MASTER OF ARTS IN SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION (M.A.)
Director: Scott C. Billingsley
The
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Social Studies Education program has two
concentrations. The Licensure concentration
is designed for experienced teachers who wish to increase their own knowledge,
enhance social studies instruction for their students, and exercise
professional leadership in social studies curriculum development within
secondary schools. It builds upon and extends the multiple goals of UNC
Pembroke’s undergraduate social studies education program. The history and social science requirements
are carefully structured to provide breadth of coverage and self-selected areas
of concentration. The History/Social Science concentration is designed for
students who do not hold or seek North Carolina teacher licensure but wish to
pursue graduate study in history, enhanced by work in related social science
fields.
The
Master of Arts in Social Studies Education program will enable students to
1. Strengthen their history and
social science knowledge base and analytical skills.
2. Enhance their understanding of
the structure and methods of the individual academic disciplines and,
therefore, their ability to make the material interesting and comprehensible to
their students.
3. Become familiar with recent
curriculum reform initiatives which have particular relevance for social
studies teachers, including the essential thematic strands identified by the
National Council for the Social Studies and the national standards developed
for each content area.
4. Integrate recent scholarship and
professional trends with their own classroom experiences.
5. Evaluate available technology
resources (hardware and software) and determine their suitability for
instructional purposes.
6. Assume professional leadership
roles in curriculum development, instructional planning, and advocacy for
social studies as an essential component of K-12 education.
Students
will complete a capstone product of learning and, with the guidance of a
project committee from the relevant academic discipline(s), prepare a
professional presentation for colleagues prior to graduation.
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC
ADMISSIONS STANDARDS
** Current
SSE licensure and two years of full time social studies teaching experience;
** A
letter of application describing what the applicant hopes to gain from the
program and, in light of her or his current philosophy of social studies education,
how the applicant assumes the program will affect classroom practices.
** [Non-licensure
degree candidates will be required to sign a waiver of licensure statement and
will be exempted from the two-year teaching experience stipulation. They will not be expected to submit a
recommendation from a school administrator.]
|
Requirements for a
Master of Arts in Social Studies Education |
Sem. Hrs. |
|
Professional Core EDN*
5480 Advanced Foundations of American Education EDN*
5490 Effective Educational Leadership EDN*
5660 Applied Educational Research |
9 |
|
Pedagogical Expertise SSE
5750 - Social Studies Curriculum Transformation |
3 |
|
History Content Select one course from each category (9 credit
hours): HSTS 5000-5190 (European History) HSTS 5200-5390 (Asian, African, Latin American
History) HSTS 5400-5590 (United States History) Select one additional course from the following (3
credit hours): HST 5100 - Advanced North Carolina History HSTS 5xxx (any of the above categories) |
12 |
|
Social Science Content Select
two approved courses from one
social science discipline. Both
courses must be in the same field (6 credit hours): Political
Science Geography
Economics**
American
Indian Studies Sociology
Select
two approved courses from any social science field not selected for the
concentration above. Courses may be in different fields (6 credit hours): Political
Science Geography
Economics**
American
Indian Studies Sociology |
12 |
|
Required
Capstone: A
Capstone Project will be submitted for review at the end of the program. |
0 |
|
|
Total: 36 |
|
Requirements for a
Master of Arts in Social Studies Education: |
Sem. Hrs. |
|
Core Courses HST
5000 - Historical Methods HST
5990 - Historical Research SSE
5750 - Social Studies Curriculum Transformation |
9 |
|
History Content Select at least one course from each category: HSTS 5000-5190 (European History) HSTS 5200-5390 (Asian, African, Latin American
History) HSTS 5400-5590 (United States History) |
15-18 |
|
Social Science Content Select
approved courses from the following
social science disciplines: Political
Science Geography
Economics**
American
Indian Studies Sociology |
9-12 |
|
Required Capstone: A Capstone Project will be
submitted for review at the end of the program |
0 |
|
|
Total: 36 |
Note: For course descriptions, see
listings in the following graduate degree programs: *M.A.Ed., **MBA
COURSES
AMERICAN
INDIAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT (AIS)
AIS
5050. Contemporary Issues of American
Indians
This
seminar-style course examines major issues of American Indians in the 20th
century. Both local and national in
scope, topics to be addressed include: politics, economics, treaty
relationships with federal and state governments, education, alcohol and substance
abuse, the environment, cultural identity, relations with non-Indians,
religious freedom, land and water rights, tribal sovereignty, and other issues
as they arise.
AIS
5150. Amerindian Oral Traditions
An
examination of selected American Indian oral narrative traditions emphasizing a
religio-literary assessment of mythical, anecdotal, and historical stories.
Credit, 3 semester hours.
GEOLOGY AND
GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT (GGY)
GGY 5030.
Descriptive Regional Analysis
Qualitative
definition of geographical regions in the light of human interests: physical,
biotic, demographic and socio-cultural determinants; the relevance of regional
factors for planning and policy issues in education, government, the economy,
and the general welfare.
