History Department Advisement Tips
Spring 2009
History Department Requirements
Electives, Minors, and Concentrations
Withdrawing from/Retaking a Class
All students who intend to graduate from Rowan University with a B.A. in History need to fulfill History program requirements and earn at least 120 credits. Of course students with coordinate majors and students working towards certification need to fulfill those requirements as well. Students also need to demonstrate computer competency either through taking a course on computer literacy or passing a short test in computer competency (for information on the test, go to http://www.rowan.edu/studentaffairs/asc/testing/computer_competency/).
Keep in mind that you need a 2.5 History G.P.A and 2.0 overall G.P.A. to graduate. STUDY HARD NOW; if your overall or history G.P.A. is too low, you will have to retake courses to improve your G.P.A. Since some history courses are only offered every few semesters, having to retake a course could seriously delay your graduation.
Students should try to construct their schedules so that they take some electives and some History courses each semester. Since upper level history courses typically require A LOT of reading and 10 page research papers, plan your schedule so that you do not have to take more than two upper level history courses in a semester.
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All students should see their advisor regularly; preferably every semester but at least once per year. Advisors are assigned to freshmen and incoming transfer by last name; to find out who is your advisor, see the Advisement Chart on the History Department website, http://www.rowan.edu/colleges/las_new/departments/history/current/advisementchart07_001.html. This chart is also posted in the department. Once you have been assigned an advisor, you don’t need to switch until you become a senior; ALL SENIORS NEED TO SEE DR. BLAKE!
Each semester, faculty office hours are posted on the department website and in the department.
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History Department Requirements
NON HISTORY REQUIRED COURSES
Communications:
Students should take Communications courses, Composition I,
Composition
II, and Public Speaking, ASAP. These courses teach
basic
writing and communication skills that will help you perform well in
your other classes.
In addition, students who have not completed Composition II can
not
register for Historical Methods.
Science and Math:
Students are required to take one math elective and one science lab
(4
credits). For a list of courses that may be used to fulfill the Science
and
Math requirements, go to http://www.rowan.edu/provost/registrar/,
and click on “Click Here to View the General Education
Guide.” Only math courses listed under “Mathematics” in
the Science and Mathematics bank count towards the math
requirement.
Economics, Political Science, and Geography/Anthropology:
Students may take any course in Economics, Political Science, and
Geography/Anthropology that is approved for the Social &
Behavioral
Gen Ed bank (for a list of approved courses, follow
instructions listed
in “Science and Math” above).
Courses that fulfill this requirement for Political Science include Intro to Government & Politics, American Government, and Contemporary World Problems. Please note that Survey of Western Political Theory and State and Local Government do NOT fulfill this requirement.
Note that the Geography/Anthropology course must be designated M/G (Multicultural/Global) in the catalog; i.e. you can not use Geography of US and Canada to fulfill this requirement.
Readings in Non-Western Literature:
Students must take Readings
in Non-Western Literature.
Foreign Languages:
All students must take two semesters of the same foreign
language. Students who have passed second semester college
level
study of a language (e.g. Spanish II) are exempted from this
requirement,
though they are strongly encouraged to continue with a second year of
language
study.
Artistic and Creative Experience (ACE) course:
Students may take any course designated as “Artistic and Creative
Expression” (for a list of approved courses, follow instructions listed
in “Science and Math” above); we strongly recommend that students
take Art Appreciation or Music
Appreciation.
--Students must take Western Civ to 1660 (typically offered fall semester only), Western Civ since 1660 OR World History After 1500, and one other 100 level survey courses (Education coordinate majors must take US I and US II). Survey courses ideally should be taken during a student’s freshman year.
--Students should take Historical Methods as soon as they complete Comp II and their 100 level history electives. Historical Methods is a time consuming, writing intensive course, but it is a prerequisite for ALL upper level History courses, so take it by your first semester junior year, at the latest, so you don’t have to take more than 2 upper level History courses per semester. Since Historical Methods is a prerequisite for upper levels, putting off taking this course (or dropping out once you’re in it!), may delay your graduation.
--Seminar should be taken in the last semester of senior year or after students have completed at least 3-4 upper levels.
Global History:
--Students must take at least two global History courses. Courses on any area of the world other than the U.S. or Europe can be counted as global; African American History I and II focus on American history, so they do NOT count as globals. Students are strongly encouraged to take two upper level global History courses, but World History Since 1500 may count as one global.
History 300-400 Electives:
--Students can take any combination of five 300 and 400 level courses. Proseminar counts as an upper level course; students may take as many (or as few) proseminars as they like.
Given the heavy workload in upper level History courses, we recommend that you do not take more than two upper level History courses in a semester.
Any substitutions for required History courses must be approved, in writing, by the advisement coordinator or chair.
