Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.

Social Studies Education

Director, 2013-14: Robert McClure (Education), K-12 foundations and methods, human geography

Faculty, 2013-14: Maria Kelly (Education), diversity education, methods, schools and communities; Sarah Swan-McDonald (Education), social studies methods

The purpose of teaching social studies in middle and high school (grades 5-12) is three-fold: 1) to provide middle and high school students a broad foundation in what is known about human social experience, interaction, and behavior; 2) to provide students with perspectives that will assist them in understanding self and others; and 3) to provide students a foundation for appreciating and critically evaluating claims of knowledge about human social experience, interaction, and behavior.

overview of the major

Social studies education is an interdisciplinary major involving seven disciplines: economics, education, history, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology/anthropology. It is a necessary component for a license to teach social studies in middle school and high school.

The field of social studies education demands reflective practitioners with a broad foundation in the liberal arts and specific knowledge in each of the seven disciplines. The social studies education major equips students with this core content knowledge while also providing multiple opportunities for critical thinking about the various ways we construct knowledge and communicate the human experience. Students may consider a double major with one of the seven disciplines or combine the major with a concentration in racial and ethnic studies or other interdisciplinary concentration. Students may graduate with a social studies education major without completing requirements leading to a license to teach (see additional requirements below).

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE MAJOR

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE majors

 Special Note: All prospective students should read the material in the Education Department section of this catalog and must meet with an Education Department faculty advisor.

Social studies education MAJOR

Social studies education is a 12-course major consisting of 10 prescribed courses and two electives. Students may graduate with a social studies education major without completing requirements leading to a license to teach (see additional requirements below).

Courses include:

History 191: Europe from the Reformation to Modern Times or
History 195: Global Histories from 1500 to the Present
History 199: American History Since 1865

and a level II history area course on Africa, Asia, or Latin America (not from electives lists);

Economics 121: Principles of Economics
Interdisciplinary 234: Human Geography of the Middle East
Political Science 111: American Politics
Psychology 125: Principles of Psychology
Sociology/Anthropology 128: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology or
Sociology/Anthropology 242: Contemporary Native American Issues or
Sociology/Anthropology 264: Race and Class in American Culture
and Education 290: Educational Psychology
and Education 334: Social Studies Perspectives

The remaining required courses are electives selected from two areas--(a) global environmental and (b) multicultural--see department for course choices.

Social Studies major with 5-12 Teaching Licensure

Students must take all twelve courses required for the major described above plus History 198: American History to 1865 and a prescribed set of education courses and experiences required for licensure. Students must meet with Maria Kelly or Robert McClure, education faculty, to plan their program. Students are encouraged to double major and/or take additional coursework in economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.

The licensure program extends student development in disciplinary content and in pedagogy, which meets or exceeds Minnesota Board of Teaching Rules 8710.4800: Standards for Teachers of Social Studies. In addition to courses and student teaching, requirements include passing MTLE standardized tests and observations and teaching in classroom settings, including one in a setting of diversity. For complete information about the teaching license, see EDUCATION, page 125.

special programs

Students may choose from a wide number of domestic and international off-campus study opportunities within each of the various disciplines to complement the major. They can also participate in various off-campus Interims offered through the Education Department provided they meet all prerequisites. Students who pursue a teaching license may consider student teaching in an international setting at one of our partner schools in India. Further information on field experiences, mentoring and tutoring opportunities, and independent study options are available in the Education Center.

COURSES

334 Social Studies Perspectives

This course examines basic assumptions about social science, primal thought, feminism, humanities, history, post-modernism, and thematic social studies. Students pursue methodologies of structuring knowledge and means of advancing knowledge in each discipline. Students learn how to relate their social studies subject matter to the total social studies curriculum. Offered annually in the spring semester.