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Senior Assessment

Purpose
The purpose of senior assessment is three-fold. First, it helps gauge how well the History and Political Studies Department is meeting its educational objectives. Second, it offers history and political studies majors the opportunity to develop independent study skills and review their history and political studies program in a comprehensive way. Third, it enables history and political studies faculty to have a more informed basis for recommending students for jobs and graduate study.

Criteria
Senior assessment involves: 
  • HIST 490 Senior Exam Preparation: A one-hour independent study course in which students review their coursework, read several historical classics, and participate in a conversation with the history and political studies faculty.

  • Department resume: A resume of activities during the student's time as a history or political studies major at Southern. Students who add the history or political studies major late in their education can include activities before they became history or political studies majors.

  • Oral exam: At the beginning of the fall semester, seniors will take the departmental exam in the form of a one-hour interview of the candidate by the history faculty. The oral examination is graded on an A, B, C, F basis. Honors is granted to students scoring better than ninety-five. A failure requires further preparation by the student and another interview before graduation.