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Show I FOCUS: SOCIAL SCIENCE THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY• FRIDAY, NOVEt{BER 3, 1995 THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY• FRIDAY,NOVEMBER3, 1995 History a lifelong interest for SUU department head SUU's behav1oral and social sc1ence department has "amazing' law scbooJ -acceptance rate According to department head Wayne Hinton, the percentage of behavioral and social science students that pass the LSAT is right around 90 percen t "One of our former students who is now attending Utah State University has It may not be the most recognized or celebrated field of inquiry, but none has reported that he feels more prepared for his post-graduate classes than many other proven itself more vital to the development-and the very survival-of the modern global communi ty. "T he hu manities tend to s tudy and reflect upon values," says one students in his courses," he said, "and that includes graduates fro m Amherst and the University of Virginia-some very prestigious institutions." analysis of this SUU department's philosoph y. "T he department teaches of the With the talented and dedicated faculty SUU's social science department has put cultural h eritage, the factors influencing hu man behavior, the individual's rights and together, such post-graduate success should be anything but a surprise. "At the obligations as a citizen, and the functions of the social s tructure and the total society , moment we have 12 full-time fac ulty: fi ve in history, fo ur in sociology and three in within which individua ls live and work . The ultimate goal of this broad tas k is to political science," Hinton said. "All but one of these faculty help the s tudent ga in a mature understanding of the human - - - - -- - - - - - - - - . members have Ph.Os." community, from the workings of great political systems to the 'We've had an One of the most decorated teams on the suu campus, the social m ore immediate problems of interpersonal relations." amazing percentaue science faculty has also added a healthy dose of scholarly writing It is a heady challenge indeed, turn ing humanity's investigative o· credentials to its teaching reputation . focus to its own desires and motivations-one that SUU's social Of Students pass the According to Hinton, the department's professors have published science department is more than ready to conquer. LSAT and be six books and countless hundreds of articles in professional With ma jor courses of study in history, political science and journals. . sociology, the university department attracts the attention of accepted into law Take this skilled, professional faculty, add a hearty mix of students with a wide range of interests and career goals; and students and career goals, and then toss in such support facilities according to Wayne K. Hinton, head of the department, such variety school; over tb.e and offerings as a full computer lab and an active chapter of the Phi has made the department one of the m ost prolific producers of decade, tb.e figure Alpha Theta, a national honor society for history majors-and the graduates on campus. has been about 90 result is, by anyone's account, one of the most vibrant and energetic " We offer bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in • ~ focuses of study to be found on any campus. histor y, sociology and political science, and we cooperate with the " We are growing rapidly." said Hinton . "We have one of the department of physical science in offering a minor in geography," highest FTEs (numbers of full-time equivalency students) at the Hinton said of the behavioral and social science effort. "We also • university." offer a composite social science degree, which is primarily for those aD. Rapid growth in students is matched by rapid growth in faculty. al certifying to teach." Three professors added to the social science department this year all The list of career objectives shared by its students ten ds to be as have Ph.D.s from prestigious universities and outstanding teaching diverse as the department's focuses of study. . i..:.....,i;._.....,....,...,;;:....;:;........__ _ _ __. and research credentials, Hinton said. They are: Earl F. Mulderink, " Probably half of our history ma jors intend to teach, either at the assistant professor of history; Robert Biggert, assistant professor of sociology; and -college or at the secondary level, " Hinton said. "Most of our sociology students are Curtis Bostick, assistant professor of history. looking at careers in the service area, such as working i~ group homes; and the "There are a number of reasons why the department is so strong," Hinton added. majority of our political science majors intend to enroll m law school, w~ere they "The subject matter we teach is relevant to many students, and our teaching have had a good deal of success in gaining a dmission. We've had an amazing evaluations are consistently among the highest of all academic courses on campus. percentage of students pass the LSAT and be accepted into law school; over the past We have some excellent teachers, and we are constantly at the top level of teaching decade, the figure has been about 90 percen~. " The department has seen a good share effectiveness." of its history and sociology students enroll m graduate schools as well. past percent,, sold Wo,rae Hinton, belJ.o;fia,faJ . d SOCJ SC1ence a~ptirtment heo_d. I FOCUS: SOCIAL SCIENCE Ill -ayne Hinton For Wayne K. Hinton, a lifelong interest in the wonders and subtleties of history began at home as a child-miles and