History, Minor
"Why study history? The answer is because we virtually must to gain access to the laboratory of human experience. When we study it reasonably well, and so acquire some usable habits of mind as well as some basic data about the forces that affect our own lives, we emerge with relevant skills and an enhanced capacity for informed citizenship, critical thinking, and simple awareness. The uses of history are varied. Studying history can help us develop some literally 'salable' skills, but its study must not be pinned down to the narrowest utilitarianism. Some history—that confined to personal recollections about changes and continuities in the immediate environment—is essential to function beyond childhood. Some history depends on personal taste, where one finds beauty, the joy of discovery, or intellectual challenge. Between the inescapable minimum and the pleasure of deep commitment comes the history that, through cumulative skill in interpreting the unfolding human record, provides a real grasp of how the world works."—Peter Stearns
The History Minor is compatible with any campus major, and adds breadth and depth to any course of study. The minor has specific relevance to such diverse fields as wildlife management, business, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Program Goals
- To provide students with a general knowledge of history and historical methodology;
- To prepare students, through training in communication skills and in research methods, to gain knowledge of a given area of history;
- To prepare students to continue personal study and learning about specific subject areas in the discipline on an independent basis;
- To prepare students to engage in critical thinking; and
- To introduce students to the theoretical frameworks that serve as the foundation of historical scholarship.
Expected Student Outcomes for the History Program
On completion of the Bachelor’s degree, history majors at CSU Pueblo will:
- Demonstrate literacy–analytical reading and effective writing skills–in general, and for historical content;
- Demonstrate understanding of the history of historical writing, and demonstrate the ability to apply the principles and theories that support historical writing;
- Demonstrate knowledge of specific times and locations studied, and knowledge of the complexities of the past and the diversity of human cultures in those times and places;
- Apply the concepts of historical thinking, for example, in evaluating change over time; and
- Demonstrate skills in historical research, including historical analysis and interpretation.
Outcomes Assessment Activities for the History Program
Portfolio reviews serve as the core, formal assessment tool for the history program. Student portfolios contain papers written for HIST 493 Seminar (3 c.h.). Portfolio papers are reviewed on the basis of the student learning outcomes.