PROFESSORS QUESTION UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM

Southeast Missouri State University students can graduate without ever taking American history. That concerns some of the university's history professors.

But Southeast officials say that while it's possible to graduate without having taken American history as a course, all students are exposed to various aspects of American history in the school's University Studies or general education curriculum.

American history is still taught at Southeast; it's just packaged differently, university officials say.

"I think students get more history now than they did before, and I think they get it better," said John Hinni, dean of University Studies.

University President Kala Stroup and Provost Charles Kupchella said the school's curriculum changes, instituted six years ago, were based on the assumption that students already receive a grounding in American history at the junior high and high school levels.

"We build upon what they should have had or have had at the eighth grade and at the high school level," said Stroup.

But the history professors contend students should be required to take a clear-cut American history course. A college history course is not the same as a high school history course, they say.

"I think it is rather foolish for a student to graduate from an American university and not have had some history of their own country or western civilization," said history professor George Suggs Jr.

"I think that these courses kind of help define who we are," he added.

"I think it is a mistake to have a curriculum at a university that does not include American history as a requirement," said history professor Frank Nickell.

He said it's possible for a student to graduate from Southeast without having taken a single course in American history.

History professor Robert Skelton said he and other history faculty members objected to dropping the American history requirement when the curriculum changes were implemented in the late 1980s.

Skelton said there has been a tendency to move away from "teaching about our own culture."

"We have a lot of students who finish up and aren't very knowledgeable about how the United States has gotten to where it is," he said.

The university used to require students to take two American history courses, totaling five credit hours, in order to graduate.

But when the general education curriculum was revamped and replaced by the University Studies program in the fall of 1988, the American history requirement was scrapped.

Now American History I -- which covers the nation's history up to 1900 -- and American History II -- which covers this century -- are basically restricted to history majors and minors.

History professors say there are exceptions because some students are still enrolled who began their college education before the University Studies program was implemented.

Some Missouri schools still require students to take a traditional American history course.

Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, citing a state law, requires students to take both an American history course and an American government course.

The law states that "regular courses of instruction" in the U.S. and Missouri constitutions and American history must be given in all public and private schools, beginning in the seventh grade and "shall continue in college and university courses to an extent determined by the state commissioner of higher education."

But Mike McManis, associate commissioner with the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education, said: "The law is loosely written and provides a lot of leeway.

"All the institutions have made a good faith effort to comply by designating a number of courses," he said.

In addition, he said, the law doesn't include any kind of enforcement mechanism.

Nickell said he personally inquired about the law in the 1980s when Southeast began talking of dropping the American history requirement.

He said he obtained an opinion from the Missouri attorney general's office at the time that a national and state government course met the legal requirements.

Southeast requires students to take either U.S. Political Systems or Comparative Political Systems.

University officials point out that the school's revamped curriculum was approved by the state's coordinating board.

As part of the University Studies curriculum, Southeast students are required to take one civilization course from a smorgasbord of courses. The offerings include American Civilization, as well as such courses as African and Islamic civilizations.

Most students take American Civilization, but it's not required.

"So it is possible for a student to, say, take a course in African Civilization or Far Eastern Civilization, but they might never come in contact with the civilization of their own country, or they might never come in contact with western civilization," said Suggs.

"Some of us feel that might not be in the best interests of our students," he added.

"I am not opposed to students having courses that teach them about other cultures, but at the same time I don't think it ought to be at the expense of knowing something about our own civilization and the values embodied in that," said Suggs.

The University Studies curriculum is designed to provide students with a solid foundation for critical thinking, university officials say.

But critical thinking requires an understanding of history, says Nickell. "I don't think you can make critical choices without having a good understanding of your own country's past."

In many cases, international students at Southeast bypass American history. Islamic students, for example, will often take the Islamic Civilization course, said Nickell.

"If they want to get an American university degree, they ought to take American history courses," he argued.

Nickell, who teaches the American Civilization course, said he likes the University Studies course. "It is a one-semester review of the broad trends and key turning points."

Nickell maintained that students at least should be required to take the American Civilization course, if not American history.

Alberta Dougan, history department chairman, said she believes American Civilization is an excellent course.

"I think for students who are not history majors, the American Civilization course is probably more appropriate because it does let them focus on the main ideas," she said.

Dougan said focusing on broad themes may be a better way to deal with history than teaching it "battle by battle" and "president by president."

In addition to American Civilization, there are 20 upper level courses dealing specifically with various aspects of the nation's history, said Hinni. Students can select courses ranging from Religion in America to Westward Movement: Development of American Regional Cultures.

Hinni said University Studies offers a new approach to learning that focuses less on memorizing facts and more on the process of critical thinking and learning. "We designed a skills program instead of a contents program," he said.

But he acknowledged that such a non-traditional approach is not always an easy sell. "We have a great deal of difficulty in explaining to students and to parents that it is more important for students to develop skills than it is to know a specific piece of information."

Hinni pointed out that the entire University Studies program was developed by faculty members and not simply imposed by college administrators.

Stroup said, "The whole program is built on the assumption that people learn more and are better skilled to meet the needs of the future if they can build connections, and if they can think and write critically and reason and analyze, those kinds of skills."