years away from the walls and spaces of his department head offices in the Southern Utah University Centrum. " My dad was a state legislator, and I was interested early on in politics," Hinton said. "In the 1950s, history was the study of past politics, and I read a lot of history books." What had been a childhood interest was transformed into an adult avocation soon after the budding historian made his way into the halls of higher learning. "When I went to college I was assigned an adviser who was a wonderful historian, and he had a dramatic influence on me, " Hinton • said. "By the time the quarter was over, I had declared a history major-and I've stuck with it ever since." Graduating with a bachelor's degree from Utah State University in 1962, the future SUU department head earned a master's from USU in 1963, then a Ph.D. from Brigham Young Universi ty in 1974. Completing postdoctorate work in environmental history at the University of California at Davis in 1976, he has been a mem ber of the SUU faculty since 1968, and has served as head of the behavioral and social science department for 13 years. Hinton's extra-curricular achievements have been easily as impressive as his extensive educational resume. The author of numerous professional journal articles and books, including Managing an Alpine Forest in a Desert Setting, a volume he completed for the U.S. Forest Service, and a popular history of the state of Utah that has been widely used as a textbook in the classroom, he has also served as a h istory consultant for the National Park Service. A member of the Utah State Board of History, Hinton has served with many state and national history organizations, and most recently created "The Spirit of Utah," a board and computer game that has been adopted by the Utah Board of Education for use in the public schools. " In order to be a student of history, you m ust first have good reading skills, and you must be curious about events," Hinton said of his chosen field of study. "These are the people who like to ask 'why' and ' how,' and then to find the answer to the 'why' and 'how.' These arc the people who like a good m ystery, who like to discover the solutions hidden deep in documents and facts ." Social science department offers three areas of study Within SUU's behavioral and social science department are three areas of specialty: history, political science and sociology. For s tudents who want to be Jeopardy contestants, a degree in history can really boost their scores. But for the average person, a degree in histor y can open some career doors. Behavioral and Social Science Department Head Wayne Hinton said that SUU's history curriculum is "writing intensive," meaning that students will learn the communication skills necessary to be successful in a competitive job market. Many history graduates certify to teach and others go on to graduate school to teach at the college or university level. For graduates planning to move on to law school, history is a good prep minor. Professor of History Jim Vlasich, said history is "a lot more than just names, dates, and places .... history helps people make value decisions." Vlasich feels that a degree in history helps people look at all sides of the coin and not get as emotionally involved. "Too many people use history as a tool to prove their points" he said. Therefore, they fail to be objective and look at "all the facts. " Vlasich said "history needs to be all inclusive." He said that people who are politically correct want to eliminate white males like inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, from the historical · picture. Instead, Vlasich feels that we should look at all facets of history by looking at the roles of everybody in society, not just those who domina te society. Political science is the study of governments. It analyzes how they work; what political ideologies failed in the past and which applications may flourish in the fu ture. However, the study of political science does not stop with the Magna Carta, legislative process, and political parties. The political science courses at SUU are constantly expanding the curriculum in an effort to change with the times. Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Science W. Craig Jones said; "The central theme of political science is to study the functions of government, which produces the rules and the laws in an attempt to promote the purposes of the constitution. "I believe that the study of political science gives the individual the ability to understand just how the political machine in this country works, 11 Jones explained. Political science majors are often finding jobs in governmental and foreign service fields. In addition, they are filling positions as administrators and officials in city, county, and federal government positions. Understanding societies and social structures is one of the primary functions of the sociology classes offered through the behavioral and social science department. The program covers a wide range of issues from social relations to ethnic and gender relations to crime and to mental illness and health. Sociology classes complement several career choices, not just counseling and relations. Other careers that benefit from a knowledge of sociology include law enforcement, social science research, public relations, counseling, drug and alcohol education, mental health and race relations. Among the course offerings in the sociology emphasis are origins of human society, deviance, sociology of religion, and sociology of mental illness and psychological distress. |