Fort Valley State University

The Department of History, Geography, Political Science, and Criminal Justice is located in the Horace Mann Bond Academic Building on the Fort Valley State University campus. For more information about our degrees, you can view our Degree Offerings.

Scholarships

The Department administers the Banks-Pierro-Rutland-Bellamy (BPRB) Scholarship Program and is currently working to establish the John W. Blassingame Memorial Scholarship.

The BPRB Scholarships are funded by donations from voluntary payroll deductions from faculty salaries, alumni, and gifts from various other sources. Recipients must be majors in one of the Social Sciences at Fort Valley State University. These disciplines include those in the Department of History, Geography, Political Science, and Criminal Justice, as well as the degree programs offered by the Department of Behavioral Sciences. The awards are made on the basis of academic eminence in the amount of a semester’s tuition.

In addition, the Department is in the process of instituting the Blassingame Memorial Scholarship in honor of the late Yale Scholar, John W. Blassingame, who studied at Fort Valley State University from 1956 to 1960. Once the fundraising for this scholarship is complete, it will follow the same guidelines as the BPRB scholarships.

The Center for Social Science Research

The Department also hosts the Center for Social Science Research which was established with Title III funds in the fall of 1999. The Center provides computerized research tools for faculty and students, and it provides outreach services to local governments in Middle Georgia. More recently it has expanded to include the necessary technology to provide access to Geographic Information Services. This supports the most up-to-date approaches to the study of Geography for students and opens new avenues for faculty research.

Departmental Activities

The Department also administers the annual Banks-Pierro-Rutland-Bellamy Social Sciences Colloquium each April. This academic event convenes scholars and students in the Social Sciences from Southeastern U.S. universities and colleges to present papers and interact professionally. The three best student papers presented at the Colloquium are awarded monetary prizes.

Another event sponsored by the Department in conjunction with the Georgia Humanities Council is the Middle Georgia History Day competition. Middle and high school students present papers, exhibits, documentaries, and performances. Winners in each category advance to the Georgia State History Day.

Student Organizations

The Department also has three organizations for students involved in the offered degree programs.

The Political Science Club takes members on field trips, represents the Department in campus activities, and meets to discuss current events.

The Criminal Justice Club involves members in the Department’s outreach activities and visits local institutions involved in the practice of criminal justice.

The Department is also home to the Phi Nu Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society in History and one of the renowned honoraries in American academia.