Social Studies Education < St. Olaf College

Kim Mijung, Tomson Hall 290
507-786-3245
kim31@stolaf.edu
wp.stolaf.edu/registrar/registration-guides/first-year/social-studies-education/

The purpose of teaching social studies in middle and high school (grades 5-12) is three-fold:

To provide middle and high school students a broad foundation in what is known about human social experience, interaction, and behavior;
To provide students with perspectives that will assist them in understanding self and others; and
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

Special Programs

Students may choose from a wide number of study abroad and away opportunities within each of the various disciplines to complement the major. They can also participate in various January terms offered off campus 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.

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.

Requirements for the 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 the following additional requirements). Up to a maximum of two courses either taken off-campus with non-St. Olaf faculty or transferred from other institutions may be included in the major. Not more than one course graded S/U may count toward the major.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
HIST 191	Colonialism & Europe: 1492-Present	1.00
HIST 199	American History Since 1865	1.00
One level II history area course on Africa, Asia, or Latin America		1.00
ECON 121	Principles of Economics	1.00
EDUC 295	Foundations of Education	1.00
EDUC 334	Social Studies Perspectives	1.00
ID 234	Human Geography	1.00
PSCI 111	American Politics	1.00
PSYCH 125	Principles of Psychology	1.00
Select one of the following:		1.00
SOAN 128	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
SOAN 264	Race and Class in American Culture
Global environmental elective ¹		1.00
Multicultural elective ¹		1.00
Total Credits		12

¹: See department for course choices

*By completing this major, the student also satisfies the OLE Core Writing in the Major requirement.

Requirements for the Social Studies Major with Grades 5-12 Teaching Licensure

Students must take all twelve courses required for the major described above plus HIST 198 American History to 1865 and a prescribed set of education courses and experiences required for licensure. Students must meet with Courtney Humm, 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 Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board Rules 8710.4800: Standards for Teachers of Social Studies. In addition to courses and student teaching, requirements include passing MTLE licensure tests and observations and teaching in classroom settings, including one in a diverse setting. For complete information about the teaching license, see Education.

EDUC 295: Foundations of Education

This course explores educational experiences in the United States from political, historical, sociological and philosophical lenses. Students also explore their own intersecting identities, cultivate racial literacy, and develop the mindsets and skills of antiracist and culturally responsive-sustaining educators. Students gain practical experience in an educational setting through a required 20-hour field experience. Recommended to be taken fall of sophomore year to begin the licensure sequence; not open to first-year students. Offered both semesters, annually. Also counts toward the social studies education major and the educational studies concentration - TEFL certificate track.
Prerequisite: Not open to first-year students.

EDUC 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 the 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.
Prerequisite: EDUC 295 or permission of instructor.