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Civilization’s Roots
The History Program offers courses designed to give students a broader understanding of other cultures, as well as a basis for thoughtful evaluation of the trends and developments in the contemporary world. The department also provides training in the methods of careful research and critical analysis. History courses offered at Newberry College emphasize the development of written and oral communication skills and critical thinking.
Available Majors, Minors, and Concentrations
The Midlands area is complete with sites of historical significance, including battle fields of the Revolutionary and Civil wars. The battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens are considered by many historians to be turning points in the Revolutionary War. Columbia, located just 40 minutes from Newberry, has a number of museums of history including the Mann-Simons Museum of African-American Culture, the Confederate Relic Room and Museum, the South Carolina State Museum, Historic Columbia Foundation and the State Archives.
Where Success is Found
The International Studies major offered by the department is an interdisciplinary program which includes courses in business administration, economics, political science, history and foreign language. Recognizing the realities of today’s global economy, it provides good preparation for careers in international business and banking, government, and work with public and private foundations.
The Pre-Law program at Newberry College is designed around the curricular recommendations of the South Carolina Supreme Court and the Association of American Law Schools. The latter organization advocates a general liberal arts education for pre-law students because “many of the goals of legal education are also goals of liberal education.” Most pre-law students at Newberry major in either History or Political Science. Majors in the department include History, History with Teacher Certification, and International Studies. The department offers minors in History and the Pre-Law program.
Study Abroad
Newberry College believes in the educational benefits one can derive from cross-cultural contact and travel. Opportunities for study abroad are offered to students in a number of programs. Students spend a summer, semester or an entire calendar year in a foreign country for full academic credit. Newberry has access to many Study Abroad Consortiums. These consortiums offer both English language and foreign language programs at several universities in Europe and Asia.
Majors:
History
History with Secondary Education concentration
Minors:
History
Requirements
The History major consists of 42 credit hours, including history core and electives, and two semesters of a foreign language (which can also be met through placement tests or AP credit), along with the option of taking Constitutional Law and/or one of three Church History classes toward the major.
Students who plan to teach history or social studies at the secondary level must satisfy all of the requirements for the history major, and for any student in the Teacher Education department. The South Carolina Department of Education requires that History teachers be certified in the more broadly-based field of Social Studies, to include cousework in economics, American government, psychology, geography and sociology. Students should note that to complete a degree in History and the South Carolina certification mandates now requires a minimum of 132 credit hours in specified courses over the College career. All education candidates, regardless of major, must complete a minimum of 108 hours of field experience in a public school prior to student teaching.
The History minor requires 18 credit hours, with at least nine hours of courses numbered 211 or higher.
Career Possibilities
- High School Teacher
- Entrepreneur
- Historian
- College Professor
- Lawyer
- Librarian
- Church Professional
- Politician
- U.S. Military
Faculty
Timothy Elston
Ombudsman
J. Tracy Power
Director of Newberry College Archives | Associate Professor of History
Jesse L. Scott
Professor of History
