Social studies education

The teacher of social studies has a great responsibility. Your purpose is to educate and enlighten citizens and to offer instruction in the core disciplines of history, geography, economics, political science, and behavioral studies. We provide extensive preparation for this field of study, offering the opportunity to study in several different academic disciplines—either through a broad-based approach or with an in-depth, focused approach. The field of study provides preparation to teachers in grades 5-12, or to those who seek a variety of other careers. Increasingly, businesses are looking for employees with an understanding of history, economics, and politics, coupled with the ability to offer sophisticated in-service education and to utilize leadership, organizational, and communications skills. The program also offers outstanding preparation to those who seek a career in high education teaching and doing research in social studies education.

Degree program information in social studies education

• Ph.D.: for experienced professionals who want to develop advanced research, knowledge, and leadership skills in their chosen field
• M.A.: a research-based master's degree for individuals who want to develop research and teaching skills, and advanced knowledge in their chosen field

The following program links will take you to Student Services

• M.Ed./initial licensure: for individuals seeking licensure to teach in preK-12 settings
• M.Ed./professional studies: for licensed teachers and other professionals interested in gaining advanced knowledge and skills with specific emphasis in social studies education

Faculty

• Patricia Avery
  I currently coordinate the evaluation of the Deliberating in a Democracy Project, a study in which models for discussing controversial public issues are implemented in secondary classrooms in three U.S. cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.), and three countries (Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, and Lithuania). This five-year  project began in 2004-2005 and each year the project will be expanded to additional sites within and outside the United States.
• Benjamin M. Jacobs
  My research interests include social studies education, history of education, curriculum studies, teacher education, and Jewish education, and I plan to investigate such questions as how social education takes form in ethnic schools.
• Terry Johnson
  I am particularly interested in exploring the most appropriate ways to use children's literature to teach elementary social studies concepts.
• J. B. Mayo
  As a former middle school teacher of six years in two Virginia localities, my research interests include multicultural education, global education, and the teaching of history, especially modern U.S. history from the 1960s to the present.

Student profile

Maia Sheppard

Before entering the University of Minnesota’s Ph.D. program in 2005, I sought out a variety of experiences to broaden and deepen my perspectives on the world. I taught in high schools and worked with community-based education programs in a variety of contexts, from rural Africa to New York City. Most recently I collaborated with a group of educators to start a small high school for immigrants and refugees in the Bronx, where we created rigorous inquiry-based curriculum and a supportive learning environment that prepared English language learners for both school-based portfolio assessments and the statewide N.Y. Regents exams.

With the goal of building upon my experiences teaching in a variety of contexts, I came to the University of Minnesota to engage in a critical examination of the relationships between education, culture, and social change. As a social studies educator, my interests are rooted in the role schools, and particularly teachers, play in shaping students’ civic identities as active and critical participants in a democracy. Working closely with professors and fellow students at the U of M has been vital to my developing the skills to approach these issues though the lens of a researcher.

May 2006