General Requirements for Licensure in Social Studies:

Additionally, students must choose one of the options indicated below.

Option 1: Social Studies Licensure with a Major in History. Additionally, students must complete at least one course in each of the following areas.

• Anthropology or Sociology
• Economics
• Political Science
• Psychology 

Option 2: Social Studies Licensure with a Major in Anthropology, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, or Religion. Additionally, students must complete at least one course outside of their major in each of the following areas except history, which requires four courses.

• Anthropology or Sociology 
• Economics
• Political Science
• Psychology 
• History  

Course Requirements:

• EDU 121 (History of Educational Theory and Practice)
• EDU 242 (Educational Psychology and Teaching Exceptionalities)
• EDU 250 (Multicultural Education), or 260 (Social Diversity and Inequality in Education), or 320 (Growing up Jim Crow), or 340 (Education in African American Society)
• EDU 400 (Organization for Teaching)
• EDU 410-411 (Internship in Teaching)
• EDU 420 (Seminar in Secondary Education)

Other Requirements:

• Minimum scores on the Praxis Series or minimum scores on the SAT.
• Students will need to meet the requirements for admission to the Program and admission to student teaching.
• Candidates must demonstrate their qualifications as a Future-Ready Educator by providing the six required pieces of evidence as described here . 

 

To demonstrate depth of content knowledge for Evidence #2,

students must submit a major research paper on a topic of their choice. It is expected that the level of research will exceed superficial or common expertise for the topic.  In other words, it must reflect in-depth scholarly research and analysis, rather than a broad overview of the topic.

Directions to Students

Students planning to earn Social Studies licensure are required to submit a major research paper on a topic of their choice.   This requirement can be met by revising an honors thesis or by revising a paper done in the context of a 300- or 400-level class in one of the social studies majors, seminars, or independent studies.   Regardless of the paper’s genesis, it will be evaluated as a unique product by the chair of the Department of Education and the Davidson faculty member who currently serves as the Social Studies Education representative to the Teacher Education Committee.   It is expected that the level of research will exceed superficial or common expertise for the topic.  In other words, it must reflect in-depth scholarly research and analysis, rather than a broad overview of the topic.  Further, the structure of the paper must include the following.

• Cover page.  Include your name, the title of your paper, and the date submitted to the Department of Education.
• Table of contents.  Design your Table of Contents in such a way that your reader will find it helpful in navigating the contents of your project.
• One page abstract.  This is a summation of the key points found during your research exploration.
• Introduction.  Here you will outline the issue to be studied and explain why it is worthy of significant research analysis.
• Summary of previous scholarship.  This is a brief (about two pages) summary of previous scholarly investigation of your topic.  This will provide a context for the main body of your research that is to follow.  You should be careful to make sure that this is a brief document unto itself; in other words, it should be a clear and coherent essay, rather than an annotated bibliography or a series of disjointed paragraphs summarizing previous work.
• The Research Study. The body of your paper. Here you will present your research findings.
• Conclusion. Summarize your main findings and then explain the importance of your research.  In other words, explain why your work is important.  This is also a good place to speculate what further lines of inquiry might be fruitful for future research.
• Bibliography or Works Cited pages.  This section should include sources that were actually cited in the paper.   If you would like, you can also include a list of Works Consulted.  Be sure everything is documented according to an accepted scholarly format such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.
• Summary of research methods. Here you will provide a detailed summary of the research practices and methods employed during the writing of your paper.  For instance, you will want to explain how you arrived at your topic and what kind of background work went into narrowing and focusing your inquiry.  Also, you will explain how you collected your initial information and what changes occurred during your research—i.e., how your topic became more refined as you continued with your work.  Other items that you will want to include should refer to what databases you used, what people you spoke with who helped during your research, difficulties you had in gathering certain information, treasures you stumbled on accidentally while browsing the stacks.  In short, you will want to explain your trials and tribulations encountered during this project.
• Note. The total length of the paper should stay roughly between 15-25 double spaced pages, not counting bibliography, table of contents, summary of research methods, and abstract.

Standards for High School Social Studies Teachers

The following standards are mandated by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and are imbedded in the specialty area coursework.

Standard 1:  Culture and Cultural Diversity: People, Places, and Environments

Teacher candidates who teach social studies know and can facilitate learning about how culture and culture systems function.  They are able to teach about how human beings relate to their environment and the impact of that relationship on culture.

