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• Handbook

History General Education

• Freshmen
• Transfer
• Education
• Transfer credit for Wheaton Students

Entering Freshmen - The History General Education requirement may be met by:

• Advanced Placement Test in World History
  
     1. A score of 4 or 5 meets the requirement.
  
     2. A score of 3 may use HIST 131 (2 credits).
  
     3. Scores below 3 must enroll in HIST 105 or 115.
  
  
• Students with International Baccalaureate exam credit in history should contact the registrar's office for information about equivalency. (A minimum IB score of 5 is required for consideration.)
  
  
• Students seeking Teacher Certification must take HIST 351 or 352 AND (select one) HIST 292, 331, or 334.

Transfer Students - The History General Education requirement should be met as follows:

• Transfers with no history must enroll in History 105, 111 or 115.
  
  
• Transfers who have 3 or 4 hours or more in approved European or World History courses have met the requirement. Approved courses are of a general character, with broad chronological scope. Advanced courses of limited chronology and cultural scope are not approved, e.g. Modern German History.
  
  
• Transfers who submit two semester hours in European or World History must take HIST 131.
  
  
• Transfer students submitting credits in U.S. History only have not met the requirement and must enroll in HIST 105, 111 or 115.

Education Students - Students seeking teacher certification meet the History General Education requirement differently, as part of their Social Science requirement:

Students seeking certification for public school teaching must take 8 hours of history, 4 hours in United States history (HIST 351 or 352) and 4 hours in world history (HIST 334 Asia, HIST 331 Africa, or HIST 292 Latin America) to meet the general education requirement in history. If a student clearly intended to pursue teacher certification but did not complete the process, these courses will still meet the general education requirement. To fulfill the Social Science requirement, the student also must take PSCI 135 American Politics and Government.

Transfer Credit Policy for current Wheaton Students

Students currently enrolled in Wheaton College who wish to satisfy the History General Education requirement must follow the guidelines below before enrolling in a course they wish to transfer.  These policies do not affect classes transferred as elective credit in history; they only apply to general education.

Rationale:  The History Department remains concerned over disparities in quality and equivalency among transfer courses students have used to satisfy the general education requirement in world history.  The department has worked hard to insure that History 105, World History—the main world history general education course— reflects the priorities of Wheaton College as stated in the General Education Statement of Purpose and the Diversity Initiative.  At the same time, we see a significant number of students satisfying the general education requirement through transfer courses, including courses taken on-line.  While some of these courses appropriately meet the general education requirement, many do not.  They demand little in the way of reading, writing, and critical thinking about history and are especially weak in attention to diversity.  As a result of these concerns, in 2005 the History Department implemented the following policy concerning transfer credit for history general education. The policy has been revised, effective fall semester 2007. It applies to classes students take after they have matriculated at Wheaton College, including those taken by incoming freshmen. The registrar's office will continue to evaluate general education credit for transfer students based on current practice. Also, these policies do not affect classes transferred as elective credit in history; they only apply to general education.

These are the changes affecting transfer credit:

Any course to be transferred for history general education credit must be approved by the History Department.  Students should submit a syllabus and a Department 'Application for Transfer Credit' to the department for approval prior to enrolling in the course.  Approval should be secured during the academic year since department faculty may not be available during the summer months.  Syllabi will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• The breadth of chronology, geography, and culture is suitable for a foundational liberal arts course in world history.  Courses in western or European history are no longer accepted.  The course should also reflect a concern for diversity, e.g. gender diversity, ethnic diversity or the interaction between the West/Europe and the world.
• Requirements meet basic standards for a lower-division, 3- or-4-credit college-level course:
  
  1. Reading: 1,200-page minimum, including both standard textbooks and supplemental secondary sources
  2. Writing: Six typed pages minimum
  3. Discussion: Eight scheduled discussion periods or equivalent minimum
  4. Exams: Two exams (mid-term and final) minimum
  5. Contact hours: 40 minimum

The department will exercise discretion in accepting syllabi that reflect a workload equivalent to the minimum standards listed above, even if the assignments did not correspond precisely.  For example, a clearly defined group project might satisfy the discussion requirement.  Or, a significantly increased writing requirement might replace one exam.  Our purpose is to maintain standards of equivalency, not to insist on the letter of the law.  Eventually we hope to assess syllabi on outcomes rather than course requirements.

How to request History Department approval of transfer courses to satisfy the History General Education requirement:

Complete the 'Application for Transfer Credit' form (available in the History Department or on-line (www.wheaton.edu/History). Submit the form plus a syllabus for the proposed class. You usually can obtain a syllabus on-line or by e-mailing the professor or department. A representative syllabus from a recent year the course was taught is acceptable. If your request is approved, we will notify you via e-mail, and you may stop by for Dr. Long or Dr. Yamamoto to sign the Registrar's transfer credit form (not the same as the History Department form).

Please note: These standards for evaluating transfer credit meeting the history general education requirement will be applied to the evaluation of all courses submitted for our consideration.  We would note specifically that the history offerings at College of DuPage do not meet the history general education requirement at Wheaton College.  Due to the number of students transferring credit from COD, the History Department already has evaluated COD courses in Western Civilization based on the above criteria. Particularly due to weaknesses in on-line courses, these courses are not accepted. The Registrar will continue to honor History 111 or History 112 taken before fall 2005 at COD for current students as meeting the GE requirement in history. The same processes and standards we have followed in evaluating these COD courses, as described above, will be followed in evaluating all transfer requests.

Courses in U.S. history do not satisfy the history GE requirement, nor do specialized upper division history courses.  Students should satisfy the general education requirement during their first or second year at Wheaton, as appropriate for a lower division course.

History Handbook Index