Historiography
HIST 377: Theory and Practice of History
History Electives
18 additional credits of history coursework including three hours of U.S. History, three hours of European history, and three credits in world history or the history of regions outside of the U.S. and Europe.
The remaining nine credits can be taken in any field of history.
Three of these credits may come from the listed religious studies courses (RELS 229, 231, 301, 305, or 311).
Additional Courses
Also required are either:
Capstones
HIST 490: Senior Project (2-4 credits) and HIST 495: Comprehensive Exams
Students planning to attend graduate or professional schools should anticipate possible requirements in the areas of world languages, statistics, accounting, and computer technology.