History Minor

Outcomes

Our curriculum is designed to develop a deep understanding of the human past and to provide students with insight into the world in which they live through a perspective of time and change. History courses include a consideration of ideas, values and value systems, enhancing students' understanding of and appreciation for both their own and other cultures. At the same time, our curriculum teaches historical writing, analysis and research, and it fosters an appreciation of historical prose as a distinctive form of literature. History is a form of inquiry and understanding that encompasses all aspects of the man experience and illuminates how the past causes the present and thus the future.

Graduates should

• demonstrate understanding of the importance of chronology, sequential development, and geography
• be able to evaluate historical evidence; understand the forces and processes of historical change and continuity; and
• have the capacity to handle diverse historical interpretations.

In terms of program outcomes and competencies for our undergraduate majors and minors, Loyola graduates should be able to:

• Produce analytical arguments by using evidence and facts to interpret past events, behavior and processes in their own historical writing and projects.
• Identify the arguments put forth by historians in order to compare, evaluate and criticize different interpretations of the past. In doing so, our graduates will be able to evaluate the adequacy of evidence (including a variety of sources: documents, films, diaries, images, oral and digital histories, etc.) that historians use to make truth claims about the past.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the processes of historical change and be able to discuss and evaluate causes, complexities and consequences of change over time in relationship to historical events and processes.
• Demonstrate an understanding that human values and beliefs are shaped by historical context and they will gain the capacity to make informed judgements about past and present behavior and ideas with a goal of fashioning a more just world. In this endeavor, students will gain an understanding of the ethical practices and standards for historical research and writing.

Updated as of Fall 2017

The minor in history, in conjunction with a major in a related field will provide historical background desirable for a well-grounded liberal arts degree, the preferred background for admission to most professional programs.

Total number of hours: 18

Introductory (Core) Courses (2)

6 HRS

Required Areas—Two (2) 300-level courses

6 HRS

Electives: Any two additional 3-hour classes

6 HRS