Major in Social Studies

Please check out the Four-Year Plan in History and Social Studies for a quick guide for how and when to register for courses to graduate with a History or Social Studies major.

The Social Studies major (reference number 592) requires a minimum of 60 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students completing this major may become eligible for teacher certification in social studies. Students with a major in social studies receive a 12-hour waiver in the upper-division hour requirement in the major field.

The courses required are distributed as follows:

History (27 hrs)

HIST 101: World History I

HIST 102: World History II

HIST 240: US History to 1865

HIST 241: US History Since 1865

HIST 498: Senior Seminar

Select 12 hours of upper-division courses including a course from each of the following areas:

United States History

European History to 1648

European History Since 1648

Areas other than Europe or the United States

Political Science (9 hrs)

PS 110: American National Government

PS 250: International Politics OR PS 260: Introduction to Comparative Politics

Select an upper-division elective from the following:

PS 310: The American Presidency

PS 316: The Legislative Process

PS 326: Constitutional Law

PS 327: Civil Liberties

PS 328: Criminal Justice Procedures

PS 357: U.S. Foreign Policy

PS 370: American Political Parties and Interest Groups

PS 373: Minority Politics

PS 435: American Political Thought

Economics (6 hrs)

ECON 202: Principles of Economics (Micro)

ECON 203: Principles of Economics (Macro)

Geography (9 hrs)

GEOG 110: World Regional Geography

Select two of the following:

GEOG 330: Introduction to Cultural Geography

GEOG 350: Economic Geography

GEOG 360: Geography of North America

GEOG 364: Geography of Europe

GEOG 378: Food, Culture, and Environment

GEOG 425: Political Geography

GEOG 465: Geography of East Asia

GEOG 466: Geography of Africa

GEOG 467: Geography of the Middle East

Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology (9 hrs)

ANTH 120: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

PSY/PSYS 100: Introduction to Psychology

SOCL 100: Introductory Sociology

 

In choosing elective courses, students should keep in mind the number of upper division courses required for graduation. Students who complete this program will not be required to offer an additional major or minor for their degree and teacher certification.

Students who pursue the social studies major should also bear in mind that at least a minor in a particular discipline is required by many universities for graduate study in that discipline. The equivalent of a history minor is included in the social studies major. The number of additional hours required to meet minor requirements in PS, ECON, and GEOG is as follows: PS: 15 hours; ECON: 15 hours; and GEOG: 12 hours. Students seeking to minor in any of these disciplines should consult the appropriate department chair for specific requirements. 

 

Teacher Education Requirements

The major in Social Studies with Teacher Certification is intended for those seeking certification to teach in grades 8-12. It requires a minmum of 60 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. No minor or second major is required. Teacher certification requires an additional 40 hours of education courses specified by the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. A grade of "C" or higher is required in all courses applying to certification. Requirements for the Social Studies major do not change, but the Education component does. The professional education courses required are:

EDU 250: Discover Teaching: Introduction to Teacher Education (3 hrs)

PSY 310: Educational Psychology: Development and Learning (3 hrs)

SEC 350: Clinical Practices in Secondary Teaching I (8 hrs)

EDU 350: Student Diversity and Differentiation (3 hrs)

EDU 360: Behavior and Classroom Management in Education (3 hrs)

SEC 450: Clinical Practices in Secondary Teaching II (1 hr)

SEC 481: Teaching Social Studies (3 hrs)

EDU 260: Classroom Assessment (3 hrs)

SEC 490: Student Teaching (10 hrs)

EDU 489: Student Teaching Seminar (3 hrs)