The history departments more specific mission is to convey historical knowledge in the broadest sense to the students of Central Washington University and to the citizens of Washington State through offering introductory history courses in the universitys general education program, by offering undergraduate and graduate programs leading to teaching and other careers, and offering lectures, newspaper articles and publications to public fora on items of current interest. The department emphasizes the history of the major geographical areas of the world and participates in the Asia/Pacific Studies, Latin American Studies and emerging African American/African/Black Diaspora Studies programs, in order to prepare students for the internationalism of the twenty-first century. It also participates in other interdisciplinary programs that emphasize diversity and a variety of special interests.
The History Department's course empahsis on America's past and world issues builds responsible citizenship and responsible stewardship of the earth for the university's students. Its support of study and travel abroad serves the mission for international study. The emphasis on historical research and writing in survey and upper level courses assures essential skills for undergraduate research and lifelong inquiries into new issues facing our alumni.
I. Goal: Offer students exposure to historical knowledge of the world outside the United States and the United States itself. II. Goal: Prepare quality teachers of the common schools of Washington State, grades 4-12. III. Goal: Teach students the value of a liberal education for careers in the professions, business, industry, public administration and non-profit institutions. IV. Goal: Help students to expand their cultural horizons beyond the region and the nation. V. Goal: Make students and others aware of the links between history and other disciplines. VI. Goal: Increase the public awareness and knowledge of history. VII. Goal: Foster an appreciation for critical analysis and effective communication among students.
Faculty agreement on essential learning outcomes and rubrics for evaluating research papers in History 481, the Capstone course for graduating seniors, permits coherent goals for all majors, regardless of the instructor of the course. It also ensures unanimity concerning skill-building assignments in preliminary courses, notably History 302: Introduction to History for beginning history majors.
The research papers produced by graduating seniors in History 481, the capstone course, have generally exhibited solid mastery of essential research, writing, and analytical skills. Some of this work has been shared at SOURCE and the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference, sometimes winning distinction. Once data from our new rubric for individual student abilities are collected and tabulated, we will be able to target areas needing course revision. Study abroad
The History Department's 2003 Program Review indicated that flexible scheduling of classes might enable instructors to save days or half-days for scholarly research and writing. To that end, we have experimented with night classes, late afternoon classes, double-sized survey classes with two teaching assistants for discussion sections, and classes with extended hours for two or three days rather than five 50-minute sections. These modifications seem to draw students and alsosatisfy instructor needs for bigger blocks of time to conduct research.
1. Our professors have offered trips for students to India, China, Africa, and Mexico. Our students have taken advantage of these trips for summer or spring break credit. 2. Our students have participated in SOURCE and Phi Alpha Thetas regional contest, where they have frequently won distinction for their effort. 3. We have encouraged students to collaborate with faculty in research, as in the China Environmental Research Project. 4. We have nominated strong MA students for Best Thesis and seen them win the campus prize for best thesis. 5. We have held an annual celebration of student achievements every May, in conjunction with initiation into the national honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. 6. Our faculty have participated in interdisciplinary programs such as Asia Pacific Study, Latin American Studies, Women's Studies, and African American Studies. 7. Our faculty have won numerous prizes for dedication to teaching, research, and publishing. 8. The quality of faculty publications is demonstrated by the prestige of university presses and refereed scholarly journals in which we publish. 9. We hired professors with expertise in African/Near Eastern History and Irish History. 10. We started fund-raising for a student travel award to encourage international study.
1. In order to help graduate students finish their degrees in a timely fashion, we are now requiring that a prospectus be written and approved in the fourth quarter of study. 2. In order to provide our Ph.D.-bound MA students with greater depth as well as breadth in subject matter, we are encouraging focused readings credits in major fields. 3. We found student writing skills to be weak, so we steered students to the writing center on campus, initiated our own “writing days,” and committed to requiring papers and essay exams in all history courses. 4. We found SEOIs to be inadequate for feedback to faculty so one faculty member launched a campaign to revamp student evaluation forms. This process is now stalled in the Faculty Senatee sub-committee. 5. We needed discretionary monies for student gatherings and receptions for candidates for jobs. We were delighted that Dr. Paul LeRoy's endowment yielded interest for that purpose. 6. Technology available does not keep up with the times. We will continue to argue for additional equipment. 7. Profs needed chunks of time for research that daily 50 minute classes did not allow, so we experimented with alternative scheduling.
