Through opportunities inside and outside the classroom, students in the Department of History and Political Science will find themselves in a learning environment that educates the whole person. While graduates will have the necessary skills and critical thinking to enter the workforce or attend further graduate education, students will also learn how to learn and will grow to value learning as an end in and of itself. Our goal as a community of Christian scholars is that students will discover what they are passionate about, explore ways to actively engage these ideas, and develop skills that will enable pursuing a career focused on this passion.
Opportunities inside the Classroom
- The Department’s curriculum provides a strong foundation for students seeking careers in History, Political Science, and International Studies. The goal of the curriculum is to provide sufficient core courses so that students graduate with confidence and competence in their field of choice, but also plenty of choices so that the student can discover what he or she is truly passionate about within the discipline.
- Taking the classroom on the road: The Department has a strong history of offering courses that have a travel component. Classes have journeyed together to Korea, Japan, China, Italy, and Greece.
Opportunities outside the Classroom
The Institute for Politics and Public Service facilitates the Department’s internship program, brings political and community leaders onto the campus to network with students, and provides career advice through the Insiders Insights Seminar.
Students have the opportunity to present their original research to their peers and professors in the annual Colt Student Conference.
The Department works closely with the University’s Margaret Stevenson Center for Women’s Studies, which provides resources that enable students to learn about prominent women’s issues. The Department co-sponsors guest speakers with the Women’s Studies Center and collaborates with the Center on a minor in Women’s Studies, including offering several courses for the minor.
Thanks to the community and camaraderie among the students and faculty in the Department, a host of events occur formally and informally throughout the academic year. These include, but are not limited to, Honors Societies’ functions, guest speakers, the Tuesday night International Current Events Discussion Group and much, much more.
Opportunities outside the Campus
- The International Studies major has study abroad opportunities built into the curriculum requirements. Point Loma has a flourishing Study Abroad program and collaborates with hundreds of programs in over sixty countries.
- The Capitals Program in the Political Science major gives students an opportunity to spend a semester taking courses and doing internships in academic programs in world capitals, Washington D.C., and Sacramento.
- Students have opportunities to travel with faculty to History and Political Science conferences and to present their original research at these conferences.
- Internships are an essential part of putting academics into action. With the assistance of the Department’s Institute for Politics and Public Service, students have access to a deep network of internship opportunities in San Diego.
- Recent internships have placed our students in the offices of county supervisors, city councilpersons, state and national congressional offices, and city hall.
- Internships at non-profit organizations working with local vulnerable populations and refugees have also been in demand.
- Students interested in public policy have also landed internships with local law offices, military, and financial services.