Senate Document Number 3503S

Date of Senate Approval 02/13/03

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

APC Document 27:  Computer Competency for History Majors

Effective Date: Fall 2003

Add:

On page 122, under Major in History, section IV, after the sentence on oral competency:

"Computer competency is satisfied by the successful completion of History 452."

Impact:
No significant impact is foreseen. This addition merely clarifies a competency that is already provided in the coursework that majors are required to complete. Consequently, no additional resources are required, no concurrences are required, and no change is made to the student workload.

Rationale:
In the field of history, computers are primarily used for writing and for research. Students in HIST 452 must produce a 25-page research paper based on primary sources, using accepted standards of writing, documentation, and research. It is impossible to do this without a knowledge of sophisticated word-processing--including footnotes and endnotes--and comprehensive research, much of which must be conducted using the internet and various computer databases. Students receive instruction in these skills in HIST 452 as it is currently constituted.