Department of Social Sciences

DEPARTMENT CONTACT

Dr. Larry Kreiser, Chair
lkreiser@stillman.edu
Phone: 205-349-4240 ext. 3408

Dr. Jonathan Ray, Program Coordinator (Criminal Justice)
jray@stillman.edu
Phone: 205-349-4240 ext. 8828 

Criminal Justice & History Degrees

First launched in 2016, criminal justice is one of the most popular majors on campus.  The program emphasizes corrections and law enforcement, and requires major courses that range from Juvenile Justice to Constitutional Law, and Criminal Evidence and Procedure to Community Based Corrections.  Majors also take courses in psychology and history, to gain a better understanding of the national debates on the American criminal justice and prison systems.

History is among the longest-standing majors at Stillman, because it allows insight into the journeys of peoples and civilizations. Students will discover a lot of both during their Stillman careers, with major courses in, among other topics, World History, African History, Latin American History, and African American History. Majors also have the opportunity to participate in an internship, with placements at the Sheppard Library on the Stillman campus, and, in Tuscaloosa, the Murphy African American Museum and the Children’s Hands-on Museum. History majors might also opt to pursue a teaching certificate, qualifying them to teach and coach in high school.

Students may elect to combine a history major with a secondary education certification program in the Social Sciences. An advisor will work with the student to develop semester schedules for certification in the Social Sciences.

The Department of Social Sciences also offers courses in geography, political science, and sociology. Departmental members emphasize the analytical and communication skills, and worldview, necessary to make one’s way in an increasingly global market.  In addition to their classroom excellence, the faculty serve as mentors for community engagement, professional activities, and scholarly research.  The department also is home to the Stillman Pre-Law Association, Stillman Historical Association, and the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge team.

OUR BACHELOR’S DEGREES

The Department of Social Sciences offers two Bachelor of Arts degrees: one in Criminal Justice and the other one in History. Students interested in majoring in criminal justice may pursue their B.A. traditionally or online, for criminal justice is one of four majors at the college that is offered through the Stillman Online program.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Criminal Justice major, students will be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the evolution of the correctional system in the United States (Content).
  • Distinguish between criminal justice and corrections (Content).
  • Distinguish between parole and probation (Content).
  • Explain the legal issues and liabilities that relate to offenders and corrections personnel (Content).
  • Differentiate between public and private federal, state and local correctional systems (Content).
  • Analyze issues relating to corrections in scholarly writings (Critical Thinking).
  • Develop skills of critical analysis, criminological research, and writings (Critical Thinking and Communication).
  • Demonstrate knowledge of legal concepts and terminology (Content).

Program Outcomes

As a result of successful completion of the Criminal Justice Program, graduates will look to do the following:

  • Demonstrate the professional values essential to employment by the city, county, state, and federal agencies, as well as private facilities.
  • Find employment in the field of security of local, regional and national organizations.
  • Pursue graduate degrees in criminal justice or related fields.

The criminal justice major consists of a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours of criminal justice courses and twenty-one (21) credit hours of cognate courses.

HISTORY MAJOR

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the History major, students will be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of World History (Content).
  • Demonstrate knowledge of American History (Content).
  • Demonstrate knowledge of African and African American History (Content).
  • Demonstrate knowledge of Geography (Content).
  • Demonstrate scholarship by writing a thesis that uses analyses based in research and primary source (Critical Thinking).
  • Orally defend a thesis that uses analyses based in research and primary sources (Communication).

Program Outcomes

As a result of successful completion of the History Program, graduates will look to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of past and present civilizations.
  • Have the opportunity to apply to graduate programs, law school and appropriate careers in the field.
  • Demonstrate the use of technology relevant to the field.

The history major consists of a minimum of forty-five (45) credit hours.

MAJOR AREA REQUIREMENTS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

CJ 131: Introduction to Criminal Justice

CJ 132: Juvenile Justice

CJ 232: Community Based Corrections

CJ 331: Constitutional Law

CJ 332: Criminal Evidence and Procedure

CJ 333: Corrections

CJ 430: Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice

CJ 431: Penology

CJ 432: Public Policy and Criminal Justice

CJ 433: Research in Criminal Justice

BUS 233: Principles of Macroeconomics

GEO 231: World Regional Geography

HIS 132: Foundations of American Civilization

PSY 334: Abnormal Psychology

PSY 335: Social Psychology

MAT 132: Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry

MAT 233: Introduction to Statistics

MAJOR AREA REQUIREMENTS IN HISTORY

HIS 131: Foundations of World Civilization

HIS 132: Foundations of American Civilization

HIS 230: Historical Methods

HIS 337: African American History I

HIS 339: Historical Research and Writing

12 credits in HIS Electives

HIS 436: African History

6 credits in 400-level HIS

GEO 231: World Regional Geography

6 credits in two (2) of the following HIS courses:

HIS 335, HIS 338, HIS 431, HIS 433, and/or HIS 435

HISTORY MINOR

A minor in history consists of a minimum of eighteen (18) credit hours.

