Students who wish to pursue P-12 teacher certification in Social Studies must apply to and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Please visit the Teacher Education Program website for the required professional sequence of courses and other important Program requirements, guidelines, and procedures. Students also are strongly advised to review the Teacher Education Program Handbook. The course SASE 401 is the departmental requirement.
The social studies teacher is expected to have a broad understanding of the cultural and environmental factors which shape the individual and society. To meet the approved program for certification in social studies, course work is required in each of the following:
- anthropology,
- economics,
- geography,
- history,
- political science and
- sociology.
A detailed description of the requirements is available in the office of the Social Studies Teacher Education Coordinator in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
120 credits of coursework is required for the baccalaureate degree with a minimum 3.0 overall GPA. Major GPA requirements differ depending on field of study. Consult the Teacher Education Program Handbook for more information.
Program Requirements Overview
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 27 | |
| World Languages and Cultures Requirements | 3 | |
| Major Requirements | 33 | |
| Social Studies Support Courses for Teacher Education | 21 | |
| Teacher Education Program Requirements | 36 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Major | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| POLS 100 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
| POLS 101 | American Government and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 201 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLS 202 | International Relations | 3 |
| POLS 300 | Essentials of Political Thought | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select 18 credits from the list (see below). Up to 15 credits may be from any one group. 12 credits must be at the 300-400 level. | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Political Science Major Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| American Politics | ||
| POLS 214 | Women in Politics | 3 |
| POLS 215 | Ethnic Politics in America | 3 |
| POLS 216 | Urban Politics | 3 |
| POLS 301 | American Party System | 3 |
| POLS 302 | Public Opinion and Pressure Groups | 3 |
| POLS 304 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POLS 306 | Campaign Politics | 3 |
| POLS 312 | Black Politics in the United States | 3 |
| POLS 313 | Politics and Technology | 3 |
| POLS 314 | Seminar in Campaign Politics | 3 |
| POLS 317 | The American Congress | 3 |
| POLS 318 | The American Presidency | 3 |
| POLS 319 | Politics and Film | 3 |
| POLS 324 | Advanced Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 327 | Food and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 420 | Seminar and Internship in Political Science | 4 |
| POLS 425 | Politics of Federal Bureaucracy | 3 |
| POLS 429 | Polling in the U.S | 3 |
| POLS 436 | Political Science Washington, D.C., Internship | 1-7 |
| American Law | ||
| JURI 210 | Perspectives on Law | 3 |
| POLS 320 | Law in Society: Civil Law | 3 |
| POLS 321 | Law in Society: Criminal Law | 3 |
| POLS 322 | American Constitutional Law: The Federal System | 3 |
| POLS 323 | American Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties | 3 |
| POLS 331 | Animal Rights: Law, Politics and Culture | 3 |
| POLS 332 | U.S. Immigration: Law and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 351 | Comparative Legal Perspectives: Israel and the United States | 3 |
| Public Administration and Public Policy | ||
| POLS 205 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| POLS 304 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POLS 310 | Public Personnel Administration | 3 |
| POLS 311 | Governmental Budgeting | 3 |
| POLS 315 | Urban Administration | 3 |
| POLS 324 | Advanced Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 425 | Politics of Federal Bureaucracy | 3 |
| POLS 426 | Seminar and Internship in Public Administration I | 4-6 |
| POLS 427 | Seminar and Internship in Public Administration II | 4-6 |
| Political Thought | ||
| JURI 300 | Essentials of Jurisprudence | 3 |
| POLS 307 | American Political Thought | 3 |
| POLS 331 | Animal Rights: Law, Politics and Culture | 3 |
| POLS 333 | Special Topics in Political Thought | 3 |
| POLS 334 | Politics of Science Fiction | 3 |
| POLS 335 | Theories of Political Economy | 3 |
| POLS 363 | Politics and Morality of War | 3 |
| Comparative Politics | ||
| POLS 204 | Government and Politics of Africa | 3 |
| POLS 206 | Government and Politics of China and Japan | 3 |
| POLS 303 | Politics of Development and Modernization | 3 |
