History and Politics
(Bachelor of Science Degree)

The Bachelor of Science in History and Politics combines two traditional academic disciplines: history and political science.

The new major will focus on United States history and politics, but will also allow students the opportunity to study the history and politics of cultures and societies within geographic regions around the globe. Understanding U.S. history and politics in a global context will be a central theme of the curriculum.

The curriculum is designed to provide a traditional liberal arts survey of history and politics and will prepare students seeking a career in law and education.

Law schools today are less interested in students with an undergraduate degree in pre-law as they are in students with degrees in a liberal arts discipline such as history or political science. The development of critical-thinking skills that occurs in such degree programs is an important factor in students being able to master the law school curriculum.

The curriculum will also prepare students who were seeking teacher certification at the secondary level. A History and Politics major from SVC would position our graduates very well to complete their Social Studies Certification for grades 7 to 12. Some additional course work in social studies may be required depending on the state in which a student seeks certification. Students interested in teacher certification should contact the State Board of Education in the state in which they seek licensure.

Program of Study Requirements Credits
General Core Requirements 45
Major Requirements 36
History and Politics Requirements
  • Hp200 Introduction to American Politics
  • Hp201 Comparative Politics
  • Hp208 U.S. History I: The Colonial Era Through Reconstruction
  • Hp209 U.S. History II: Reconstruction Through the Present
  • Hp215 International Relations
  • So202 Global Issues
 18
Area Studies

Choose at least two of the following:

  • Hp305 Middle East Politics
  • Hp310 Modern Asia
  • Hp315 Modern African History and Politics
  • Hp320 Latin American History and Politics
 6
Related Electives

Choose at least two of the following:

  • Cj401 Constitutional Issues I
  • Cm403 Communications in Society
  • Ec201 Micro-Economics
  • En200 Environmental Issues
  • En302 Environmental History
  • En303 Environmental Law
  • En405 Environmental Policy and Politics
  • En435 Topics in Literature of Diverse Cultures and People
  • Hp206 Western Civilization I: The Ancient World Through the Middle Ages
  • Hp207 Western Civilization II: The Renaissance Through the Present
  • Hp210 U.S. History Since 1945
  • Hp301 History in Film
  • So250 Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender
  • So321 Social Research
 6
Capstone (required)
  • Hp401 Research Seminar in History and Politics
  • Hp402 Senior Thesis in History and Politics
 6
Minor (not required) 18
General Electives up to 39
Total Credits 120