GGY
5050. Geographics
Visualization
of spatial data. Utilization of mapping
software to create high quality graphics for interdisciplinary analysis in
business, marketing, education, demographics, etc. Study of contemporary advances in computer
mapping technology and geographic information systems.
HISTORY
DEPARTMENT (HST/SSE)
Social
Studies Education Courses
SSE
5500. Advanced Social Studies Curriculum
and Instructional Methods (3 hours)
This course,
which utilizes lecture, workshop, and demonstration formats, has several
related components. It reviews history
and social science content, introduces strategies for promoting active
learning, and enables the student to integrate both into effective
instructional plans. Students will also
develop instructional technology competencies required for professional
effectiveness.
SSE
5750. Social Studies Curriculum
Transformation (3 hours)
This
course enables students to transform social studies instruction by
incorporating recent scholarship and innovative teaching strategies in the
social studies classes they teach.
Topics will be addressed in a way designed to facilitate synthesis of
academic learning and classroom experience, and aligned with advanced
professional standards. Prerequisites:
formal admission to the M.A. or M.A.T. in Social Studies Education Programs;
SSE 5500 (for MAT students only).
SSE
5810. Internship in Secondary Social
Studies Education (3 hours)
Ten week,
full-time internship experiences in an off-campus public school setting
appropriate for 9-12 Social Studies licensure. Prerequisite: Approval of the
Social Studies Education Program Director.
History/Social
Science Concentration Core Courses
HST
5000. Historical Methods (3 hours)
This
course deals with methods of historical research, the critical evaluation of
sources, primary as well as secondary, and the writing and oral presentation of
an historical essay. Accordingly, one
major course requirement is a research paper based on primary and secondary
sources. Because the process of
historical research is as important as the research product, this paper
will be the culmination of a series of steps (completed both within and outside
the classroom) designed to help each student master the elements of research
and effective written and oral presentation.
HST
5990. Historical Research (3 hours)
This
course serves a capstone learning experience for M.A. in Social Studies
Education students in the History/Social Sciences Concentration. Students will complete and present a
directed, supervised research project.
Graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Prerequisite:
A complete proposal should be approved no later than the close of
registration. Approval requires the
signature of the supervising faculty member and of the History Department
Chair.
Asian,
African, Latin American History
HSTS
5200-5260 - Topics in Asian History
These
courses examine a specific region, period, or theme in Asian history. Topics will vary, determined by the
instructor’s specialty.
HSTS
5270-5330 - Topics in African History
These
courses examine a specific region, period, or theme in African history. Topics will vary, determined by the
instructor’s specialty.
HSTS
5340-5390 - Topics in Latin American History
These
courses examine a specific region, period, or theme in Latin American
history. Topics will vary, determined by
the instructor’s specialty.
European
History
HSTS
5000-5090 - Topics in European History to 1500
These
courses examine a specific region, period, or theme in European history prior
to 1500. Topics will vary, determined by
the instructor’s specialty.
HSTS
5100-5190 - Topics in European History since 1500
These
courses examine a specific region, period, or theme in European history since
1500. Topics will vary, determined by
the instructor’s specialty.
United
States History
HSTS
5400-5490 - Topics in U.S. History to 1890
These
courses examine a specific period or aspect of U. S. history prior to
1890. Topics will vary, determined by
the instructor’s specialty.
HSTS
5500-5590 - Topics in U.S. History since 1860
These
courses examine a specific period or aspect of U. S. history since 1860. Topics will vary, determined by the
instructor’s specialty.
Additional
History Electives
HST 5100 -
Advanced North Carolina History
An
advanced study of the development of North Carolina from colonial beginnings to
the present.
HST 5200 -
History of the South
A
political, economic, and cultural study of the southern region with emphasis on
the characteristics which make it
distinctive.
HSTS
5591-5599 - Topics in History
These
courses will focus on one topic which does not fit within any single geographic
category used above.
POLITICAL
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT (PLS)
PLS
5400. Systems of State and Local
Government
Systematic
survey of municipal, county, special district, and state governments, with
special emphasis on critical examination of their roles and problems in the
decision making process of respective political subdivisions.
PLS
5450. American Political Process
Examination
of American political and governmental institutions and analysis of their
process, relationship, and roles in the dynamics of the political system.
SOCIOLOGY
AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT (SOC)
SOC
5010. The Changing Family
Family
relations in crosscultural and contemporary American perspectives. History, present status, and direction of
future change. Credit, 3 semester hours.
SOC
5020. American Pluralism—Race and
Ethnicity in American Life
The
American character hinges upon a complex racial and ethnic pluralism that has
existed since the establishment of the United States as a republic and
before. This course is intended to
explore the dynamics of the social construction of racial and ethnic identity,
as well as the historical and contemporary relations among various racial and
ethnic groups within the United States, from a sociological standpoint. Credit, 3 semester hours.