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Electives, Minors, and Concentrations
Since Elementary and Secondary Education students have almost no electives to play with, they need to plan their schedules very carefully. Otherwise, the remaining 53 credits of electives can be drawn from any course offered by any department or college at Rowan, including History.
Students should use these electives to pursue areas of interest or to further career plans. If you intend to go to graduate school in history, for example, consider pursuing the Honors Concentration and/or Foreign Languages minor. If you intend to go to law school, consider taking additional courses in Political Science or a Political Science minor and/or an Honors Concentration; students interested in public history or who plan to enter the corporate world should think about pursuing a Minor in Business.
Minors: There are many minors at Rowan that could help students professionally after graduation: Anthropology, Art, Art History, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Dance, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, Journalism, Law and Justice Studies, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre Arts. For links to these minors, go to http://www.rowan.edu/provost/academic_affairs/admissions/acadprograms/index.cfm.
Concentrations: Rowan offers many concentrations, which, like a minor, is concentrated study (18-21 credits) in a particular area. The difference between concentrations and minors is that concentrations are interdisciplinary (i.e. the courses are drawn from different departments), where minors involve taking 18-21 credits concentrated study from one department (e.g. a minor in history). Concentrations at Rowan include: African American Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, Creative Writing, Environmental Studies, Honors Studies, International Studies, and Women's Studies. For a complete list and links to these concentrations’ websites, go to http://www.rowan.edu/provost/academic_affairs/admissions/acadprograms/index.cfm.
History students can often earn a concentration within their required History program courses, so that even students with tight programs such as Education coordinate majors can earn a concentration. The International Studies Concentration, for example, requires 18 credits, but all History students already have 9 credits of courses that count through History Department requirements (Readings in Non-Western Lit and 2 global histories), and students who take World Regional Geography, Cultural Geography, Cultural Anthropology etc. for their Geography/Anthropology requirement already have 12 credits. The other 6 credits can be fulfilled either through choosing additional global histories as upper levels or through choosing to study a language where first year courses count (e.g. Russian, Zulu, Chinese, Arabic) towards the concentration. Similarly, through selecting their courses carefully, students can fulfill requirements for the Asian Studies and African-American Studies Concentrations with courses that also fulfill History requirements. The Women’s Studies concentration only requires one or two courses outside of History program requirements.
If you decide to pursue a Concentration and/or Minor, be sure to declare it at the C.A.P. center in Savitz and see an advisor for that program. The Minor/Concentration will be listed on your transcript.
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Withdrawing from/Retaking a Class
If you stop showing up for a class and do not officially withdraw, you will receive an F in the course; you can only erase that F through retaking the same course, which may not be offered again for several semesters. The deadlines for withdrawal (and the required signatures) are listed at the beginning of the Schedule of Classes each semester, so if you decide to stop taking a class, be sure to complete the paperwork by the deadline.
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The portfolio represents a sample of your written work; it will be due when you take Senior Seminar. Since you will be asked to copy papers you’ve written onto a disc for your portfolio, BE SURE TO KEEP FILES WITH YOUR PAPERS ON YOUR H-DRIVE AT ROWAN OR IN A FILE ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME WHERE YOU CAN RETRIEVE THEM WHEN YOUR PORTFOLIO IS DUE. If you do this, complying with the portfolio requirement will be a simple process.
For more information about the portfolio, see the History Department webpage.
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The History Department allows majors to take any General Education course as Pass/No Credit. Each semester, the Schedule of Courses includes a list of courses that may be taken pass/no credit (click on Schedule of Courses from the Registrar’s home page, http://www.rowan.edu/studentaffairs/registrar/, highlight the “Classes and Registration” bar on the left and click on the “Registration and Course Schedules,” click on the “Registration Information” link for the current semester, then scroll through the booklet until you reach “Courses which allow the Pass/No Credit Grade Option,” usually in the middle of the booklet). Note that no more than 10% of credits earned may be taken P/NC.
Education coordinate majors should be sure to check with their Education advisor before taking any classes on a pass/no credit basis.
There are no History courses that can be taken pass/no credit, not even for non majors.
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The History Department encourages students to Study Abroad, especially in non English speaking countries. The Study Abroad program at Rowan offers programs in dozens of countries, including non English speaking countries where students can take classes in English. Students can study abroad for credit (and using financial aid) during the academic year and the summer. You need to have your course selection approved by the advisement coordinator or chair in advance, but the History Department allows majors to take history and non history courses at universities overseas so that students can enjoy the benefits of studying abroad and remain on track for graduation.
For more information about Study Abroad, go to the International Center’s Study Abroad website at http://www.rowan.edu/colleges/las/departments/internationalcenter/abroad/#.