Bachelor of Arts - History

The School of Liberal Arts offers the Bachelors of Arts degree with a major in History. The B.A. degree in History is for students interested in a wide range of career choices ranging from education to law to the business world. The History major consists of two tracks: History with Teacher Certification and History. Students pursuing the History with Teacher Certification track will take a combination of comprehensive education and history courses designed to prepare graduates for careers as educators. Students pursuing the History track will take upper-level courses that provide a broad foundation for the study of history, including advanced study in one of the four concentrations: United States History, World History, Western Civilization, and Interdisciplinary/Thematic History. The History track also allows students to take additional courses to build a second history field of study or to establish a concentration in another discipline.

Curriculum

General Education Requirements (60 hours)

The primary objective of the general education requirements is to guarantee that all students seeking a Bachelors of Arts in History (BA) degree will share a common body of knowledge drawn from a broad spectrum of subject areas.

Additional Requirements (3 hours)

The physical education requirement is comprised of one credit hour of Wellness and two credit hours of additional Physical Education courses.

Legislative Requirements

Georgia law requires that each candidate for a degree demonstrate knowledge of the history and constitution on the United States and Georgia. These requirements may be met by receiving a passing grade in certain courses, or by passing the appropriate examination. The courses and the requirement(s) each course satisfies are as follows:

1. HIST 2111  or HIST 2112  satisfies the Georgia and U.S. history requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
2. POLS 1101  satisfies the Georgia and US Constitution requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
3. Students with transfer credit (HIST 2111  or HIST 2112  or POLS 1101 ) from outside the University System of Georgia will need to contact the Testing Center regarding the legislative exams requirement.

Major Requirements (60 hours)

The major requirements consist of three areas of study: History Core, Concentrations, and General Electives. The History Core is designed to ensure that students receiving the BA degree in History will share a common body of knowledge needed for a wide range of private and public sector organizations. Concentration courses allow students to delve further into areas of specialization. General Electives give students an opportunity to explore topics of interest at an advanced level.

Program Outcome Goals

Bachelor of Arts - History

Concentration: Teacher Certification

A graduate of the History Program will be able to:

1. Interpret and evaluate primary and secondary sources as historical evidence
2. Retain a useful body of historical knowledge of key people, places, events, and trends in history.
3. Interpret and evaluate historical arguments.
4. Produce historical research that demonstrates critical thinking, develops an argument with evidence, and adheres to the standards of attribution and citation used by professional historians.
5. Prepare for future endeavors and careers arising from and enhanced by historical knowledge, methods, and skills.
6. Satisfy the 12 Candidate Outcomes identified for the Education Preparation Program.

Educator Preparation Outcomes

The School of Education is committed to preparing teachers who ensure that students reach high levels of achievement. GGC graduates are caring, competent, analytical, collaborative, and adaptive. Research supports the central role of each of these domains in fostering student achievement. Each of these domains is operationally defined by a set of specific learning outcomes which are expected of candidates in all programs.

Domain 1: Interpersonal Expertise

2.5 Candidates foster environments that reflect ethical behavior, respect, kindness, safety, and care.
2.6 Candidates create culturally inclusive learning environments that capitalize on the developmental characteristics and life experiences of learners.

Domain 2: Content and Pedagogical Expertise

2.1 Candidates know the content they are expected to teach and engage in ongoing learning opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in order to provide all learners with engaging curriculum and learning experiences based on local and state standards.
2.2 Candidates utilize a variety of content appropriate instructional strategies which include communicating effective and descriptive feedback to maximize learning for all students.
2.3 Candidates seamlessly integrate technology into the design, delivery, and assessments of learning environments and experiences.
2.4 Candidates manage learning environments and collaborate with learners to make appropriate adjustments and to set goals for their own learning.

Domain 3: Assessment and Analytical Expertise

3.4 Candidates assess student learning using appropriate assessment tools.
3.5 Candidates organize, analyze, and interpret assessment data from multiple sources, which guiding learners in examining their own thinking and learning as well as the performance of others.
3.6 Candidates’ instructional decisions are data-driven.

Domain 4: Leadership Expertise

4.3 Candidates assume leadership roles in classrooms and other school/community environments.
4.4 Candidates collaborate effectively with peers, school personnel, families, and community members.

Domain 5: Adaptive Expertise

5.1 Candidates exhibit routine and adaptive expertise for teaching.

Admission to the Educator Preparation Programs

Admission to the Educator Preparation is required for admission to junior- and senior-level courses in the majors. The following requirements must be met for admission into the Early Childhood Education and Special Education majors, as well as the Teacher Certification Tracks of the biology, English, history, mathematics, and political science majors.

1. The applicant must be a student in good standing at Georgia Gwinnett College. This means that the applicant should not be on academic warning or academic probation.
2. The applicant must have completed 45 semester hours of college level credit by the end of the semester of application with an overall GPA of 2.5 or better.
3. The applicant must have earned a grade of C or better in EDUC 2110 , EDUC 2120 , and EDUC 2130  (or have approved course substitutions) by the end of the semester of application.
4. The applicant must pass or exempt the GACE Basic Skills Assessment by the end of the semester of application.
5. The applicant must receive satisfactory ratings on the Pre-Professional Practices and Behavior in EDUC 2110 , EDUC 2120 , and EDUC 2130  OR submit a recommendation form from a professor at the non-GGC institution where the candidate took the EDUC courses.
6. The applicant must have a satisfactory performance on an oral presentation in EDUC 2110 , EDUC 2120 , or EDUC 2130  OR an oral interview with a faculty mentor at GGC.
7. The applicant must submit evidence of liability insurance. Liability insurance may be obtained through membership in a professional educators’ organization.
8. The applicant must submit an Application for Admission to Educator Preparation which includes all of the required documentation.

Prospective applicants to the Educator Preparation Programs may obtain application information from their mentors or from the School of Education.

General Education: (60 semester hours)

Additional Requirements (3 hours)

Program of Study (64 semester hours)