Mission and Accreditation

Mission

The major objectives of the Department of History and Political Science are:

  1.  to provide all students with general humanistic knowledge in the fields of history,
political science, and philosophy;

  2.  to aid them through this knowledge to analyze and interpret problems and achievements
of past and present societies;

  3.  to further their intellectual development through opportunities to think, to
speak and to write logically and analytically;

  4.  to prepare them to become dynamic citizens who understand the structure, powers
and procedures of national and state governments and have some knowledge of other
world governments as well;

  5.  to provide specific background training for such professions as cultural resources
management, public history, law, journalism, government service and teaching;

  6.  to enable them to utilize creativity, critical thinking, professional reading
and writing skills, and the ability to adapt and continue learning in a rapidly changing
society;

  7.  and to teach them to read intelligently, think analytically, write clearly,
accurately assess past trends, rationally predict future developments, and understand
the real world as they prepare for virtually any career or graduate study.

Students who wish to prepare for graduate study in history or political science for
law school should consult with the head of the department.