History Major | Global Studies Major | Sociology Major |
Program Information

The Department of History, Politics and Society offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Sociology, and Global Studies.  It also offers minors in History, Gender Studies, Latin American Studies, Politics, and Society.

What does being a History major entail? 

Undergraduate majors in History choose from a broad variety of humanities and social science-oriented courses in order to gain an understanding of past and contemporary human experience. As a History Major, you will study things such as: 

• How ideas, cultures, and values have changed over time
• The evolution of political structures and ideologies
• The place of race, class, and gender in human experience
• The development of contemporary nations and peoples

What skills and abilities do History majors acquire? 

History curriculums are among the most broad and interdisciplinary undergraduate programs. In studying about the past, history students learn about more than simply events, they study how peoples, ideas, institutions, and nations have changed over time.

In doing so, History majors learn about a wide variety of subjects ranging from economics to art. Whatever their specific focus of study, History majors graduate with well-developed critical skills of writing, thinking, and analysis.

What can I do with a degree in History? 

Because they graduate with a broad range of knowledge and finely honed skills of critical analysis, history majors find themselves well prepared to engage in a wide variety of professions, or to go on to graduate or professional school. Probably the majority of History majors become either lawyers or teachers, but many also go into fields including medicine, journalism, business and government service.

What does being a Global Studies Major entail?

The Global Study major seeks to instill in students a solid knowledge of particular cultures, while also providing training in the analysis of global relations – a way of preparing them to engage the multicultural and interconnected world of the 21st century.  Global Studies majors are encouraged to become both global thinkers and global participants.  Students learn how to relate their knowledge of a particular part of the world to the larger trends and issues that affect all peoples:  the interconnections of the human and non-human environments; the transnational interactions of cultures, economies, and polities; the globalizing processes of communication, technology, and science; the search for world peace, prosperity, and justice; and the sometimes violent political, ethnic, and religious reactions to what is often perceived as global hegemony by dominant cultures and economies.

What skills and abilities do Global Studies majors acquire?
The major

• Prepares students for graduate study in international studies, world affairs, policy studies, or cross-cultural studies, for professional study in law, or for service in governmental and non-governmental organizations;
• Gives students a solid Liberal Arts background for positions that involve decision-making in a changing world; and
• Draws on contemporary trends as its organizing theme, is distinctive in its comprehensive embrace of the cultural, economic, and social processes that render the contemporary world a seamless web.

What can I do with a degree in Global Studies?

What does being a Sociology major entail?

The Sociology Program is responsible for the “Society” aspect of the Department of History, Politics and Society. It offers a major and a minor, while also acting as a vital component of the History major and Gender Studies minor. A Sociology Major studies under professors Dr. Anees A. Haddad and Dr. Won Kil Yoon. Dr. Haddad focuses on Family studies and Cross-Cultural issues, while Dr. Yoon specializes in social theory, race relations, globalization, and methodolgy. The program is also supported by teaching adjuncts from other departments and specialists outside the university.

What skills and abilities do Sociology majors acquire?

Sociology teaches students group interaction, the importance of social variables, and other factors necessary for success. Dr. Haddad noticed the need for socially aware employees when he was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at La Sierra (1984-1990), “I met many CEO’s during that time period who were looking for employees who are trained to be socially intelligent, and are able to effectively interact with others in the workplace.”

What can I do with a degree in Sociology?

There is indeed a great demand for graduates with a degree in Sociology in the work force today. Major fields of jobs include, but are not restricted to, teaching, administration of justice, family and human relations, and health care.

MAJORS 

Core curriculum 
All students who major in the department complete core courses (28 units) designed to provide the basic skills of historical and critical analysis, an understanding of the scaffolding of world and American civilization, and an understanding of geographic diversities. 

Students do not take traditional United States history and world civilization surveys, which would largely parallel the University's General Education curriculum. Instead they take a set of broad thematic courses that provide a basic background in the major themes and issues of historical and cultural study as seen against a broad range of geographical settings. 

Required: 

HPSC 104,106, 274, 275, 375, 497, 498

History

Required: 56 units (a minimum of 24 upper division) in history, including

• 24 elective units: may be selected from a given area of emphasis with advisor’s consultation
• Recommended: courses in modern and computer languages as well as economics

Sociology

Required: 56 units (a minimum of 24 upper division) including:

• HPS department core curriculum
• SOCI 104, 374, 404, 495
• 16 elective units (may be selected from a general or specific area of emphasis with advisor's consultation)
• Recommended: courses in economics and psychology

Required Cognate:

• MATH 251

Global Studies

Required:  64 units (32 upper division)
THE CORE: [40 Units]

HPSC 104 (4)
HIST/SOCI 273 (4)
GEOG 276 (4)
ECON 255 (4)
HIST 275 (4)
ANTH 315 (4)
SOCI 374 (4)
HPSC 497 (1)
HPSC 498 (3)
PLSC 420 (4)
Cognates: 4 Units – MDLG 202, or demonstrated proficiency equivalent
Recommended: Advanced second language proficiency
                           Study and/or internship abroad – ANTH 495

ELECTIVES: 24 Units
8 Units from the following (Government and Political Science):
PLSC 316, PLSC 432S, PLSC 484, HIST/PLSC 440F, HIST 440, SOCI 306

8 Units from the following:  (Area/Regional Studies)
ANTH 325A, ANTH 325C, ANTH 325D, ANTH 325F, HIST 270A, HIST 270B, HPSC 106, HIST 323, HIST 354, HIST 355, HIST 380, HIST 390, HIST 430L, HIST 432F

8 Units from the following Extra-Departmental Offerings Or Courses Approved by HPS Chair

MINORS 

Gender Studies

28 units (12 upper division), including HIST 366

• COMM 344
• HIST 273, 430D, 430P
• PSYC 314
• RELE 459 A
• SOCI 418

History 

28 units (12 upper division), including HPSC 275

• 12 units from the following courses
  • HIST 105, 273
  • HPSC 104, 106, 274
    • 12 units chosen with departmental advisor

28 units (16 upper division), including:

• HIST 354, 355
• HPSC 275
• 16 units from the following courses:
  • ANTH 325A
  • HIST 430L , 430M, 440C
  • SPAN 348, 428

Politics

28 units (12 upper division), including:

• HPSC 274, 275
• PLSC 374 or HIST 366
• PLSC 316 or 474
• 12 units chosen with departmental advisor

Sociology

28 units (16 upper division) including:

• HPSC 106
• SOCI 104, 404, 414
• 12 units from the following courses:
  • ANTH 325
  • HIST 273, 430D
  • HPSC 275
  • SOCI 314, 374