Mission and Goals
Mission Statement of the Department of History
Consistent with the missions of Louisiana Tech University and the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of History maintains a faculty composed of professionals who understand and value the interrelated goals of instruction, research, and community service.
In the tradition of liberal arts education, the Department of History is student-centered and is committed to teaching and advising. To this end, the department aims to:
- Teach general and specialized history courses for undergraduate history majors and minors, graduate students, and all other students as determined by the General Education Requirement or by their own curricula.
- Contribute to the expansion of historical knowledge and understanding through original research and publication.
- Contribute to the diffusion of historical knowledge and understanding through public outreach programs and service to professional and community organizations.
Program Goals
Bachelor of Arts in History
BA Program in History: Knowledge Domain Goals -- What graduates should know
| Knowledge Domain |
Program Goal(s) |
| United States History |
Students will develop a sound command of factual knowledge in the field of U.S. history. |
| European History |
Students will develop a sound command of factual knowledge in the field of European history. |
| Non-Western/"Non-Traditional" History |
Students will have opportunities for exposure to the history of the non-western world and of groups or topics once excluded from the "traditional" curriculum. |
BA Program in History: Skill Domain Goals -- What graduates should be able to do
| Skill Domain (from University statement) |
Program Goal(s) |
| Critical Thinking |
Students will develop analytical and critical skills and learn to utilize such skills in the critical analysis of historical events and situations. |
| Creative Thinking |
Students will develop innovative approaches to studying history and explaining its relevance and importance to subsequent generations. |
| Communication Skills |
Students will use language, both written and oral, effectively to defend propositions, develop arguments, and explain ideas and events. |
| Ethical Thinking |
Students will recognize that the discipline of history is not an exact science, but a system of study which requires the observer to analyze events in the context of time, place, and culture, and to take into account differing cultural and ethical belief systems. |
| Technological Skills |
Students will acquire basic technological skills necessary for effective communication in the 21st century. |
| Research Skills |
Students will learn to locate, gather, analyze, and synthesize complex information, and to draw conclusions based upon it. |
| Marketplace Skills |
Students will learn to work effectively individually and in groups, to manage time, and to make timely submissions of acceptable products. |
Master of Arts in History
MA Program in History: Knowledge Domain Goals -- What graduates should know
| Knowledge Domain (from University Statement) |
Program Goals |
| History |
Students will develop a sound command of factual knowledge in one or more specific area(s) of concentration. |
| Historiography |
Students will develop a working familiarity with major works of historical literature, recent trends in historical research, and important debates in one or more specific field(s) of history. |
MA Program in History: Skill Domain Goals -- What graduates should be able to do
| Skill Domain (from University statement) |
Program Goal(s) |
| Critical Thinking |
Graduate students will recognize that history is more than a recital of facts. They will develop analytical and critical skills and learn to utilize such skills in the critical analysis of historical events and situations. They will demonstrate interpretive skills, as evidenced by the ability to analyze complex information and to discuss and evaluate questions of meaning, significance, and causality. |
| Creative Thinking |
Graduate students will learn to recognize potential connections between apparently disparate events. They will demonstrate synthetic skills, as evidenced by the ability to synthesize complex information, and to discuss personalities, events, and issues in their broad historical context, drawing connections and comparisons as appropriate. |
| Communication Skills |
Graduate students will use language, both written and oral, effectively to defend propositions, develop arguments, and explain ideas and events. Graduate students will also develop innovative approaches to studying history and explaining its relevance and importance to subsequent generations. |
| Ethical Thinking |
Graduate students will recognize that the discipline of history is not an exact science, but a system of study which requires the observer to analyze events in the context of time, place, and culture, and to take into account differing cultural and ethical belief systems. |
| Technological Skills |
Graduate students will acquire basic technological skills necessary for effective communication and research in the 21st century. |
| Research Skills |
Graduate students will learn to locate, gather, analyze, and synthesize complex information, and to draw conclusions based upon it. They will demonstrate this ability through the conceptualization and execution of original research projects based on primary sources. |
| Marketplace Skills |
Graduate students will learn to work effectively individually and in groups, to manage time, and to make timely submissions of acceptable products. |
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