Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose:
Goals1. The Department consists of the disciplines of History, Political Science and Sociology. Within these disciplines, quality classroom instruction is provided with opportunities for a variety of learning experiences, activities and research and reporting designed to prepare students for a more fulfilling life, for employment in a variety of occupations and for graduate studies.
2. The Department meets the standards of the American Social Science Association for undergraduate education in the various disciplines of the Social Sciences.
Outcomes/Objectives
1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the methodologies, concepts, and subject matter of the discipline of their major.
2. Students will demonstrate ability to conduct original research in the discipline of their major by designing a research proposal, collecting data, analyzing the data and writing up the results of their research, data and analysis.
3. Students will be satisfied with their preparation within the Major, with their employment, employers will be satisfied with SUU graduate employees and students will be successful in attaining admission and performance in graduate school.
Assessment Criteria
1. Department majors and minors will pass all classes in their Social Science subject major and/or minor with a C grade or better as assessed by the professional professors assigned to the respective classes. The College and the Department have among the toughest grading curves on campus and are consistent with peer institutions' grading standards.
2. Comprehensive pre and post assessment tests appropriate to the respective discipline will be administered to majors in each of the disciplines.
3. Graduating majors in the Social Science disciplines will complete at least one original piece of research using the acceptable style manual for the respective discipline. The minimum acceptable grade for this research is B. Student research will be kept in portfolio files.
4. Post graduate surveys of students and employers will determine satisfaction with preparation in the major, with employment, employer satisfaction with discipline major employees, and success in admission to graduate school and levels of graduate school performance.
Implementation
1. Students who do not perform satisfactorily on instructor created assessment instruments will not be allowed to count the course as part of a major or minor in the Social Science Department.
2. Majors taking History 2700, 2710, 1010, 1020, Political Science 1100, and Sociology 1010 and 1020 will be given discipline specific standardized exams. The students taking the Senior Seminars will be given this comprehensive exam in this capstone course. The Department expectation's there will be an average 15 percent improvement in the post test.
3. Majors who do not pass seminars and their senior capstone course with a B or better will not be approved for graduation.
4. Majors will have in their department portfolio at least one piece of original research conforming to the style of the discipline and receiving a grade of B or better.
5. Post graduation surveys will be kept on file and evaluated at least annually to determine that levels of satisfaction remain consistently and statistically significantly high.
Process
1. Majors will be informed of the C or better grade requirement through the SUU catalogue, the Department handouts (major/minor requirements), and in personal advising. The curriculum audit, discipline advisement, and Department Chair's review of student graduation worksheets will confirm that grade requirements are met.
2. The original intent is to use available standardized exams within the discipline such as standardized advance placement tests. This will require some funding to acquire, monitor and grade the exams. Where standardized tests are not available or satisfactory, the discipline will develop a test. This will require some time, effort and perhaps release time or overload pay.
3. Student pre tests and post tests will become part of the student's file and will be retained for comparison and for checking the pre and post tests have been taken and are within the expected standards of achievement.
4. Student original research projects are currently being retained in student portfolios in the Department. Students will be informed of the B or better grade requirement through the SUU catalogue, the Department handouts (major/minor requirements) the capstone syllabus, and personal advising. The curriculum audit and the Department Chair's review of the student graduation worksheet will confirm that the grade requirement is met.
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Last Update: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 |  |