Program Requirements for History/Pre-Law Majors (72 credits)
The student who majors in History/Pre-Law will:
- acquire a working knowledge of the history and political systems of the major world areas and of the major historical and political interpretations regarding those areas;
- engage in the modes of inquiry of history, political science, and the cognates of social sciences and humanities, as well as pursue purposeful, honest, and effective research in the fields;
- participate effectively in discussion of historical, social, and political issues, exercising respect and critical thinking in analyzing opinions and tentativeness in formulating opinions and conclusions;
- analyze the cultural characteristics and accomplishments of diverse national, ethnic, and religious groups, recognizing and appraising the values implicit in their specific orientations;
- analyze the impacts of economic and social forces on political, social, and historical development of nations and world areas and on the global community;
- relate historical, ethical and political knowledge to current affairs, responding to the challenges of contemporary society with well-informed effectiveness;
- identify the influence of human emotions upon historical development and demonstrate empathy with the common aspirations of members of the human community.
42 credits (14 courses) in History and Core (24 credits):
| HIST 100 | Roots of the Modern World | 3 |
| HIST 101 | Global History of the Twentieth Century | 3 |
| HIST 105 | Ethnicity and Diversity in the Modern?World | 3 |
| HIST 252 | United States History to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 253 | U.S. History Since 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 260 | Introduction to Historical Research | 3 |
| HIST 200+ | | 3 |
| HIST 460 | Seminar in History | 3 |
History Electives (18 credits):
6 courses at 300/400 level, at least one from each of the following areas: American, European, or non-Western/Global South.
Twelve credits (4 courses) in Social Science Cognates
Note: ECON 100 or another Macro-Economics course for transfer
Eighteen credits (6 courses) in Pre-Law Concentration
| PL 200 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| PL 210 | Legal Reasoning | 3 |
| CJ 200 | Introduction to the Law | 3 |
PHIL Elective
Choose from:
PS 300+ Elective
Choose from:
| PS 312 | International Relations | 3 |
| | | |
| PS 315 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| | Or | |
| PS 316 | Constitutional Law II | 3 |
| | | |
| PS 314A | American Political Thought I | 3 |
| | Or | |
| PS 314B | American Political Thought II | 3 |
| | | |
| PS 325 | The American Presidency | 3 |
| PS 327G | | 3 |
| PS 400 | Comparative Governments | 3 |
A copy of the complete curriculum is available upon request from the Social Sciences Department.
Retention in the program is based on the student maintaining an overall minimum QPA of 2.00, as well as a QPA of 2.33 in the major.
The Mary Donnelly Lenahan ’43 Pre-Law Scholarship Award for excellence in Pre-Law studies is awarded to a student who is either enrolled in the History/Pre-Law major of the Social Sciences Department or pursuing another University major and completing the Pre-Law minor offered by the Department of Social Sciences with the intent of pursuing a career in law. The scholarship is awarded in either the fall or spring semester of the senior year at Marywood University.