Welcome New History Majors
Dear New History Major,
Welcome to the Cal Poly History Department.
As you plan your academic schedule, refer to the required
curriculum for History majors found in the 2007-2009 Catalog.
In order to graduate in four years, you will need to average
15 units a quarter. Initially, however, we recommend you
take 12 to 14 units your first quarter on campus in order
to adjust to the demands of the University.
On July 16, there will be a Student Orientation, Advising, and Resources (SOAR) opportunity for Freshmen only. It is a half-day program and will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, followed with boxed lunches. (Note: There will also be a Spanish Placement Test that day from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.) For more information about SOAR please refer to their website at http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/ori/soar/.
Transfer students and freshmen unable to attend SOAR should refer to the College of Liberal Arts on-line advising pages, which are accessible at www.cla.calpoly.edu.
As proper introduction to the History curriculum, you should
consider taking Hist 110, Hist 207, Hist 210, or Hist 215 Fall Quarter. An intermediate
level foreign language course of 4 units is also required
(French 121, German 121, or Spanish 121) and would be a good
companion course to History 110 or 215, provided you have
had sufficient preparation (at least three years) in high
school. If not, contact Modern Languages and Literatures
Department at 756-1205 for placement assistance.
Communication courses are basic to any University-level work
and are in high demand. Try to register for Engl 134 or Coms
101 or 102 during the Fall Quarter. If they are full, try
to enroll in one of them Winter Quarter. You must, however,
have qualified for these courses by virtue of having scored
appropriately on the English Placement Test (EPT) or being
exempt from having to take it. Depending on your EPT status,
you may need to take a remedial English class or enroll in
English 103 simultaneously with 134.
You might also plan on taking your required math or statistics
during the Fall Quarter. If you are ineligible for the required
math based on your Entry Level Math (ELM) status, you must
enroll in the recommended remedial course Fall Quarter. For
more information on the English Placement Test (EPT) and
the Entry Level Math (ELM) test, please call 756-2067 with
EPT questions and 756-2268 with questions about ELM. Keep
in mind that students who have not taken the tests and have
not met the exemptions will have a hold placed on their Fall
Quarter registration.
We strongly encourage all History majors to become involved
with the Historical Society, as it provides an opportunity
to get to know you professors and fellow classmates in a
social setting, while becoming more intellectually immersed
in your major through extra-curricular activities.
For additional assistance in understanding your requirements,
please go to the College of Liberal Arts home page at www.cla.calpoly.edu
and click on the "New Student Advising and Class Scheduling
for Freshmen and Transfer Students" link.
As part of Cal Poly's Preface
Shared Reading Program, new students are expected to
finish reading the selected book by the end of Summer as it
will be discussed during the week of welcome.
We look forward to helping you begin your academic career
at Cal Poly. You can view the Cal Poly catalogs online at www.calpoly.edu/~acadprog,
but you need PDF capability. If you have any questions, please
feel free to call the History Department, (805) 756-2543.
Sincerely,
Carolyn J. Stefanco, Chair
Department of History |
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