Contacts

Paul H Rakes
Associate Professor
Phone ext: 3243
Fax Ext: 3775
E-mail: Paul.Rakes@mail.wvu.edu

History & Government

The History and Government program has three essential purposes. First, it is designed to provide the student with insights into the history of the nation and the world, with special emphasis upon political, social, cultural, economic, and ecological changes. Secondly, it provides a strong background for graduate study in history and related fields, careers in government, social services, and some areas of business, and positions with historical societies and museums. Thirdly, for students interested in attending law school, the program meets and exceeds the criteria for pre-law curriculums established by the American Association of Law Schools. Foreign Language Option: Students are encouraged to take 12 hours of foreign language. These hours, with departmental approval, can be taken in lieu of history and literature courses. History and Government minor: 27 semester hours: Hist-101, 102, 152, 153, 3 hours of History 300+ courses; POLS-102, 316.

Assessment Exam: Seniors must take and pass an assessment examination to fulfill graduation requirements, and it is the student's responsibility to contact their advisor in the first two weeks of their final semester to register for the exam.

Community Service: Seniors must complete 15 clock hours of approved community service.

Program Learning Outcomes


In addition to the general education learning outcomes listed elsewhere in the catalog, graduates of this program will understand:

  1. Human origins, with an examination of the prehistoric and historic periods.
  2. The impact of Greek and Roman history on world and American history.
  3. The evolution of European states.
  4. The evolution of civilization in Asia, the Far East, Africa, and Latin America.
  5. The Intellectual and scientific advances of the human being.
  6. The political developments in world and American history.
  7. The impact of ideologies in the human experience.
  8. The role of government in the human experience.
  9. The importance of the liberal arts in the human experience.
  10. The importance of technology in the human experience.

Note: With approval of the advisor, restricted electives may be selected from the following disciplines: history, political science, literature, sociology, business, philosophy, or psychology.