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About the Department

The Department of History and Political Science is unsurpassed among academic departments at Southeastern Louisiana University in scholarship, teaching, and service.

It is one of eight academic departments in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS), the most diverse college at Southeastern Louisiana University with 25 full-time faculty members in the disciplines of History, Philosophy, and Political Science, many of whom have national reputations as scholars.

Faculty have won awards for excellence in teaching, research and service, produced a host of scholarly publications, secured over a million dollars in grants, and held various endowed chairs and professorships.

The department offers three baccalaureate degrees in the following areas of study:

  • History

  • Political Science

  • Social Studies Education

  • provides Pre-Law preparation for undergraduates

The department offers the following undergraduate minors:

  • African-American Studies

  • History

  • International Relations

  • Philosophy

  • Political Science

  • Public History

We offer a Master of Arts in History with a Thesis Option (for students planning to pursue doctoral studies), a Non-Thesis Option ( for Social Studies teachers seeking additional credentials), and a Public History Option (for those interested in working in archives, museums, historical parks and other sites).

The department is part of a university Area of Excellence in Creative Arts and Cultural Studies along with the Department of English, the Department of Music and Dramatic Arts, and the Department of Visual Arts.

The department currently offers special opportunities for Region II Social Studies teachers to earn graduate credit (including the M.A. in History), continuing learning units (CLUs), and “highly qualified” status under a U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History Grant.

The department is closely affiliated with the following research entities:

  • the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies

  • the Florida Parishes Social Science Research Center

  • Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station

The following events are sponsors or co-sponsors by the department: 

  • the Constitution Day Lecture in September

  • the “Then and Now” Fanfare History and Politics Lecture Series in October

  • the Veterans Day Lecture in November

  • the Southeast Louisiana Historical Association Winter Meeting in December

  • Black History Month in February

  • Women’s History Month in March

  • the Region VIII Social Studies Fair in March

  • The Matheny Lectures in Science and Religion in April

  • The Southeast Louisiana Historical Association Spring Meeting in May

  • The Deep Delta Civil War Symposium in June

Mission

The major objectives of the Department of History and Political Science are:

  1. to provide all students with general humanistic knowledge in the fields of history, political science, and philosophy;
  2. to aid them through this knowledge to analyze and interpret problems and achievements of past and present societies;
  3. to further their intellectual development through opportunities to think, to speak and to write logically and analytically;
  4. to prepare them to become dynamic citizens who understand the structure, powers and procedures of national and state governments and have some knowledge of other world governments as well;
  5. to provide specific background training for such professions as cultural resources management, public history, law, journalism, government service and teaching;
  6. to enable them to utilize creativity, critical thinking, professional reading and writing skills, and the ability to adapt and continue learning in a rapidly changing society;
  7. and to teach them to read intelligently, think analytically, write clearly, accurately assess past trends, rationally predict future developments, and understand the real world as they prepare for virtually any career or graduate study.

Students who wish to prepare for graduate study in history or political science for law school should consult with the head of the department.

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