Department Requirements for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in History - 39 Semester Hours
Mission
The study of the past at TSU espouses a mission that is distinctive to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. That mission has been to encourage every student who enters the university to understand that obstacles on the path to success are to be overcome. Grounded in this tradition, the History Department at TSU provides classes, speakers, and research opportunities that encourage students to explore groups whose struggles and celebrations center upon the issues of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation on local, national, and global levels. Given the nature of the institution, the constituents it has served, and the purpose of the program as described above, history is essential to the mission of Tennessee State University.
Program Goals
The major in History is designed to familiarize students with important events, developments, and themes of the human past while also training them in the skills of history as an intellectual discipline. While students are welcome to focus their studies regionally or topically, the curriculum and degree requirements reflect the goal of providing students with a broad understanding of their field at the local, national, and international levels.
The College of Education employs a residency model in K-12 schools during the senior or final year (fall and spring) of undergraduate teacher licensure programs. The residency year includes Residency I during the fall semester and Residency 2 during the spring semester. Residency 1 will include methods courses and 100 hours of field study in K-12 schools. Candidates enter Residency 1 as a cohort and are engaged in authentic field-based experiences. Residency 2 requires a full semester (15 weeks) of co-teaching opportunities on which to transition into the profession as competent and caring educators. Residency 1 will only be offered in the fall, while Residency 2 will only occur in the spring. All students are required to pass the edTPA Assessment to receive licensure, which is an externally graded portfolio of a student’s work during Residency 2. This assessment is being adopted by multiple states and makes licensure in Tennessee more easily transferable to other states. These initiatives apply to all undergraduate teacher education candidates pursuing teacher licensure. Students are required to seek advisement regarding their licensure programs as early as possible during their academic career at Tennessee State University to ensure that all prerequisite courses and required Praxis exams are complete in preparation for Residency. The advisor is Dr. Andrew Patrick (apatric2@tnstate.edu).
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Historical Content Knowledge: Students will be able to identify and describe major topics, themes, and developments in U.S. and world history.
2. Methods: Students will be able to discuss and apply theoretical concepts such as periodization, cause and effect, historical context, and historiography.
3. Original Research and Historical Analysis: Students will be able to synthesize first-hand documents and existing scholarly literature to produce an original research paper.
4. Students will be able to develop a lesson plan that demonstrates current pedagogical best practices appropriate to a History class (grades 6-12).
Other Requirements:
For the BA track, at least six hours in a single foreign language, French or Spanish, through the intermediate level (2010, 2020)
For the BS track, foreign language hours are not required, but students must take an additional six upper-division elective hours in Public History or social, mathematical, or natural sciences.
Upper-level Admission
For admission to the upper-level program of the History major, students must complete all of the requirements listed above under General Education Core and Other Requirements. In addition, they must have removed all high school deficiencies, passed all required developmental courses, and earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on college-level coursework. Students must also have earned a minimum grade of C in the required 6 hours of 2000-level history.
Major Core
The requirements for a BA in History include two classes HIST at the 2000 level, (6 hours); two 3000 or 4000-level United States history courses (6 hours); at least two classes at the 3000 or 4000 level in non-U.S. history (6 hours); HIST 3500, History Workshop (3 hours); HIST 4500, Senior Project (3 hours); and 6 additional upper-level hours in History. All History courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. The requirements for a BS in History include two classes in HIST at the 2000 level, (6 hours); two 3000 or 4000-level United States history courses (6 hours); at least two classes at the 3000 or 4000 level in non-U.S. history (6 hours); HIST 3500, History Workshop (3 hours); HIST 4500, Senior Project (3 hours); 6 additional upper-level hours in History, and 6 additional upper-division hours in Public History or in the social, mathematical, or natural sciences. All History courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
Minor Requirements: A minimum of 18 semester hours in History, including HIST 2010 and 2020.
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