Messiah College History Department Advising Guide
(For students who arrived during or after Fall 2005)
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The following course sequencing recommendations for History and Humanities-History Concentration majors are offered to help students plan out their undergraduate coursework by semester. This is not a proscriptive sequencing list, but merely intended to recommend a feasible strategy to complete these majors on time.

Those students pursuing Secondary School History-Social Studies Certification must follow the suggested sequence in order to graduate on time. Alternative strategies will require taking summer courses.

Each student will need to make adjustments to these sequences based on any advanced placement granted by the college at admission (AP credit, advanced language placement). BE SURE to consult with your academic advisor about any questions you have!
 

HISTORY MAJOR COURSE RECOMMENDATIONS
Fall Semester Freshman Year
1. US Survey (HIS 103 or HIS 104)
2. Western Civilization Survey (HIS 105 or HIS 106)
     or World Civilizations Survey (HIS 233 or HIS 236)*
3. First-Year Seminar (IDS 101)
4. Foreign Language (First Semester Level)
5. Knowledge of Bible Course (BIL 1xx)
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Freshman Year
1. US Survey (HIS 103 or HIS 104)
2. World Civilizations Survey (HIS 233 or HIS 236)*
     or Western Civilization Survey (HIS 105 or HIS 106)
3. Foreign Language (Second Semester Level)
4. Lab Science [January Term] (BIO/CHE/FSN/GEO 1xx)
5. CORE: Created and Called for Community (IDS 151)
6. Life Fitness (PER 101)
Total Credits Taken 16

Fall Semester Sophomore Year
1. Historical Methods (HIS 258)
2. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
3. Foreign Language (Third Semester Level)**
4. Literature (ENG 2xx)
5. Math Sciences (MAT/CSC 1xx/ STA 269)
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Sophomore Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Arts (ART/MUS/THE 1xx or 2xx)
3. Philosophy (PHI 231 or 241) or Religion Course (RET2xx)
4. Principles of Public Communication (COM 106)
5. Science, Tech. & the World [January Term] (IDSA 2xx)
6. P.E. Elective (PER 1xx)
Total Credits Taken 16

Fall Semester Junior Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
3. Free Elective
4.  Free Elective
5. Ethics (IDSD 3xx) or World Views or  Pluralism*** (IDSE 3xx) Course
6. P.E. Elective (PER 1xx)
Total Credits Taken 16

Spring Semester Junior Year: Experiential Learning Encouraged
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Free Elective
3. Free Elective
4. Free Elective
5. Free Elective
Total Credits Taken 15

Fall Semester Senior Year
1. Senior Seminar: Historiography & Philosophy of History (HIS 420)
2. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
3. Free Elective
4. Free Elective
5. Free Elective
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Senior Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Free Elective
3. Free Elective
4. Free Elective
5. Free Elective  
Total Credits Taken 15

TOTAL CREDITS: 123

*These courses meet the general education Non-Western Studies requirement.

**If you choose to take a Cross-Cultural Course (IDSC 260) for this third-semester requirement, you can do so in the January Term of your Junior or Senior year. Alternatively, a study semester abroad will fulfill both the college's Cross-Cultural requirement as well as the major's Experiential Learning Component requirement.

***If an Upper Division American History course is cross-listed as IDSE 3xx then the General Education Pluralism requirement is also met.

Free Electives: Although they can certainly be used earlier, we have placed the free electives in the Junior and Senior year to encourage students to creatively pursue additional studies after general education coursework has developed interests in cognate disciplines. The History Department highly recommends that you consider pursuing foreign language study (especially if you plan to complete a European concentration), a minor, or a second major. And we also encourage you to take ECO 210: Contemporary Economics as a free elective in order to give you grounding in macroeconomic theory. Of course, you can take additional history courses of your choice with free electives! The History Department highly recommends completing both halves of the Western Civilization and World Civilizations survey courses.

Experiential Learning Component: students generally pursue this departmental requirement in the Spring semester of the Junior or Senior year. Most students who study off campus do so in the Spring semester of the Junior year, while those who pursue the historical internship option do so in either the Spring semester of the Junior or Senior year.
 

HISTORY MAJORS SEEKING SECONDARY SCHOOL HISTORY-SOCIAL STUDIES CERTIFICATION
COURSE SEQUENCE
Fall Semester Freshman Year
1. US Survey (HIS 103 or HIS 104)
2. Western Civilization Survey (HIS 105 or HIS 106)
     or World Civilizations Survey (HIS 233 or HIS 236)*
3. First-Year Seminar (IDS 101)
4. Foreign Language (First Semester Level)
5. Principles of Public Communication (COM 106)
6. P.E. Elective (PER 1xx)
Total Credits Taken 16

Spring Semester Freshman Year
1. US Survey (HIS 103 or HIS 104)
2. World Civilizations Survey (HIS 233 or HIS 236)*
     or Western Civilization Survey (HIS 105 or HIS 106)
3. Foreign Language (Second Semester Level)
4. Knowledge of the Bible (BIL 1xx)
5. CORE: Created and Called for Community (IDS 151)
6. Life Fitness (PER 101)
Total Credits Taken 16

Fall Semester Sophomore Year
1. Historical Methods (HIS 258)
2. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
3. Foreign Language (Third Semester Level)**  
4. Math Sciences (MAT/CSC 1xx/ STA 269)
5. Regional Geography of the World (GEOG 103)
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Sophomore Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. The Teaching Profession (EDU 120)
3. Education in American Society (EDU 201)
4. Educational Psychology (EDU 203)
5. Additional Math Course (MAT/CSC 1xx/STA 269)
6. Science, Tech. & the World [January Term] (IDSA 2xx)
Total Credits Taken 16

