Overview
If you love learning how history has shaped the modern world and have a gift for working with children and youth, a Bachelor's in History Education may be a great path for you! This unique program allows you to turn your love of learning into a rewarding career cultivating the education of today's youth.
The History Education program is designed to prepare students for a teaching career in grades six through twelve. This program is a collaborative effort between the Social and Behavioral Sciences department and the School of Education. The School of Education collaborates with area schools to provide students observation and teaching experiences to enhance their learning. Students' education experience will culminate in student teaching.
Faculty
News
Core Classes
Fundamentals of World Geography
GGY 2050
An introduction to geography that explores the impact of geography on the world's major social, linguistic, religious, and economic systems.
Course Hours: 3
World Civilizations: Ancient & Medieval
HIS 1400
A course of study from ancient times to the 1500s dealing with persistent and recurring political, social, and economic issues in history that thinking people have examined and that have shaped our contemporary world. This course covers Western and non-Western cultures. Offered every semester.
Course Hours: 3
World Civilizations: Early Modern & Modern World
HIS 1450
A course of study from the 1500s to the present dealing with persistent and recurring political, social, and economic issues in history that thinking people have examined and that have shaped our contemporary world. This course covers Western and non-Western cultures. Offered every semester.
Course Hours: 3
United States History Survey I
HIS 2010
Survey of United States' social, political, economic, and military development to 1877. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 3
United States History Survey II
HIS 2020
Survey of United States' social, political, economic, and military development from 1877 to the present. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 3
Classical Foundations of the West: Ancient Greece & Rome
HIS 3145
Traces the history of the ancient Mediterranean and the early developments of the Western world with a focus on the civilizations of Greece and Rome from Homer and the development of the Greek city-state to Saint Augustine and the fall of the Roman Empire. This is an interdisciplinary “great books and art” course that teaches about these influential cultures by exposing students to the masterpieces they created and exploring their context and impact. Offered alternate years.
Course Hours: 3
Rise of Christendom: Late Antique and Medieval Europe and Byzantium
HIS 3150
Investigates the history of Europe and the Near East from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance. This course will study the political, economic, social, religious, artistic and cultural development of the three successor civilizations to Greece and Rome: Byzantium, Islam and Medieval Europe, with particular emphasis on the latter and the development of the era of Christendom and the power of the medieval church and papacy. Offered alternate years.
Course Hours: 3
Enlightenment to Modernity in Europe
HIS 3160
Studies the social, political, intellectual, religious, ethical and economic revolutions and movements of the Enlightenment and Modernity eras of European history. This course will contextualize and analyze how frequently contradictory concepts of reason, rationality, science, religion, romanticism, tolerance, intolerance, ethics, morality, and power were articulated and realized in the long eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Offered alternate years.
Course Hours: 3
Twentieth Century Culture and Conflicts
HIS 3200
Focuses on the political, diplomatic, social, artistic, and cultural trends from World War I to the collapse of the Soviet Union in Europe and America, but will also expand to other areas of the world directly impacted by Western culture and conflict. This course will explore the attributes of the Post-Modern era and the ways that war altered previously held definitions of society, nation, community, gender, race, science and ethics. Offered alternate years.
Course Hours: 3
Latin American History
HIS 3170
A survey of the development of the Central and South American nations, from settlement to the present day. Offered alternate years.
Course Hours: 3
History of Asia
HIS 3260
Examines the political, social and economic development of Russia and the Far Eastern nations. Offered alternate years.
Course Hours: 3
Historical Research
HIS 4200
Concentrates on the process of historical research with particular attention to research methodology and preparation of a research paper. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 3
Senior Seminar
HIS 4700
A culminating seminar for History, History/Political Science and Social Science majors. This course will involve research and writing in the major area and an exit examination with members of the major department faculty. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 2
Professional Secondary Core
Becoming a Teacher
EDU 1020
Provides observation and participation in a public school. Field study is completed in the following areas: classroom observation, classroom material preparation, and classroom interactions to enhance the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions required of educators. The requirements for entering the Teacher Education Program are part of the course. Graded S-U.
