History

Faculty

Roy Palmer Domenico, Ph.D., Chair
Sean Brennan, Ph.D.
Josephine M. Dunn, Ph.D., Director, Art and Music Program
Michael D. DeMichele, Ph.D., Advisor, International Studies Program
David J. Dzurec III, Ph.D.
Shuhua Fan, Ph.D.
Lawrence W. Kennedy, Ph.D.
Lee M. Penyak, Ph.D.
Susan L. Poulson, Ph.D.
Robert W. Shaffern, Ph.D.

Mission Statement

The Department of History at The University of Scranton is a group of teachers and scholars who support the mission of the University by their commitment to the Catholic, Jesuit and liberal arts traditions. The Department contributes significantly to the core curriculum in the arts and sciences, offers an impressive array of upper-division courses in various areas of history, and provides the essential historical foundation for interdisciplinary programs at the University. It offers undergraduate majors and minors in history and international studies as well as minors in art history and music history.

The historians and art historians in the department are dedicated to helping students learn how to find, assimilate, evaluate and apply information about past human activities from all quarters of the globe.

Faculty members in the department advise students in the selection of structured course sequences which will help prepare them for a wide variety of careers.

The department is committed to perpetuating its tradition of service to the University and local community and of excellence in teaching. It envisions building upon its growing achievement in scholarship through increased publications and participation in professional organizations and conferences.

The department supports the liberal arts mission of the University by giving students a historical perspective on the human condition while, at the same time, contributing to the development of their ability to read perceptively, write cogently, and think logically. In their pedagogy and counseling of students and in their personal conduct, they enhance the University’s purpose of affirming the personal worth of their students and facilitating their growth as responsible human beings and, in addition, fostering their spiritual development and concern for social justice.

Overview

The department offers two majors to University students. The major in History leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. The major in International Studies leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. Both programs are serviced by full-time faculty who bring to their classrooms a love for their specific areas of history and an enthusiasm for classroom teaching. Their individual teaching styles provide students with a wide variety of learning experiences. Through advisement, the faculty encourages students to tailor their programs to their individual interests and career goals, thus taking advantage of the flexible courses of study built into both programs. History and International Studies majors have gone on to careers in many fields, including education, business, communications, government, and law. (See the “Pre-Law” section of this site for details of the department’s success in preparing students for the study of law.)

Major in History

“History illuminates the human condition.”¹ It is the memory of human experience. The Department of History seeks to provide its students with an understanding of the significant institutions, events, trends and individuals that have shaped that experience, thus helping them to develop a better understanding of contemporary cultures and the human condition.

The student majoring in History will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the development of human society and culture through the study of the past, specifically the history of Europe (from the Renaissance through the 20th century) and the United States (from its beginnings through the 20th century). To accomplish this, the student will identify and describe the major individuals, groups, institutions, ideas and events that have helped to shape political, social and economic developments over time; identify and describe major historical eras or periods that have led to the present; and identify and describe the principle of cause and effect and relate historical examples. In addition, students majoring in History will apply the procedures used by historians to find and document sources, collect evidence and draw conclusions in completing original research. Students will write and speak effectively about historical issues.

¹ Poster, "Business and History," prepared by the National Center for the Study of History, Inc., 1988. (Noted in "History, It's Our Future," a publication of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, Inc.)

Minor in History

A minor in History (18 credits) should include HIST 110-111 or HIST 120-121 or HIST 125-126 plus any four additional history courses.

History Curriculum
Dept. and No.				Descriptive Title of Course	Credits
				FIRST YEAR	FALL	SPRING
MAJOR		HIST 110-111		United States History	3	3
MAJOR		HIST 120-121		Europe: 1500 to Present	3	3
GE WRTG-SPCH		WRTG 107 - COMM 100		Composition - Public Speaking	3	3
GE C/IL		C/IL 102		Computer Information Literacy	3
GE QUAN		QUAN ELECT		Quantitative Reasoning		3
GE PHIL-T/RS		PHIL 120 - T/RS 121		Intro to Philosophy - Theology I	3	3
GE FSEM		INTD 100		Freshman Seminar	1
GE PHED		PHED ELECT		Physical Education		1
					16	16
				SECOND YEAR
MAJOR		HIST 140		Craft of the Historian	3
MAJOR		HIST ELECT		History Electives	3	6
COGNATE		COGNATE ELECT 1		Cognate Electives	3	3
GE S/BH		S/BH ELECT		Social/Behavioral Electives	3	3
GE PHIL-T/RS		PHIL 210 - T/RS 122		Ethics - Theology II	3	3
GE PHED		PHED ELECT		Physical Education	1	1
					16	16
				THIRD YEAR
MAJOR		HIST ELECT		History Electives	6	3
COGNATE		COGNATE ELECT 1		Cognate Electives	3	3
GE NSCI		NSCI ELECT		Natural Science Electives	3	3
GE HUMN		HUMN ELECT		Humanities Electives	3	3
GE ELECT		FREE ELECT		Free Electives	3	3
GE PHIL-T/RS		PHIL-T/RS ELECT		Philosophy or T/RS Elective		3
					18	18
				FOURTH YEAR
MAJOR		HIST 490 - HIST ELECT		History Seminar–History Elective	3	3
COGNATE		COGNATE ELECT 1		Cognate Electives	6	6
GE ELECT		ELECT		Free Electives	6	6
					15	15
					Total: 130 Credits
1 Students may use cognate electives to develop a second major.