The History Department is central to the university as outlined in its mission statement. It exposes students to the major geographical areas of the world and major historical eras. Understanding history is essential "to prepare students for responsible citizenship, responsible stewardship of the earth," and to lead "enlightened productive lives." Through our expertise in regional, national, and international history, we provide our students and the community with critical information to solve "human and environmental problems." Our award-winning faculty provide our students with "lifelong learning" and intellectual depth.
Bachelor of Arts: History Major (58-60 credits): The Department of History requires majors to develop familiarity in the areas of American History, European History, and Non-Western History. The coherence of this major resides in its requirement that students receive a breadth of knowledge about the history of the US and World Civilization. The department expects students to complete these survey courses either before or shortly after declaring history as a major. Newly declared majors receive initiation into the discipline with a course that emphasizes the skills of communication, interpretation, research and critical analysis (HIST 302, Introduction to History). Students then deepen their understanding of both US and world history in a variety of upper-division courses related to specific eras and geographical areas. In the history major, the department’s courses emphasize interrelationships among regions as well as the skills of communication, chronology, signification, interpretation and critical analysis. The department assesses the students’ understanding of the historical discipline in a senior seminar requiring the completion of a research paper (HIST 481, Understanding History). Future teachers of Social Studies take His 421, a methods course, and Pacific Northwest History, a state requirement that the History Department provides. The Graduate Program effects a breadth of knowledge in courses on US, European and World History but requires a synthesis of knowledge in the final MA thesis, project, or exams.
History professors maintain currency with developments in the field by engaging in scholarly research, joining professional associations, subscribing to scholarly journals, attending conferences, engaging with peers via computer, and shaping the library collection by advising the Acquisitions Librarian on campus. We review textbooks for adoption. We serve as consultants by evaluating scholarly articles for journals and books for publishers, and by judging competitions for book prizes. We shape the scholarly discourse by contributing our book reviews, articles, books, and encyclopedia entries to major scholarly presses. These activities refine and enhance the material we bring to the classroom. We have alerted students to internships available in the community, for 1-3 credits. We have publicized study abroad opportunities. We have encouraged strong students to polish research for SOURCE on campus, Phi Alpha Theta and other scholarly venues.
In conjunction with student evaluations, faculty annually assemble their course syllabi, reflective essays on their teaching goals, evidence of participation in conferences and workshops devoted to better teaching. They invite colleagues to observe them in the classroom, attend the quarterly Faculty Development Workshops, and discuss pedagogy on a regular informal basis. The faculty periodically discuss the skill levels of the students in individual courses and in the senior seminar and make adjustments as necessary in syllabi, tests, and required papers. Poor student performance in the first years of History 481 launched the creation of History 302. Faculty learned that graduating seniors in History 481 had not assembled solid research skills and determined that History 302 should lay a firm foundation at the beginning of the History major. The addition of History 302 has indeed yielded improvements in upper level history courses.
It is expected that our first tabulation of History 481: Captstone assessments for fall 07, winter 08 and spring 08 will occur at the end of this academic year.
All members of the faculty distribute student evaluation (or SEOI) forms to their students at the end of every course. These are reviewed by the chairman quarterly and by the dean annually. Faculty-chair discussions are held if results warrant consultation. Dr. Thomas Wellock has spearheaded a campus plan to revise these forms to provide more focused feedback to instructors and their supervisors, but movement has been glacial. In Fall of 2007, the faculty devised a new rubric for grading His 481 research papers, with seven categories. We will now begin to collect data for areas in which students supercede, meet and disappoint the faculty's expectations.
The History Department makes a contribution in two areas of the General Education requirements, under Social and Behavioral Sciences, via three five-credit courses. History 144 (US Since 1865) satisfies the Perspective on the Cultures and Experiences of the US. History 102 (World Civilization from 1500-1815) and History 103 (World Civilization Since 1815) satisfy the category of “Perspectives on World Cultures.” All three courses require extensive writing instruction and practice. Students write papers and take essay exams, evaluated by an instructor. All meet the new “w” requirement for improved writing for undergraduates.
The History Department does not yet track each individual's trajectory of skill-building from the lower level courses through the major.