Fall Semester Junior Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Upper Division History Course (HIS/IDSD 3xx)
3. Literature (ENG 2xx)****
4. Philosophy (PHI 231 or 241) or Religion
5. Field Experience for Secondary Education (EDU 318)
6. Instructional Design & Assessment (EDU 331)
Total Credits Taken 16

Spring Semester Junior Year  (Study Abroad Semester Encouraged)
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Arts (ART/MUS/THE 1xx or 2xx)
3. Lab Science (BIO/CHE/FSN/GEO 1xx)
4. Principles of Sociology (SOC 101)
5. Contemporary Economics (ECO 110)
Total Credits Taken 15

Fall Semester Senior Year
1. Senior Seminar: Historiography & Philosophy of History (HIS 420)
2. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
3. American Government (POS 113)
4. International Politics (POS 212) or Comparative Politics (POS 213)
5.  Christian Beliefs
6. P.E. Elective (PER 1xx)
Total Credits Taken 16

Spring Semester Senior Year (Professional Semester)
1. Secondary Social Studies Curriculum & Design (HIS 407)
2. Adolescent Development (PSY/FAM 311)
3. Professional Issues in Education (EDU 420)
4. Secondary Student Teaching (EDU 435)
Total Credits Taken 17

TOTAL CREDITS: 127

KEY: In order to graduate on time, you must take an Upper Division American History course that is cross-listed as IDSE 3xx so that the General Education Pluralism requirement is met in this fashion.

*These courses meet the general education Non-Western Studies requirement.

**If you choose to take a Cross-Cultural Course (IDSC 260) for this third-semester requirement, you can do so in the January Term of your Sophomore or Junior year. The January Term of your Senior year is not available for a Cross-Cultural Course since you will begin your Professional Semester in J-Term.

*** One upper division history course MUST be an IDSD/Pluralism Course.  (Native American History, African-American History, or Immigrant America)

****For a list of approved literature courses click here.

All Secondary School History--Social Studies Certification Students should be familiar with the teacher education requirements as presented on the Teacher Education Website.

           Humanities -- History Concentration Major

Course Sequence Recommendations:

Fall Semester Freshman Year
1. Lower Division History (HIS 1xx/2xx)
2. Lower Division Literature (ENG 100/200)
3. First-Year Seminar (IDS 101)
4. Foreign Language (First Semester level)
5. Introduction to the Bible (BIL 105)
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Freshman Year
1. Lower Division History (HIS 1xx/2xx)
2. Lower Division Philosophy (PHI 1xx/2xx)
3. Foreign Language (Second Semester Level)
4. Lab Science [January Term] (BIO/CHE/FSN/GEO 1xx)
5. CORE: Created and Called for Community (IDS 151)
6. Life Fitness (PER 101)
Total Credits Taken 16

Fall Semester Sophomore Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Foreign Language (Third Semester Level)*
3. Math Sciences (MAT/CSC/1xx/STA 269)
4. Principles of Public Communication (COM 106)
5. Non-Western Studies** (IDSB 2xx/3xx)
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Sophomore Year
1. Upper Division History (HIS 3xx)
2. Lower Division Art/Music (ART/MUS 1xx/2xx)***
3. Science, Tech. & the World [January Term] (IDSA 2xx)
4. Pluralism or Ethics or World Views
5. P.E. Elective (PER 1xx)
6. Free Elective
Total Credits Taken 16

Fall Semester Junior Year
1. Upper Division History Course (HIS 3xx)
2. Upper Division Literature (ENG 3xx)
3. Lower Division Art/Music (ART/MUS 1xx/2xx)***
4. Christian Beliefs (RET 2xx)
5.  Free Elective
6. P.E. Elective (PER 1xx)
Total Credits Taken 16

Spring Semester Junior Year
1. Upper Division Philosophy (PHI 3xx)
2. Free Elective
3. Free Elective
4. Free Elective
5. Free Elective
Total Credits Taken 15

Fall Semester Senior Year
1. Senior Seminar: Historiography & Philosophy of History (HIS 420)
2. Free Elective
3. Free Elective
4. Free Elective
5. Free Elective
Total Credits Taken 15

Spring Semester Senior Year
1. Free Elective
2. Free Elective
3. Free Elective
4. Free Elective
5. Free Elective
Total Credits Taken 15

TOTAL CREDITS: 123

*If you choose to take a Cross-Cultural Course (IDSC 260) for this third-semester requirement, you can do so in the January Term of your Junior or Senior year. Alternatively, a study semester abroad will fulfill this third-semester Cross-Cultural requirement.

**These requirements can be met with History courses that are cross-listed as IDSB 2xx (Non-Western Studies) or IDSE 3xx (Pluralism).

***The History Department highly recommends that Humanities-History Concentration majors study Art History to meet the Art/Music major requirements. These can be either Lower Division (100/200-level) or Upper Division (300-level) courses.

Free Electives: Although they can certainly be used earlier, we have placed the free electives in the Junior and Senior year to encourage students to creatively pursue additional studies after general education coursework has developed interests in cognate disciplines. The History Department highly recommends that you consider pursuing foreign language study (especially if you are emphasizing European history), a minor, or a second major. We also encourage you to take ECO 210: Contemporary Economics as a free elective in order to give you grounding in macroeconomic theory, as well as to study abroad for a semester or have an internship experience in your Junior or Senior year.

Of course, you can take additional history courses of your choice with free electives! The History Department highly recommends completing both halves of the Western Civilization and World Civilizations survey courses.