Foundations of Education
EDU 1500
Surveys the historical, social, philosophical, and psychological foundations of the American school system with emphasis on an introduction to the teaching profession. Designed to be the first course taken in the teacher education program. Taken in conjunction with EDU 1020.
Secondary Curriculum and Instruction
EDU 2300
Focuses on effective instructional methods and curriculum models for 7-12 teachers. Common Core Standards and best practices in creating enthusiastic learning environments and writing learning plans are explored. Using data to inform instruction is addressed as part of the planning component. A 20 hour field experience is required.
Effective Classroom Environments
EDU 2556
Focuses on the major traditional and current behavior management theorists and strategies. Prepares the candidate to use effective strategies for developing a safe but invigorating classroom climate. The creation of a position plan paper and its implementation in a classroom with subsequent re-evaluation of the plan and the candidate's implementation strategies are included within this course.
Educational Tests and Measurements
EDU 3410
Examines test construction and application of evaluation principles related to K-12. Emphasis on reading, interpreting, and using data from a variety of assessments including standardized and teacher-made achievement tests. Common Core Standards will be studied in relationship to both formative and summative assessment as instructional tools.
Teaching Reading and Writing in the Content Areas
EDU 3510
Investigates teaching of reading and writing in the various subject matter fields at the secondary level. Stresses skills of vocabulary building, comprehension and writing as well as skills and methods of motivating adolescents to read and write. A 20 hour field experience in a secondary school is required.
Methods and Materials for Secondary Education
EDU 4230
Examines strategies, resources, and experience in middle and secondary schools. It will familiarize candidates with methods of instruction, assessment, and classroom management appropriate in these schools, as well as organizational characteristics of each. A 30 hour field experience required.
Education in an Urban Culture
SOC 3270
Provides an overview of the diverse educational needs, challenges, opportunities, and rewards that teachers encounter as they seek to effectively meet the needs of learners in urban schools. Students will explore the history of public schools in urban areas, the characteristics of the urban child, as well as effective teaching strategies for working with students who are identified as "at risk." This course will address the competencies, tools, and instructional strategies to effectively create positive classroom environments and assist in student achievement. Course includes a 10 hour field experience in a low socioeconomic and ethnically/racially diverse school.
One Additional US History Elective
Colonial and Revolutionary America
HIS 3120
This course will survey the development of the colonies in British America, will explore the rising tension between the colonies and Great Britain prior to the Revolutionary era, and will examine the social, political, and economic causes and consequences of the American Revolution. Finally, the course assesses the conflict’s impact on the formation and development of the Early American Republic in political, social, and cultural terms. Offered alternate years.
Civil War and Reconstruction
HIS 3130
A study of Civil War's social, political, economic, and military aspects from the Ante-bellum era to Reconstruction. Offered alternate years.
Middle Tennessee History Seminar
HIS 3210
In-depth travel seminar involving the study of Middle Tennessee history. Offered annually.
Women’s Lives in American History
HIS 3300
Designed to enable students to examine women's experiences in America from the colonial era through the 20th century. Students will consider gender issues in American history in relation to work, family politics, religion, and society at large. Offered alternate years.
African-American History
HIS 3310
In this course, students will understand and assess the varied experiences of African-Americans in this country from the colonial period to present day. Students will consider issues relating to the African-American experience in U.S. history broadly through the lenses of work, family, politics, religion, and society and culture. Major topics will include the institution of slavery, abolition efforts, Reconstruction/Jim Crow eras, Civil Rights, and modern issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Offered alternate years.
Overview
If you love learning how history has shaped the modern world and have a gift for working with children and youth, a Bachelor's in History Education may be a great path for you! This unique program allows you to turn your love of learning into a rewarding career cultivating the education of today's youth.
The History Education program is designed to prepare students for a teaching career in grades six through twelve. This program is a collaborative effort between the Social and Behavioral Sciences department and the School of Education. The School of Education collaborates with area schools to provide students observation and teaching experiences to enhance their learning. Students' education experience will culminate in student teaching.