Course Listings
History Pre-Law
Major in History Pre-Law
45 credit hours
- COMM 204 Expository Writing3
- One of the following3
- HIST 212 Thinking About the Dead3
- One of the following3
- Five upper-level History, at least 2 non-U.S.15
- US History
- Non-US History
- POSC 305 US Constitutional Law3
- CJRJ 307 Criminal Law3
- One of the following related courses3
- HIST 409 Internship2**
- HIST 410 Seminar: Historical Thinking3
- HIST 411 Seminar: Thesis3
Planning and advising notes
** Must be in the legal field or adjacent; 1 credit hour of Law School application prep and professional communication training at the National Immigration Justice Center. Senior thesis in HIST411 should also be tailored around the legal field and related topics. Students wanting a minor should refer to the Pre-law studies minor page.
Student learning outcomes
Graduates in History Pre-Law will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic historical context and patterns, legal principles, and political theories.
- Efficiently read and interpret historical, cultural, political, and legal evidence in the form of primary and secondary sources.
- Skillfully construct and communicate arguments in both written and oral form.
- Analyze, support, and refute arguments from a variety of perspectives.
- Interpret the moral responsibilities of these tasks for their professional future in a way that cultivates empathy, civic community, and transformative justice.
Planning guide
- HIST 411 Seminar: Thesis
| First year | Goshen Core Thinking about the Dead Revolution or Culture Wars |
| Second year | Goshen Core Introduction to Political Science or Public Policy Expository Writing SST (fall or spring) |
| Third year | Goshen Core U.S. Constitutional Law Business Law or Restorative Justice or Mediation Upper level history courses Internship |
| Fourth year | Balance of Goshen Core Criminal Law Upper level history courses HIST410 Seminar HIST411 Seminar |
CJRJ 307 Criminal Law
Students are introduced to the basic concepts and substance of criminal law in the United States including the elements of an offense and criminal defenses. Special emphasis is placed on case studies involving particular crimes such as homicide, white-collar crime,...
COMM 204 Expository Writing
(Cross-listed from Engl 204) Theory and practice of written communication. Assignments in a variety of prose forms aim at developing the student’s control of logic, organization, rhetoric, usage, and audience accommodation. Prerequisite: CORE 110 or equivalent.
HIST 212 Thinking About the Dead
Why do we remember the past? How do we talk about those that have died and can’t talk back anymore? How do we judge their good and terrible choices that still affect us? This course explores how wrestling with these...
HIST 409 Internship
Using research, writing and organizational skills in a setting outside the classroom; deliberate reflection on the process of historical or legal inquiry.
HIST 410 Seminar: Historical Thinking
Philosophy and purposes of history; principles and methods of historical research; history and Christian faith; choice of a topic and bibliographical work and initial research on that topic. Course to be taken in the fall semester of the junior year....
HIST 411 Seminar: Thesis
Continued research on topic chosen and presentation in forms of oral report and written thesis paper. Course to be taken in the spring semester of the senior year. Required of all majors. Prerequisite: Hist 410.
POSC 305 US Constitutional Law
A basic introduction to the federal system of government in the United States based on the US Constitution. Focus on the constitutional arrangements established at the nation’s founding, critical points in the constitution’s evolution and the contemporary setting. Topics may...