The history major is interdisciplinary in nature and includes a number of core courses in Western and non- Western history, American history, geography, government, sociology, psychology, and the American economy. As a discipline in the liberal arts and humanities, history encourages students to think critically, to argue logically, and to examine the values  of their society and those of other societies.

To receive approval for a major in history, a student must have a minimum cumulative 2.5 grade point average at the time of admission to the major. To graduate with a history major, a student must maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average through graduation. History majors who are pursuing teacher certification must have a minimum cumulative 2.75 grade point average at the time of admission into the teacher certification program and upon graduation. History majors must complete 33 credit hours in history coursework, 18 hours of which must be in upper division courses (300 level or above). History culminates with a senior capstone course that gives students an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills by conducting a research project. Required core courses in history may not be taken  independently.

Major approval is required by the end of the sophomore year. For transfer students, major approval is required by the end of the second semester at Fontbonne.

General Education Requirements

The 42 credit hours of general education requirements are presented in the academic information section in this catalog. A course that meets a general education requirement may also meet a course requirement in the major or a course requirement in another discipline.
The following specific general education courses must be chosen to meet the requirements for the history major:

• HST 103, HST 104 Introduction to Western Civilization I, II (6 hours)
• HST 105, HST 106 Introduction to American History I, II (6 hours)
• GGY 220 Cultural Geography (3 hours)
• GOV 230 American Government (3 hours)
• PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology (3 hours)
• SOC 100 Survey of Sociology (3 hours)
• SSC 201 The American Economy (3 hours)
• BIO 108 Introduction to Life Science (3 hours)
• PHY 108 Introduction to Physical Science (3 hours)
• COM 102 Public Speaking (3 hours)
• PHL 110 Introduction to Philosophy (3 hours)
• Courses Required in the Major

Requirements in History

• HST 103, HST 104 Introduction to Western Civilization I, II (3 hours)
  
• HST 105, HST 106 Introduction to American History I, II (3 hours)
• HST 490 Capstone Course (3 hours)
• HST electives: 18 semester hours selected from 300, 400 courses, including at least one course from each of the following areas: American history, Western history; and at least two courses from non-Western history. One art history course is acceptable for
  history credit.
  

Requirements in Social Studies

• GGY 100 Introduction to Geography (3 hours)
• GGY 205 Cultural Geography (3 hours)
• GOV 230 American National Government (3 hours)
• GOV Elective (3 hours)
• PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology (3 hours)
• PSY 330 Research Methods for the Social Sciences (3 hours)
• SOC 100 Survey of Sociology (3 hours)
• SSC 201 The American Economy (3 hours)
• SOC 210 Social Psychology (3 hours)
  

Courses Required in Other Disciplines

• BIO 108 Introduction to Life Science (3 hours)
• PHY 108 Introduction to Physical Science (3 hours)
• COM 102 Public Speaking (3 hours)
• ENG – two courses in Literature (6 hours)
• PSY 330 Research Methods for Social Science (3 hours)
• PHL 110 Introduction to Philosophy (3 hours)
  

Highly Recommended

• ENG 240, 241 Survey of English Literature I, II (6 hours)
• ENG 260, 261 American Literary Tradition: To Whitman; American Literary Tradition: since Whitman (6 hours)
• REL 225 World Religions (3 hours)
• ART 160, 161 Art History Survey I, II (6 hours)
  

Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

The requirements for all undergraduate degrees are listed in the academic policies and regulations section in this catalog.

A student in the history major must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale at the times of application for major approval and application for a degree. Required courses may not be taken independently. Major approval is required by the end of the sophomore year. For transfer students, major approval is required by the end of the second semester at Fontbonne