| POLS 327 | Food and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 329 | Narco-Terrorism | 3 |
| POLS 335 | Theories of Political Economy | 3 |
| POLS 339 | Contemporary Western European Politics | 3 |
| POLS 340 | Government and Politics of India and South Asia | 3 |
| POLS 341 | Government and Politics of Latin America | 3 |
| POLS 342 | Government and Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| POLS 343 | Government and Politics in the Post-Soviet States | 3 |
| POLS 351 | Comparative Legal Perspectives: Israel and the United States | 3 |
| International Relations | ||
| JURI 474 | Human Rights Law | 3 |
| POLS 203 | International Organizations | 3 |
| POLS 207 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| POLS 319 | Politics and Film | 3 |
| POLS 329 | Narco-Terrorism | 3 |
| POLS 353 | Intelligence and National Security | 3 |
| POLS 362 | International Relations in Asia | 3 |
| POLS 363 | Politics and Morality of War | 3 |
| POLS 364 | War and International Security | 3 |
| POLS 365 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 430 | International Law | 3 |
| POLS 431 | Globalization and Security | 3 |
| Other Major Electives | ||
| POLS 410 | Directed Study | 3-6 |
| POLS 416 | Special Topics in Political Science | 3 |
| POLS 497 | Honors Seminar-Political Science | 3 |
Social Studies Support Courses for Teacher Education
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Related Social Science Requirements | ||
| EAES 170 | World Geography | 3 |
| ECON 100 | Introduction to Economics | 3 |
| or ECON 101 | Applied Macroeconomics | |
| or ECON 102 | Applied Microeconomics | |
| HIST 103 | Foundations of Western Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 114 | Early Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 117 | History of the United States to 1876 | 3 |
| HIST 118 | History of the United States Since 1876 | 3 |
| HIST 141 | Introduction to World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Teacher Education Program Requirements
Teacher Education Program Requirements (Teacher Certification in Subject Area P-12)
General Education Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill General Education categories.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A. New Student Seminar | ||
| Complete a 1 credit New Student Seminar course. | 1 | |
| C. Communication | ||
| 1. Writing | 3 | |
| 2. Literature | 3 | |
| 3. Communication | 3 | |
| D. Fine and Performing Arts | ||
| Complete a 3 credit Fine and Performing Arts course. | 3 | |
| F. Humanities | ||
| 2. Philosophical and Religious Perspectives | 3 | |
| H. Mathematics | ||
| Complete a 3 credit Mathematics course. | 3 | |
| I. Natural Science Laboratory | ||
| Complete a 4 credit Natural Science Laboratory course that also fulfills the Teacher Education Health/Hygiene requirement.. | 4 | |
| J. Physical Education | ||
| Complete a 1 credit Physical Education course. | 1 | |
| K. Social Science | ||
| 1. American and European History | ||
| History of the United States to 1876 (Fulfilled in the Social Science Support Courses for Teacher Education area. ) | ||
| 2. Global Cultural Perspectives | 3 | |
| Early Latin America (Fulfilled in the Social Science Support Courses for Teacher Education area. ) | ||
| 3. Social Science Perspectives | ||
| Psychological Foundations of Education (Fulfilled in the Teacher Education sequence.) | ||
| L. Interdisciplinary Studies | ||
| Public Purposes of Education: Democracy and Schooling (Fulfilled in the Teacher Education sequence.) | ||
| Total Credits | 27 | |
World Languages and Cultures Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill World Languages and Cultures categories.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| World Languages | ||
| Based on placement exam complete one language course. | 3 | |
| World Cultures | ||
| Early Latin America (Fulfilled in the Social Science Support Courses for Teacher Education area. ) | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Recommended Roadmap to Degree Completion
This four-year plan is provided as an outline for students to follow in order to complete their degree requirements within four years. This plan is a recommendation and students should only use it in consultation with their academic advisor.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| GENERAL EDUCATION: (A) New Student Seminar | 1 | GENERAL EDUCATION: (C2) Literature | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION: (C1) Writing | 3 | GENERAL EDUCATION: (C3) Communication | 3 |
| 4 | 6 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SASE 320 | 3 | SASE 322 | 3 |
| SASE 321 | 3 | ||
| 6 | 3 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SASE 450 | 3 | SASE 452 | 3 |
| SASE 451 | 3 | SASE 453 | 9 |
| Teaching Methods course(s) | 3-7 | ||
| 9-13 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits 40-44 | |||