Social Studies Education

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Social Studies Education focuses on research, theory and teacher preparation. Our students and faculty explore the contextual and contested meanings of “history” and “citizenship” in U.S. public schools. Students engage in coursework and research that explore topics such as social studies curriculum, multicultural education, and improving literacy through social studies.

The Department of Curriculum & Instruction offers three options for a master’s degree Social Studies Education:

Master of Arts (M.A.) with Thesis (30 Credit Hours)
Master of Arts (M.A.) with Report (33 Credit Hours)
Master of Education (M.Ed.) (36 Credit Hours)

The MA requires an independent report or thesis, while the M.Ed. requires additional elective course work.

Our degree programs focus on teaching and learning in urban contexts and thus require that candidates have or are in the process of acquiring three years of teaching experience. The degree is designed to help practicing social studies teachers extend their understanding of the importance of linguistically and culturally diverse learning communities in constructing ideals of participatory citizenship education. Students learn skills that help them become passionate teachers and prepare engaging curriculum for children.

All programs must include at least six semester hours outside the department. Up to nine hours of upper-division undergraduate coursework may be counted toward the M.Ed. (distributed as follows: six hours in Curriculum and Instruction and three hours outside C&I, or three hours in C&I and six hours outside C&I). Up to six hours of upper-division undergraduate coursework may be counted toward the M.A.

Faculty

Master of Arts with Thesis

30 hours total minimum

Basic Course Requirements (9 hours)

Curriculum Studies (3 hours)

EDC 383F Curriculum Theory
EDC 385G Historical Perspectives on Curriculum

Research Methods (3 hours)

EDC 380R Educational Research and Design

Foundations (3 hours)

EDC 384P Multicultural Education
EDC 385G Advanced Multicultural Curriculum
EDC 385G Cultural Knowledge of Teachers and Teaching
EDC 385G Foundations of Curriculum

Social Studies Specialization (minimum 9 hours)

Students with an emphasis on Social Studies will take additional related courses (minimum 9 hours), selected with the assistance and approval of the assigned advisor. Among the courses that might be selected to fulfill this requirement are the following:

EDC 382E Teaching Elementary School Subject- Social Studies
EDC 382S Teaching Secondary School Subjects: Social Studies
EDC 385G Current Issues Teaching the Social Studies
EDC 385G History of the Social Studies
EDC 390T Humanities and Literacy in Social Education
EDC 390T Improving Social Studies Education
EDC 390T Institutes in Instruction: Critical Issues in Social Education
EDC 396 Seminar: Social Studies Education
EDC 384: Research in Elementary Social Studies
EDC 385G: Perspectives on Democratic and Citizenship Education
EDC382E: Social Studies Education: Issues and Research in the Field

Courses Outside the Department (minimum 6 hours)

Some coursework is required from outside the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. This includes the other departments in the College of Education Coursework from the following sections may fulfill this requirement: