Teaching history and social studies in today’s secondary education classrooms requires a broad basis of historical knowledge as well as a flexible and adaptive approach regarding teaching, given the changing nature of our world.
Graduates from our program develop content knowledge by taking classes in World, United States, European and Asian history and begin their development as professional teachers by taking our Social Studies Methods course which is required for entry into the Teacher Education program. Our graduates are well-prepared to teach in today’s ever-changing classrooms.
Certifying into Social Studies
Students who indicate an interest in History and have a 2.0 GPA or above may be admitted to the major. Those interested in a teaching option should consult with the College of Education concerning certification requirements for teaching. Students majoring in social studies should have a strong and broad high school background in humanities, social science, and languages, and are encouraged to get a second endorsement.
Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies (66 hours)
Required History Courses
Hist 101: Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Europe
Hist 102: Modern Europe
Hist 110: American History to 1877
Hist 111: American History Since 1877
Hist 120: World History I
Hist 121: World History II
Hist 300: Writing about History
Hist 308: North American Indian History
Hist 279: Introduction to Social Studies Methods
Hist 324: History of the Pacific Northwest
One (1) from Hist 230, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275
Three (3) upper-division history elective courses, including one (1) Global/non-Western, one (1) European course, one (1) U.S.
Hist 380: Methods of Teaching Social Studies
Pol S 101: American National Government
Soc 102: Social Problems
EconS 102: Fundamentals of Macroeconomics
Anth 101 or Anth 203: General Anthropology or Peoples of the World
One (1) Geography course from Hist 393, Hist 495, Anth 309
One (1) from Anth 307, 316, 320, 330, 331, 350; Pol S 300, 316, 427, 450, 455; Psych 310, 324, 361, 470; Soc 320, 346, 351, 384, 430
Courses used to complete the social studies degree and the College of Education requirements must be passed with a grade of C or better.
NOTE: Additional courses are necessary to complete the education requirements for the social studies education option. For a complete listing of requirements, see the College of Education’s Web site. The College of Education requires applicants for admission to the Teacher Education Preparation program to apply on-line.