Master of Arts: The purpose of the 45-credit program offered by the Department of History is to develop graduates possessing a range of historical knowledge as well as special competency in a particular area. Students receive systematic training in historical methods, sources, tools, and interpretation. It is a further purpose of the program to train students for lives of productive scholarship and stimulating teaching as well as non-academic pursuits where historical background in required. Finally, in recognition that all students do not have the same objective, the MA degree program contains three options designed to suit different objectives: one (A) that prepares students to enter a Ph.D. program; others (B) and (C) designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of high school history teachers. All programs share a common core consisting of historiography, research, and reading seminars that introduce students to an in-depth knowledge of the discipline’s development in the major regions of the world and to the sophisticated skills of research. Students also take courses related to their area of primary interest. Option A requires a reading knowledge of a world language and culminates in a formal thesis and an oral defense of the thesis; Option B concludes with a project that represents substantial historical research and an oral defense of the project; Option C concludes with a written and oral exam in two fields approved by the department’s graduate committee and a portfolio of the student’s written course work.
Depth and breadth of course readings, subject matter, sophistication of spoken and written analysis, and standards of quality of work all provide a more focused and rigorous training in the discipline of historical inquiry.
Rachel Birks, Ramirose Attebury
Two professors offered courses in summer 2007 which were beamed to multiple centers.
History 314: US military History and History 316:Modern Middle East since 1914
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All courses of Dr. Amutabi used Blackboard technology.
Two of the nine members of the History Dept offered distance ed courses. For the most part, both reported positives results for this trial run, once they got used to looking at the camera. The procedure seemed no less effective than in person instruction. They cited the opportunity to reach a wider number of students at multiple locations and facilitate corss-cetner interaction. The recording of lectures for later use by absent students, was regarded as a plus. However, in a 6 week summer session, the infrequent ferrying of papers and exams and assignments was a drawback for one prof, who was unaware of alternative methods for exchange of materials. Clearly a handbook of mechanical systems should be avialable to first-time instructors of distance ed.
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To meet classroom objectives, the history department provides extensive mentoring and advising services to our students. Faculty are available every day for mentoring students from general education courses to the masters thesis. Several faculty have acted as McNair Scholars mentors and mentors on other scholarship awards. The faculty also provide extensive advising services for career development and placement.
Faculty participate in the Transfer Fairs, Wildcat Weekend, and picnics held for the parents of new students to advise them on what Central offers their sons and daughters. The faculty also distribute a brochure discussing the applicability of history skills to other professions.
Organizations: The History Department has two faculty-led student organizations. The Phi Alpha Theta Society is a national honors association open to membership to any student who earns a GPA of 3.1 or higher. The department also has a History Club, open to all history majors. Over the years the club has promoted the study of history, social events, and charitable programs through a number of activities. The students have organized trips to study historic Roslyn, Fort Clatsop and the Lewis and Clark Trail in Oregon, and a tour of the National Park Service Yukon Gold Rush Museum in Seattle. The club sponsored an informal speaker series to discuss history and issues in the historical profession. Last year the club sponsored a faculty talk on teaching the Holocaust. Occasionally, they show films, new and old, of historic interest. The club has organized trips to baseball games, and has carried out numerous fund-raising events such as book and bake sales. The club has also been active in charitable events winning a prize for its contributions in a local food drive, and they are among the hosts of CWU’s “Boo Central” Halloween program for children in Ellensburg.
SOURCE (Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression)--Last year we had two students participate in the conference: Lisa Ostrander and Dustin Clark. CWU Graduate Conference--In 2003, three graduate students (Bill Frank, Carolyn Clark, and Jennifer Meyer) participated. Bill Frank and Jennifer Meyer won honorable mention awards for their papers. CWU Distinguished Thesis Award--Since this award was started in the late 1970s, history department students have won this award more often than any other program on campus. In the last five years, two history graduate students won the award. Tracey Pepper received the award in 2001, and Michael Duerre won it in 2003. National Science Foundation Research Experience--This is a program of field research in the Social Sciences for undergraduates. The eight-week program is comprised of: ten days of research preparation at Central Washington University; four weeks of research in Beijing and Xian; and two weeks of analysis, writing, and presentation at Central Washington University. In the past the History Department has sent Jody Bell, Mara Knight, Elizabeth Medford, and Kayme Lambert on this summer program. Phi Alpha Theta Conference (National Honor Society for Historians)--Last year seven undergraduate and graduate students presented papers at the regional conference held in Bellingham. McNair Scholars Program--Several students went on to prestigious fellowships after being mentored by history department faculty.