History electives for the minor cannot include HIS 339: Historical Research and Writing or HIS 439: Internship in History

MINOR AREA REQUIREMENTS IN HISTORY

HIS 131: Foundations of World Civilization

HIS 132: Foundations of American Civilization

HIS 337: African American History I

HIS 436: African History

6 credits in HIS Electives

CAREER OPTIONS


CAREER OPTIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

CAREER OPTIONS IN HISTORY

Homeland security

Secondary education

Law enforcement

Museum administration

Community corrections

Federal, state, and local government and administration

Academic, legal, and correctional fields

SPECIAL PROGRAMS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND HISTORY

Stillman College Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

The Stillman College Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) a team trivia competition played at the level of a sport among 89 HBCU’s across the United States. Schools compete over the course of a year to be one of 48 teams invited to the National Championship Tournament for a chance to win the title and up to $75,000 in grant money for their institution! Students interested in participating as team members on the Stillman College HCASC receive credit hours for registering HCASC courses based on their classification.

For more information about the Stillman College Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, please contact Dr. Thomas Jennings, who serves as the trivia team coach, at tjennings@stillman.edu and/or at (205) 349-4240 ext 8870.

Pre-Law Program (shared with Department of English, Journalism, and Media Communications)
Admission to law school is normally based on personal and academic records and on the results of a student’s performance on the national Law School Admission Test (LSAT).  Consequently, the Pre-law program at Stillman College helps students to broaden their view of the world, cultivate such personal qualities as honesty and integrity, and acquire and sharpen the diverse skills needed for success in law school, in a law career, and in life. The core skills include listening ability, general research, critical reading ability, analytical skills, logical thinking, and the ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and persuasively orally and in writing. At Stillman, a Pre-law student may select a major in a social science discipline with a number of elective courses in English, speech, and theatre, or a major in English with a number of elective courses in speech, theatre and the social sciences. Whatever the major, Pre-law students will pursue a demanding, four-year course of study in the liberal arts, which will help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the intense competition for admission in law school.


Courses to consider when building the Pre-law track are listed below:

All History Major Area Required Courses (total of 36 credit hours)

PSC 239: Principles of American Government

ENG 333: Writing Argument

BUS 333: Business Law and Ethics

PSC 332: The United States Constitution

ENG 235: Technical Writing

SPE 331: Persuasive Speaking

PSC 335: American Political Theory

SPE 236: Interpersonal Communication

PSC 336: State and Local Government

SOCIAL CLUBS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Stillman College Pre-Law Association
The Pre-law Association invites speakers to campus and travels to law school open houses. Dr. Jonathan Ray, the association advisor, also draws upon his own professional experiences, as a law school graduate and practicing defense attorney.

For more information about the Pre-law Association, please contact the Chair of the Department of Social Sciences, Dr. Larry Kreiser at lkreiser@stillman.edu and/or at (205) 349-4240 ext 3408; and Assistant Professor Dr. Jonathan Ray at jray@stillman.edu and/or at (205) 349-4240 ext 8828.

Stillman College Historical Association
The Stillman College Historical Association helps to commemorate trivial and cherished moments in history related to the college, the state, and the country. Every year, the Stillman Historical Association screens history-themed movies relevant to modern-day challenges.

For more information about the Stillman Historical Association, please contact Dr. Thomas Jennings at tjennings@stillman.edu and/or at (205) 349-4240 ext 8870.

FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCSCI

Dr. Larry Kreiser
Chair and Associate Professor of History
(205) 349-4240 ext 3408
lkreiser@stillman.edu

Dr. Thomas Jennings
Associate Professor of History
(205) 349-4240 ext 8870
tjennings@stillman.edu

Dr. Jonathan Ray
Assistant Professor of History
(205) 349-4240 ext 8828
jray@stillman.edu

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