To:
From:
Date:
Re:
Dept. of Social Inquiry
Joel Sipress
February 7, 2014
History Program Revisions
The History Program wishes to make several changes in the History Major and History Teaching
Major curricula. Program descriptions, with the changes indicated in red, are attached. A summary of
the changes are as follows:

Increase number of required upper-division credits in the History Major from 18 to 21.
(The total number of credits within the major will remain at 33.) Through the assessment
process, the program has identified concerns with student mastery of a number of
program outcomes, most particularly the ability to summarize and critically evaluate the
ideas of an author. We are also concerned that, in some cases, students enter the senior
thesis experience with insufficient independent research experience. These are skills that
are emphasized in the program’s upper-level elective coursework. For this reason, we
would like to the balance of coursework within the major in the direction of greater
upper-division coursework.

Increase the number of required upper-division credits in the History Teaching Major
from 18 to 21 while also increasing the number of total credits in the major from 33 to 36.
Our rationale for doing so is similar to that of History Major. In the case of the History
Teaching Major, however, there are a number of required courses (including the
secondary social studies teaching methods class) that severely restrict the number of
upper-level elective credits students can take within the current 33 credit curriculum. For
that reason, we would like to increase the total credits within the teaching major to 36.

Add HIST 111 to the list of required courses within the History Teaching Major. This will be
accomplished by reducing by one course the number of lower division elective courses
students can take. HIST 111 is already required for Broad Field Social Studies. Since the
vast majority of students completing the History Teaching Major are doing so within the
context of the Broad Field Social Studies Major, adding this requirement will better align
Broad Field Social Studies with the History Teaching Major and actually streamline
requirements.

Require students in the History Teaching Major to distribute their lower level elective
coursework into two distinct geographic areas outside of U.S. History. Given the number
of required courses in the History Teaching Major it is important to encourage students to
globalize their coursework early in order to achieve program’s globally oriented learning
goal.

Increase the total number of geographic distribution areas to be completed in the History
Teaching Major by one. This is to ensure that future teachers are exposed to a broader
range of world history fields.
Please note that the attached program descriptions also include some changes that are purely for
purposes of style and clarity.
History Major - Bachelor of Arts Requirements
33 total credits
A total of 33 credits in history, including at least 18 21 credits from courses numbered 300 or above. All
students completing the History major must fulfill the Bachelor of Arts language requirement. Coursework
must include the following:
Research and Writing Methods Course (3 credits required):
HIST 257 Introduction to Historical Research -- 3 credits
OR
HIST 256 History of Wisconsin -- 3 credits
Geographic Distribution Areas (12 credits required):
Complete coursework in at least four of seven geographic codes. (Each catalog description of history
courses includes a code number indicating which codes the course fulfills): Code 1-United States History;
Code 2-European History; Code 3-African History; Code 4-Latin American History; Code 5-Asian History;
Code 6-Middle Eastern History; Code 7-World History0. Courses cannot be used to fulfill more than one
geographic code.
Race and Ethnicity Course (3 credits required):
Complete one three-credit history course at any level with a focus on race and/or ethnicity. Courses that
fulfill this requirement are noted in the catalog description of history courses with the notation "RE."
Gender Course (3 credits required):
Complete one three-credit history course at any level with a focus on gender. Courses that fulfill this
requirement are noted in the catalog description of history courses with the notation "G."
The same course cannot be used to complete both the Race and Ethnicity and the Gender requirement.
Senior Capstone Experience (6 credits required):
HIST 496 Historical Research Theories & Methods -- 3 credits
HIST 497 Senior Thesis -- 3 credits
These two courses should normally be taken in the senior year. HIST 496 is only offered in the fall, and
HIST 497 in the spring.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Foreign/Indigenous Language courses (3-6 credits required):
CHIN/FNS/FREN/GERM/SPAN language courses
History Teaching Major - Early Adolescence-Adolescence Level
(EA-A), B.A. or B.S. Requirements
33 36 total credits
A total of 33 36 credits in history and social studies education, at least 18 21 credits from courses
numbered 300 or above. Certification to teach requires completion of a series of Wisconsin Teacher
Certification (DPI) requirements. See the Teacher Education section of the catalog for details.
Coursework must include the following:
Required Courses (12 15 credits required):
HIST 111 Modern World History - - 3 credits
HIST 151 U.S. Through 1877
OR
HIST 152 U.S. Since 1877 -- 3 credits
HIST 256 Introduction to Historical Research and Writing -- 3 credits
HIST 392 Topics in World History -- 3 credits
SSEd 339 Secondary Methods in Social Studies Education -- 3 credits
Lower Division Electives (6 Credits required)
Complete two-three credit courses at the 100 or 200 level in at least two of the following geographic
codes. (Each catalog description of history courses includes a code number indicating the geographic
areas the course fulfills): Code 2-European History; Code 3-African History; Code 4-Latin American
History; Code 5-Asian History; Code 6-Middle Eastern History. Courses cannot be used to fulfill more
than one geographic area.
Upper Division Electives (9 Credits required)
Complete three-three credit courses at the 300 level that fulfill at least two of the following geographic
codes not completed by the lower division electives. (Each catalog description of history courses
includes a code number indicating the geographic areas the course fulfills): Code 2-European History;
Code 3-African History; Code 4-Latin American History; Code 5-Asian History; Code 6-Middle Eastern
History. Courses cannot be used to fulfill more than one geographic area.
Geographic Distribution Areas (9 credits required):
Complete one three-credit course in three of the following five geographic areas. Each catalog description
of history courses includes a code number indicating the geographic areas the course fulfills: Code 2European History; Code 3-African History; Code 4-Latin American History; Code 5-Asian History; Code 6Middle Eastern History. Courses cannot be used to fulfill more than one geographic area.
Race and Ethnicity Course (3 credits required):
Complete one three-credit history course at any level with a focus on race and/or ethnicity. Courses that
fulfill this requirement are noted in the catalog description of history courses with the notation "RE." The
same course cannot be used to complete both the Race and Ethnicity and the Gender requirement.
Gender Course (3 credits required):
Complete one three-credit history course at any level with a focus on gender. Courses that fulfill this
requirement are noted in the catalog description of history courses with the notation "G." The same
course cannot be used to complete both the Race and Ethnicity and the Gender requirement.
Senor Capstone Experience required course (6 credits required):
HIST 496 Historical Research Theories & Methods -- 3 credits
HIST 497 Senior Thesis comprise -- 3 credits