Letters: Constitutional Studies, B.A.

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Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120

Major Hours: 36

Minimum Upper-Division Hours: 48

Upper-Division Hours Within Major: 27


Overall GPA - Combined and OU: 2.00

Major GPA - Combined and OU: 2.00

Last 90 Hours GPA: 3.00

Program Code: B635 P136

Major Requirements

  • Some courses required for the major may also fulfill University General Education and/or Dodge College of Arts & Sciences Requirements
  • The major requires 36 hours in history (including history of science), literature (including classical culture and MLLL), and philosophy, at least 27 of which must be upper-division, and including at least 9 hours in each division.
  • Courses taken to fulfill the History, Literature & Philosophy requirements may also be used to fulfill Constitutional Studies requirements and vice versa.
  • Graduation in Letters: Constitutional Studies requires a 3.00 GPA in the last 90 credit hours.
History
Choose 9 hours9
Literature
Choose 9 hours9
Philosophy
Choose 9 hours9
Additional History, Literature & Philosophy
Choose 9 hours from History, Literature and/or Philosophy to bring total major hours to 369
Constitutional Studies Requirements 1
The 36 hours of major work listed above must include one course in each of the 4 categories below, and a 5th course chosen from I-IV:
I. Ancient Foundations of Law, Liberty, & Justice
II. The Philosophical Background of American Constitutionalism
III. The American Founding
IV. The Constitutional Legacy in Modern America
Total Credit Hours36
1

Students must successfully complete at least 15 hours (five courses) chosen from a list of approved courses; 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. These courses must include one course from each area I through IV. A list of approved courses is available in the Department of Classics and Letters.

Major Support Requirements

Supporting courses, secondary or collegiate, in one ancient and one modern language (3 courses in one and 4 in the other)
Choose one course in the appreciation or history of one of the fine arts

General Education and College Requirements

Courses for fulfillment of General Education and Dodge College of Arts & Sciences requirements must be from the approved General Education course list published in the Class Schedule or at http://www.ou.edu/gened/coursesCourses graded P/NP will not apply.

UNIVERSITY-WIDE GENERAL EDUCATION (MINIMUM 40 HOURS) AND COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS
Core Area I: Symbolic and Oral Communication
English Composition (6 hours)
ENGL 1113Principles of English Composition3
ENGL 1213Principles of English Composition3
or EXPO 1213 Expository Writing
Language (0-13 hours in the same language)
The college requirement cannot be met by high school coursework.
Beginning Course0-5
Beginning Course, continued0-5
Intermediate Course (2000 level) 1,20-3
Mathematics (3 hours)
Choose one course from the General Education Mathematics list3
Core Area II: Natural Science (7 hours, including one laboratory component)
Biological Science
Choose an approved General Education Natural Science course with one of the following prefixes: BIOL, HES, MBIO, or PBIO 13-4
Physical Science
Choose an approved General Education Natural Science course with one of the following prefixes: AGSC, ASTR, CHEM, GEOG, GEOL, GPHY, METR, or PHYS 13-4
Core Area III: Social Science (6 hours)
P SC 1113American Federal Government3
Choose one course from the General Education Social Science list3
Core Area IV: Arts and Humanities (18 hours)
Artistic Forms
Choose one course from the General Education Artistic Forms list3
Western Culture
HIST 1483United States to 18653
or HIST 1493 United States, 1865 to the Present
Choose one course from the General Education Western Culture list (excluding HIST 1483/1493)3
World Culture
Choose one course from the General Education World Culture list3
Additional Core IV Upper-Division Arts & Humanities courses
Choose one course from Artistic Forms, Western Culture, or World Culture 1,33
Choose one course from Artistic Forms, Western Culture, or World Culture 1,33
Core Area V: First Year Experience (3 hours)
Choose one course3
Total Credit Hours56
1

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements: college requirements are not automatically fulfilled by a previous degree.

2

One course at the intermediate level or demonstrated competency at that level

3

6 upper-division hours, 2 courses, at the 3000- 4000-level. Must be outside the major.