Students have taken advantage of internships and practica available. Students have served the Thorp Mill, museums in Ellensburg, Yakima, and Tacoma, the oral history program at the Ellensburg Public Library, the Legislative Internship Program in Olympia, and the National Science Foundation research program in China.
With approximately ten full and part-time faculty members, the History Department is a small unit and its governance follows a simple format. The department chair oversees the daily operation of administration, budgeting, and scheduling. Governance is usually by a committee of the whole, however there are three standing committees.
The History Department has actively sought out recognition for the accomplishments of its faculty. The department chair has been honored with the university’s Distinguished Professor of Research Award. Three members of the department have won the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and one member has won the College of Arts and Humanities’ Award for Faculty Research Excellence. The faculty also successfully sponsored the department secretary for the Employee of the Month Award. Faculty have also won university wide competitions for funding of research programs.
Data provided by Instructional Research and other appropriate offices.
Budget cuts have severely diminished acquisition of journals, books, reference materials, maps, and microfilmed collections of newspapers and primary collections in the last decade. The History Department’s faculty commend library efforts to facilitate research under these circumstances -- particularly the special efforts of many library staff people; participation in the SUMMIT system; the growth of Inter-library Loan services; the acquisition of computerized databases that provide scholarly journal articles and primary sources; supplementary materials acquired by Friends of the Library; President McIntyre’s call for the collection of historical materials relating to CWU’s past; and campus cooperation with the State Archives Central Branch at the Bledsoe-Washington Archives Building. Nevertheless, it is imperative that the library be recognized as a key component to successful research by faculty and students in an institution that increasingly calls for a growth in research. Let us commit to acquiring necessary periodicals, indices and other reference works, and full-text databases that are not currently available but are essential to conducting appropriate and relevant research.
Professors use Summit Parenthical description and urge their students to use Summit for materials unavailable on this campus. Databases and world library catalogs are also tapped. Professors use Inter-library Loan services with Inter-library Loan Director Becky Smith’s aid and urge their advanced students to do the same. Most upper division history classes require a research paper of students, necessitating their use of the campus library. History majors are required to take History 302: Introduction to History, a course that teaches library skills and encourages library use, for all subsequent courses in the department. Senior majors are required to take History 481 at the end of their career, to refine their research skills. Instructors assign Reserve Reading at the library for courses. Media services lends DVDs and videos appropriate to classroom instruction. High demand for timely topics, like Islamic history, necessitates acquisition of multiple copies. Professors and their students access the CWU collection on CATTRAX from PCs for history research. The Department of History used its Rodine Library Fund to purchase a two thousand dollar English-language encyclopedia on Russian History for the library. The History Department requires an introductory course of majors, History 302 and a capstone course, History 481, both requiring major research skills for successful completion of the major. Proficiencies are assessed via graded research papers, evaluating not only historical content but also sophistication of library research, analysis of sources, and documentation of materials employed.
1. Faculty send evaluation cards to Pat McLaughlin, Acquisitions, to endorse the purchase of key publications and decline acquisition of unsuitable materials. 2. Dr. Dan Herman is the History representative to the Library Advisory Board. 3. Faculty work with Kirsten Erickson, Periodicals, to evaluate appropriate journals for new subscriptions, renewals of current acquisitions, or cancellation. 4. Professors cooperate with several professional librarians, including Gerry Hogan, Head of Reference; John Creech in Computer Services; and Jan Jorgensen in Government Documents to prepare tours for students, prepare customized web-pages with specialized links to course-specific websites, and offer individual help with research projects.
With approximately ten full and part-time faculty members, the History Department is a small unit and its governance follows a simple format. The department chair oversees the daily operation of administration, budgeting, and scheduling. Governance is usually by a committee of the whole, however there are three standing committees.
Graduate Committee: Three faculty members and the department chair as ex officio member are responsible for admitting students to the graduate program, awarding teaching assistantships, advertising our programs, and recommending policy changes to the department. Personnel Committee: Three tenured and one tenure-track faculty members are responsible for the review of non-tenure track faculty and recommending tenure-track and tenured faculty to the college dean for reappointment, tenure, and promotion. When the department has fewer than three tenured members, a tenured outside member is added to the committee in place of the tenure-track faculty member. Scholarship Committee: Three faculty members are responsible for awarding departmental scholarships that are disbursed annually to history majors.