Contact
Department of History, Borserine Hall
816.501.8400
Jeffrey Myers, Ph.D., PROFESSOR
P: 816-501-3649 / E: jeffrey.myers
History at Avila
At Avila University, studying history means more than sitting and soaking up information. Small class sizes and innovative teaching mean that you’ll take an active part in their learning.
Classes are hands-on meaning that you’ll participate in a variety of different activities from analyzing primary historical documents to debating tough questions with your peers. As a result, Avila history students leave the classroom better equipped to collect and analyze information, to communicate their ideas, and to work collaboratively with others. Our small classes and dedicated faculty better prepare students for a variety of careers. At Avila, we help you become a leader, not simply an employee.
If there are any questions we can answer, please contact us at 816.501.3649 or email us. Schedule a campus visit today. See how Avila can feel like home the minute you step on campus. Plan your visit or request more information.
History Outcomes
In addition to the listed course requirements, history majors must meet all of the following outcomes.
- Knowledge: Identify and characterize the major questions of American and World history in terms of continuity and change using relevant political, economic, social, religious, and cultural institutions, traditions, and beliefs.
*All history courses provide instruction and practice relevant to this outcome. - Theory: Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of race, gender, class, ethnicity, or religion on the experiences of ordinary and extraordinary people of the past using current historical theory and methodology. *Formal instruction and practice occur in, HI 399 Historical Methods, but preliminary instruction and practice are components of every upper-division history courses.
- Praxis: Using the “knowledge” and “theory” of the outcomes above, examine and analyze primary documents, pose a historical question (i.e., offer an interpretation or thesis) that the weight of evidence seems to answer, then provide context for one’s historical question and evidence using the available secondary literature synthesized in a well-written work of historical scholarship.
* Formal instruction and practice occur in HI 399 Historical Methods and HI 499 Senior Thesis, but preliminary instruction and practice are components of every upper-division history course.
History minors are expected to meet only outcomes 1) Knowledge and 2) Theory listed below, which are assessed on a course-by-course basis.
As an Avila history student, you will have to opportunity for hands-on learning experiences at a variety of museums and historical venues:
- Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial
Upon graduation, you’ll join Avila alumni working at both non-profit and corporate organizations including:
- U.S. National Archives and Records — Kansas City
- William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community — University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Butler Avionics
- Cerner Corporation