Communication Skills Students are expected to develop the ability to construct narratives that clearly distinguish historical topics from historical thesis, including the conceptualization of their own thesis based on an evaluation of evidence. Problem-Solving Skills Students are directed in developing competencies in accumulating evidence from a variety of sources, assessing the validity of the evidence, and extracting substantive generalizations from what they have discovered. History majors are continuously assessed within the structure of each class taken. History courses utilize essay examinations, written reports and oral presentations as standard methods of assessing student progress in broadening their knowledge base and honing written and oral competencies. HIST 401, Historic Methods, the department capstone course, provides guidance for students to apply their research skills to independent projects, assess evidence and draw conclusions that are presented in written form and orally.
Students act as critics of each other's papers and presentations.
Communication Skills HIST 401, Historic Methods, the department of history capstone course provides a forum for students to present the results of their work in oral and written form. Students, as well as the course Professor, act as critics of each student's paper and presentations. Developing these skills is integral to every history course and the principal objective in HIST 401, Historic Methods. Approximately two-thirds of the department's majors are in the History Teaching Option. The department is developing a program to obtain feedback from students who receive secondary school certification.