Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy

Marc S. Schwerdt, Associate Professor and Chair
Neal P. Allison, Instructor
W. Craig Bledsoe, Professor and Provost Emeritus
Scott Bledsoe, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
J. Caleb Clanton, Distinguished University Chair in Philosophy and Humanities

Richard C. Goode, Professor
Susan Turner Haynes, Associate Professor
Timothy D. Johnson, University Research Professor and Professor
Lee A. Mayo, Lecturer
Howard D. Miller, Associate Professor

The Department of History, Politics and Philosophy houses three distinct academic programs. The history program prepares students to evaluate historical data in order to reach informed conclusions about the past and to appreciate contemporary challenges. The political science program equips students with knowledge of international, national, and subnational processes and institutions, legal principles, and the interactions between political ideas, values, and citizens. The philosophy program educates students about the history of big ideas and the process of identifying and evaluating the basic philosophical and moral assumptions that shape the way we as humans think about ourselves and the world around us. The International Affairs, Criminal Justice, American Studies, and History Education majors offer specific opportunities for students to concentrate their efforts or take advantage of great opportunities. Each of the department’s majors and minors are designed to help students hone their analytical and critical thinking skills and develop their research and writing skills. The department’s various majors equip students for numerous careers, as well as for graduate and professional studies. Graduates from the Department have been admitted to many of the nation’s premier law and graduate schools.

Distinctives of the History, Politics and Philosophy Department

The Department of History, Politics and Philosophy offers students the opportunity to study with faculty who have distinguished themselves through research and publication, excellence in teaching and government service. The department has recently undertaken innovative programs in the area of civil and human rights studies. The department hosts an active pre-law organization, Phi Alpha Delta; history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta; and political science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha. Students are given the opportunity to participate in a variety of internship opportunities, with many conveniently located here in Tennessee’s state capital. The department’s Spring Break travel course to Washington focuses on foreign policy and national security issues and is highlighted by an intensive week of briefings and seminars with key policy makers.

Career Opportunities

Law
Government service
Business
Non-government organizations
Humanitarian and social justice agencies
Journalism
Ministry
High school teaching
College teaching
Law enforcement
Public history
Restorative justice

“3-then-1” Pathway

The Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy has partnered with the College of Business and the College of Leadership & Public Service to offer an innovative “3-then-1” pathway that would enable ambitious Lipscomb students to complete an undergraduate degree in Philosophy or History or Political Science in three academic years, during the final semester of which they would receive preferential consideration for admission to either Lipscomb’s one-year Masters of Management Career Accelerator program in the College of Business or the one-year M.A. in Leadership & Public Service or the one-year M.A. in Conflict Management in the College of Leadership & Public Service. If admitted to one of these graduate programs, and upon successful completion of it, students in the “3-then-1” pathway can earn a bachelor’s degree (in Philosophy or History or Political Science) and a master’s degree (in Management or Leadership & Public Service or Conflict Management) in only four years’ time. For more information on these “3-then-1” pathways, contact one of the undergraduate advisors within the Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy.

Bioscience & Philosophy

The Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy has partnered with the Department of Biology to offer an innovative interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in Bioscience & Philosophy. For more information, click here: Bioscience and Philosophy, B.S.

Requirements for Majors