Social and Behavioral Sciences
Stewart Bennett, PhD, Chair of the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences & Professor of History & Political Science, Director of Honors College and Honors Program
John Mayer, MS, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Michael Megelsh, PhD, Assistant Professor of History
Jeffrey A. Sweatt, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology
Laura Pannell, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology & Coordinator of Online Psychology Program
The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences provides students with the skills necessary to function in a variety of possible career opportunities and in a pluralistic society in general.
Students of the social sciences are expected to understand and know the contribution of world civilization and United States history to our society and the development of the democratic experience, the fundamentals of government, the nature and function of capitalism, the complexities of society, and man’s relationship to his environment. In addition, major theories and interpretations of history and the social sciences are necessary in order to understand the revisionist tendencies of the present. The general development of skills necessary for research and writing result in the student’s ability to communicate, analyze, critique, and synthesize factual material. Consequently, students should be able to appreciate more fully their roles as family members, workers, consumers, and citizens upon the completion of the social science curriculum and the general curriculum in a Christian, liberal arts environment. Education majors should understand the fundamentals of education and the principles and practice of teaching the social sciences.