Social Studies, Bachelor of Arts (592)
Program Coordinator
Jennifer A. Hanley, jennifer.walton-hanley@wku.edu, (270) 745-4723
The Social Studies major program provides a strong, interdisciplinary major both for prospective secondary school teachers and for Liberal Arts students interested in a broad learning experience. The Social Studies curriculum totals 60 hours and requires students to study history (27 hrs), political science (9 hrs), economics (6 hrs), geography (9 hrs), anthropology (3 hrs), psychology (3 hrs), and sociology (3 hrs). Social Studies majors are not required to complete an accompanying program, but nearly all Social Studies students double-major in History (which requires 33 hrs). Most Social Studies majors complete the complementary Secondary Education curriculum in CEBS to become certified to teach social studies, and then take jobs as secondary school teachers in WKU’s service area.
Concentrations
- General (No Concentration)
- Teacher Education (TCHR)
Program Requirements (60 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major in social studies requires a minimum of 60 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students completing this major may become eligible for teacher certification in social studies. Students with a major in social studies receive a 12-hour waiver in the upper-division hour requirement in the major field.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| History | ||
| HIST 101 | World History I | 3 |
| HIST 102 | World History II | 3 |
| HIST 240 | The United States to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 241 | The United States Since 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 498 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Select 12 hours of upper-division courses including a course from each of the following areas: | 12 | |
United States History | ||
European History to 1648 | ||
European History since 1648 | ||
Areas other than Europe or the United States | ||
| Political Science | ||
| PS 110 | American National Government | 3 |
| PS 250 | International Politics | 3 |
| or PS 260 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | |
| Select an upper-division elective from the following: | 3 | |
| The American Presidency | ||
| The Legislative Process | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Civil Liberties | ||
| Criminal Justice Procedures | ||
| U S Foreign Policy | ||
| American Political Parties and Interest Groups | ||
| Minority Politics | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Economics | ||
| ECON 202 | Principles of Economics (Micro) | 3 |
| ECON 203 | Principles of Economics (Macro) | 3 |
| Geography | ||
| GEOG 110 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Cultural Geography | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Geography of North America | ||
| Geography of Europe | ||
| Food, Culture, and Environment | ||
| Political Geography | ||
| Geography of East Asia | ||
| Geography of Africa | ||
| Geography of the Middle East | ||
| Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology | ||
| ANTH 120 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| PSY/PSYS 100 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SOCL 100 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
In choosing elective courses, students should keep in mind the number of upper-division courses required for graduation. Students who complete this program will not be required to offer an additional major or minor for their degree and teacher certification.
Students who pursue the social studies major should also bear in mind that at least a minor in a particular discipline is required by many universities for graduate study in that discipline. The equivalent of a history minor is included in the social studies major. The number of additional hours required to meet minor requirements in PS, ECON, GEOG and SOCL is as follows: PS: 15 hours; ECON: 15 hours; GEOG: 12 hours; SOCL: 18 hours. Students seeking to minor in any of these disciplines should consult the appropriate Department Chair for specific requirements.
Teacher Education Requirements
The major in Social Studies with Teacher Certification is intended for those seeking certification to teach in grades 8-12. It requires a minmum of 60 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. No minor or second major is required. (Teacher certification requires an additional 40 hours of education courses specified by the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. A grade of "C" or higher is required in all courses applying to certification.) Requirements for the Social Studies major do not change, but the Education component does. The professional education courses required are (40 hours):
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 250 | Discover Teaching: Introduction to Teacher Education | 3 |
| PSY 310 | Educational Psychology: Development and Learning | 3 |
| SEC 350 | Clinical Practices in Secondary Teaching I | 8 |
| EDU 350 | Student Diversity and Differentiation | 3 |
| EDU 360 | Behavior and Classroom Management in Education | 3 |
| SEC 450 | Clinical Practices in Secondary Teaching II | 1 |
| SEC 481 | Teaching Social Studies | 3 |
| EDU 260 | Classroom Assessment | 3 |
| SEC 490 | Student Teaching | 10 |
| EDU 489 | Student Teaching Seminar | 3 |
| Total Hours | 40 | |
Finish in Four Plan
Without Teacher Certification
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 101 | 3 | HIST 102 | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| MATH 109 or MATH 116 | 3 | GEOG 110 | 3 |
| SOCL 100 | 3 | PSY 100 or PSYS 100 | 3 |
| PS 110 | 3 | PS 250 or PS 260 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 240 | 3 | HIST 241 | 3 |
| Upper Level History Elective (Europe to 1648) | 3 | Upper-Level History Elective (Europe since 1648) | 3 |
| ANTH 120 | 3 | ENG 200 | 3 |
| Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences w/ lab | 3 | GEOG 330, GEOG 350, GEOG 360, GEOG 364, GEOG 378, GEOG 425, GEOG 465, GEOG 466, or GEOG 467 | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 | Colonnade - Arts & Humanities | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 202 | 3 | ECON 203 | 3 |
| Upper Level History Elective | 3 | Colonnade - Social & Cultural | 3 |
| ENG 300 | 3 | PS 310, PS 316, PS 326, PS 327, PS 328, PS 357, PS 370, PS 373, or PS 435 | 3 |
| HIST (Non-Western) | 3 | HIST Elective (United States) | 3 |
| Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences w/ no lab | 3 | Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| History Elective | 3 | HIST 498 | 3 |
| Colonnade - Local to Global | 3 | Colonnade - Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 330, GEOG 350, GEOG 360, GEOG 364, GEOG 378, GEOG 425, GEOG 465, GEOG 466, or GEOG 467 | 3 | Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 | Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 |
| Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 | Second Major, Minor, or General Elective Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
Teacher Certification
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| HIST 101 | 3 | HIST 102 | 3 | ||
| ENG 100 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 | ||
| MATH 109 or MATH 116 | 3 | GEOG 110 | 3 | ||
| SOCL 100 | 3 | PSY 100 or PSYS 100 | 3 | ||
| PS 110 | 3 | PS 250 or PS 260 | 3 | ||
| Colonnade: Arts & Humanities | 3 | Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences w/o Lab | 3 | ||
| 18 | 18 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| HIST 240 | 3 | HIST 241 | 3 | ||
| ANTH 120 | 3 | ENG 200 | 3 | ||
| EDU 250 | 3 | ECON 203 | 3 | ||
| Upper Level History Elective (Europe to 1648) | 3 | Upper Level History Elective (Europe since 1648) | 3 | ||
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences w/Lab | 3 | History Elective (Non-Western) | 3 | ||
| History Elective (United States) | 3 | Upper Level History Elective | 3 | ||
| 18 | 18 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| SEC 350 | 8 | EDU 350 | 3 | Colonnade: Connections (Systems)* | 3 |
| EDU 360 | 3 | EDU 360 | 3 | ||
| ECON 202 | 3 | History Elective | 3 | ||
| ENG 300 | 3 | Upper Level Political Science Elective | 3 | ||
| Upper Level Geography Elective | 3 | ||||
| Connections: Colonnade (Social and Cultural)* | 3 | ||||
| 17 | 18 | 3 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| SEC 481 | 3 | EDU 489 | 3 | ||
| LTCY 421 | 3 | SEC 490 | 10 | ||
| SEC 450 | 1 | ||||
| HIST 498 | 3 | ||||
| Colonnade: Connections (Local to Global)* | 3 | ||||
| Upper Level Geography | 3 | ||||
| 16 | 13 | ||||
| Total Hours 139 | |||||
| * | Some Colonnade: Connections courses may overlap for upper-level history, geography, or political science electives in the major. Consult with an advisor about these course options. |