Free Electives

Electives to bring total applicable hours to the minimum total required for the degree including 48 upper-division hours.

Information Concerning General Rules, Regulations and Minimum Requirements

Arts and Sciences Hours: At least 80 semester hours of liberal arts and sciences courses are required for a BA degree. At least 55 semester hours of liberal arts and sciences courses are required for a BS degree.
Pass/No Pass Enrollment: A maximum of 16 semester hours of free elective credit may be attempted under this option.
Individual Studies (e.g., courses titled “Independent Study”): A maximum of 12 total semester hours may be counted toward graduation, excluding Honors Reading and Honors Research.
P.E. Courses: No physical education activity courses will be counted toward the 120 semester hours of acceptable credit for graduation.
Senior Institution Hours: A minimum of 60 semester hours applied toward graduation must be earned at senior (4-year) institutions.
Residency:

  • At least 15 of the final 30 hours applied toward the degree or at least 50 percent of the hours required by the institution in the major field must be satisfactorily completed at the awarding institution.
  • At least 15 semester hours of upper-division major work must be completed in residence at OU.
  • OU correspondence courses are not considered resident credit.

Grade Point Averages: Students must earn a minimum over all 2.00 for each of the following: Combined Retention GPA (all college grades), OU Retention GPA, GPA for all major courses, and GPA for all major courses taken at OU. Some schools and departments of the College have higher minimum grade point averages required for their students.
 

Suggested Semester Plan of Study

This plan shows one possible grouping of courses that would allow students to graduate in four years. Please refer to the front of the degree checksheet for official requirements. Students must consult with Dodge College of Arts and Sciences and/or Department of Classics academic advisors to verify that courses selected each semester fulfill the recommended plan and satisfy University, College of Arts and Sciences, and Letters major requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
First SemesterCredit Hours
ENGL 1113 Principles of English Composition (Core I) 3
HIST 1483
United States to 1865 (Core IV)
or United States, 1865 to the Present
3
P SC 1113 American Federal Government (Core III) 3
Natural Science without lab (Core II) 3
Artistic Forms (Core IV) 1 3
 Credit Hours15
Second Semester
ENGL 1213
Principles of English Composition (Core I)
or Expository Writing
3
Math (Core I) 3
Social Science (Core III) 3
Beginning Language (Core I) 5
First Year Experience (Core V) 3
 Credit Hours17
Sophomore
First Semester
Beginning Language (Core I) 5
Arts & Humanities, upper-division, outside major (Gen. Ed.) 3
Literature Major Elective, lower-division 3
Natural Science with lab (Core II) 4
Philosophy Major Elective, lower-division 3
 Credit Hours18
Second Semester
Intermediate Language 3
History Major Elective, lower-division 3
Arts & Humanities, upper-division, outside major (Gen. Ed.) 3
Literature Major Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
World Culture (Core IV) 3
 Credit Hours15
Junior
First Semester
Intermediate Language continued 3
Ancient Foundations of Law, Liberty & Justice Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
History Major Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
Literature Major Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
Free Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
 Credit Hours15
Second Semester
Beginning Language (Core I) 2 5
The Philosophical Background of American Constitutionalism Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
The American Founding Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
Free Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
 Credit Hours14
Senior
First Semester
Beginning Language, continued (Core I) 2 5
The Constitutional Legacy in Modern America Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
Free Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
Free Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
 Credit Hours14
Second Semester
Intermediate Language 2 3
Constitutional Studies Elective, upper-division, (3000-4000-level) 3
Constitutional Studies Elective, upper-division, (3000-4000-level) 3
Free Elective, upper-division (3000-4000-level) 3
 Credit Hours12
 Total Credit Hours120
1

This course may also fulfill the major support requirement for a course in the appreciation or history of one of the fine arts.

2

Students must complete one modern and one ancient language.

This plan assumes one of the major courses, or one of the Upper-Division Free Electives, is an approved Western Culture Core IV general education course.