Social Science Major

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The Social Science major is designed to develop knowledge and skills in history, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, international studies, and geography; provide interdisciplinary study in the social sciences; and study current affairs and handling of controversial issues. The major is excellent preparation for law school, government service, graduate school, and secondary school teaching in social studies. Four social science emphases are available: Global Studies, History, Politics, and Psychology.

The Bachelor of Arts in Social Science requires completion of the following 120 credits:
General Education Core (48 credit hours)
Social Science Major Core (33 credit hours)
Electives (39 credit hours)

General Education Requirements (48 credit hours)

Arts and Humanities (9 credit hours)

Take one course from each of the following three academic disciplines:

Fine Arts (3 credit hours)

Choose one course from the following:

Literature (3 credit hours)

Choose one course from the following:

Philosophy (3 credit hours)

PHL 202 - Philosophical Inquiry (3)

Biblical Studies (12 credit hours)

Take the following four courses (some courses are cross-listed and only one prefix needs to be taken):

BIB 111 - Old Testament (3) OR
HIS 111 - Old Testament (3)
BIB 114 - New Testament (3) OR
HUM 114 - New Testament (3)
PHL 315 - Worldviews: Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (3)
THE 201 - Introduction to Theology (3)

Communication (6 credit hours)

COM 103 - Public Speaking (3)
ENG 102 - English Composition (3) OR
ENG 105 - Advanced English Composition (3)

Integrative Studies (3 credit hours)

* Please see the First-Year Integration (FYI) page for specific information about this required course.

INT 101 - First-Year Integration (3)

Mathematics (3 credit hours)

MAT 112 - Mathematics for Liberal Arts (3)
(or higher except for MAT 202 or MAT 302 - Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom)

Science (3 credit hours)

SCI 230 - Integrated Physical Science with Lab (3)

Social Sciences (12 credit hours)

Take each of the following four courses:

Social Science Major (33 credit hours)

Required Core (15 credit hours)

GEO 270 - World Geography (3)
HIS 186 - The Birth of the Modern World (3) OR
HIS 206 - The Making of Modern America (3)
PSY 101 - Introduction to Psychology (3) OR
PSY 201 - Social Psychology (3)
POL 210 - Christian Political Thought (3)
POL 472 - Seminar in Politics (3)

Field-Related Electives (6 credit hours)

The Field-Related Electives can be done from the same or a different prefix as that of the Required Emphasis (below). Credit received from Teaching Assistantships does not count towards field-related elective credits.

Choose 6 credit hours of upper level (300 or above) courses not already part of the Required Emphasis Core from the following prefixes:

ECO - Economics
GLS - Global Studies
HIS - History
POL - Politics
PSY - Psychology

Required Emphasis Core (12 credit hours)

Choose an emphasis in one of the following subject areas:

Global Studies
History
Politics
Psychology

Select 12 credit hours within the selected subject area (not including any credits received for Teaching Assistantships). A minimum of 9 credit hours must be from upper level (300 or above) courses. All courses within the emphasis must be from the same prefix (e.g. GLS for an emphasis in Global Studies).