Teacher candidates who teach social studies know and can facilitate learning about:

• the definition and function of culture in societies
• culture as an integrated whole that explains the functions and interactions of language, literature, the arts, traditions, beliefs and values, and behavior patterns
• societal patterns that preserve and transmit culture and the dynamic relationship between cultures, environments, and societies
• comparative and analytical approaches to examining the differences and similarities among cultures
• specific cultural responses to persistent human issues
• demographic and spatial patterns using various representations of the earth (maps, globes, pictures, etc.)
• relationships between the cultural and physical characteristics of various places (landforms, climate, natural resources, population, etc.)
• how humans relate to their environment and the consequences of that relationship on the local, regional, and global levels

Standard 2:  Time, Continuity, and Change

Teacher candidates who teach social studies know and can facilitate learning about historical periods and patterns.  They teach about diverse perspectives and sources of information that inform an understanding of the past, present, and future.

• significant historical periods and patterns at the local, state, national, and global levels 
• similarities and differences, within and among cultures across time and place 
• key concepts (chronology, cause and effect, change and continuity) used to examine how the world has changed and how it might change in the future
• historical knowledge and the concept of time as socially influenced constructions that lead researchers to be selective in the questions they seek to answer and the evidence they use
• the process of critical inquiry in history and the social sciences used to examine change over time and develop historical perspectives
• identifying and framing a problem
• using a variety of sources
• using primary and secondary resources
• evaluating the credibility of sources
• putting sources into historical context
• investigating, interpreting, and analyzing multiple viewpoints
• clearly and effectively articulating conclusions

Standard 3:  Economic, Scientific, and Technological Development

Teacher candidates who teach social studies know and can facilitate learning about how economic forces affect individuals and communities and about the management of individual and collective resources in a global economy.  This includes the influence of science, technology, and ecologic interdependence on all aspects of human enterprise including systems such as transportation, communication, health care, warfare, agriculture, and industry.

• how the scarcity of resources (human, capital, technological, and natural) require economic systems that determine how goods and services will be produced and distributed
• a comparison of economic systems (market economies, command economies, mixed economies, etc.) regarding issues of specialization, supply and demand, prices, the role of government, banks, labor, labor unions, savings, investments, and sources and uses of capital
• the interaction among various economic systems from local to global
• the fundamentals of personal financial literacy that develops self-directed and responsible citizens
• the impact of scientific and technological innovation on economies and societies over the world
• the way in which science and technology influence core societal values, beliefs, and attitudes and how societal attitudes shape scientific an technological change
• current and historical examples of the interaction and interdependence of science, technology, and society in a variety of cultural settings

Standard 4:  Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Their Development and Identities

Teacher candidates who teach social studies know and can facilitate learning about how individual and collective identities are shaped by groups and institutions.

• the extent to which groups and institutions meet individual needs and promote the common good
• how such institutions as religion, education systems, social classes, families, government agencies, and legal systems develop and exert influence over both individuals and groups
• concepts of role, status, social class, race, ethnicity, and gender shape the interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions in society
• the tension between expressions of individuality and the efforts of groups to promote social continuity using forces such as role models, perceptions, attitudes, values, beliefs, etc.
• the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self

Standard 5:  Civic Ideals and Practices: Power, Authority, and Governance

Teacher candidates who teach social studies know and facilitate learning about the principles of democracy and human rights and about the variety of ways that governments, leaders, and citizens exercise power, develop laws, and maintain order.

• the forms, dynamics, and uses of power
• the purpose of government and how its powers are acquired, used, and justified
• how power structures are created, maintained, and changed at the local, state, national, and global levels
• basic principles of democratic constitutional government as articulated in the Founding Documents (United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc.)
• representative leaders from various branches and levels of the U. S. government
• the rights, roles, and status of individuals in relation to the general welfare
• the rights and responsibilities of citizens on the local, state, national, and global levels including what citizens need to know and be able to do in order to participate in public policy formulation
• how to analyze the origins and effects of public policy, and the effectiveness of public opinion in influencing and shaping public policy development and decision-making
• comparison of the structure, ideologies, institutions, processes, etc. of different political systems throughout the world, and how different governments respond to forces of unity and diversity
• global issues, international governing bodies, worldwide relations among nations, the role of the United States in global politics, and the global implications of civic decisions
• how governments attempt to achieve their stated ideals at home and abroad