Social Studies Teaching Option
This option is available within the Secondary Education major at the following location:
- Corvallis
This option is for students wanting to earn a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and qualify for an Oregon teaching license to teach social studies at the middle school (grades 6-9) and/or the high school (grades 9-12) levels.
Option Code: 70
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Recognize how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and design and implement developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
- Develop and create the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) they teach and create learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
- Plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
- Use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
- Practices ongoing reflection and use evidence to continually evaluate their practice, particularly the effects of their choices and actions on others, and adapts their practice/choices accordingly. The teacher candidate will avail professional resources and/or professional development beyond university coursework.
Students must complete all option courses prior to beginning the professional level of the Secondary Education major. Option courses may double-count if the student elects to complete a dual-major.
Additional option requirements:
- A cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for all option courses.
- Grades below C are not accepted. If students want to include a content course in the state process for waiving the content exam, a minimum grade of C is required.
- All required courses must be letter graded (A–F); courses graded on Pass/No Credits (P/N) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis are not accepted.
Students need depth and breadth of knowledge including both analytical and methodological expertise in at least one social studies discipline. Students are encouraged to consider a dual-major in one of the following disciplines:
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Ethnic Studies
- Geography and Geospatial Science
- History
- Liberal Studies
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Culture and Cultural Diversity (Anthropology) | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
Any ANTH course 1 | ||
| +*WORLD HISTORY I: ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS | ||
| +*WORLD HISTORY II: MIDDLE AND EARLY MODERN AGES | ||
| +*WORLD HISTORY III: THE MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY WORLD | ||
| GENDER AND POLITICS | ||
| *GENDER AND TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVISMS | ||
| People, Places, and Environments (Geography) | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| +*EVOLUTION OF PLANET EARTH | ||
| *PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | ||
| *WESTERN TRADITION & EMERGING CHALLENGES IN THE GLOBAL NORTH | ||
| +*CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF AFRICA | ||
| +SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD | ||
| +*POPULATION, CONSUMPTION, AND ENVIRONMENT | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES | ||
| Individual Development and Identity (Pyschology) | ||
| PSY 201Z | +*INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY I | 4 |
| or PSY 202Z | +*INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY II | |
| Ethnic Studies | ||
| ES 101 | *INTRODUCTION TO ETHNIC STUDIES | 3 |
| Any ES course 1 | 3 | |
| Power, Authority, and Governance (Political Science) | ||
| PS 201 | +*INTRODUCTION TO UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 4 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
Any PS course 1 | ||
| APPROACHES TO SOCIAL JUSTICE | ||
| *THE ECONOMICS OF DISCRIMINATION | ||
| TWENTIETH-CENTURY EUROPE | ||
| *HITLER'S EUROPE | ||
| *MODERN LATIN AMERICA | ||
| *MODERN IRAN: REVOLUTION AND ITS AFTERMATH | ||
| *MODERN CHINA AND JAPAN | ||
| *POLITICS AND RELIGION IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST | ||
| CHINA IN 20TH CENTURY | ||
| *SOCIAL INEQUALITY | ||
| LAW AND SOCIETY | ||
| Production, Distribution, and Consumption (Economics) | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
Any ECON course 1 | ||
| *WEALTH AND POVERTY | ||
| +*MINERALS, ENERGY, WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| *GEOGRAPHY OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBALIZATION | ||
| *POLITICS OF DEVELOPING NATIONS | ||
| PUBLIC POLICY PROBLEMS | ||
| EAST ASIAN POLITICAL ECONOMY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY | ||
| US ENERGY POLICY | ||
| RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY | ||
| *SOCIETY AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| Science, Technology, and Society (Intersection of History and Society) | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
Any NMC course 1 | ||
| *EVOLUTION OF PEOPLE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY | ||
| *SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE | ||
| *NATIVE AMERICAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | ||
| *SCIENCE IN THE AGE OF EMPIRES | ||
| *HISTORY OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY SCIENCE | ||
| *HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY | ||
| US ENERGY POLICY | ||
| SCIENCE AND POLITICS | ||
| RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY | ||
| *SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL CONTEXT | ||
| *GENDER AND SCIENCE | ||
| Global Connections (Intersection of History and Geography) | ||
| Any HST course 1 | 3-4 | |
| Civic Ideals and Practices - U.S. History 2 | ||
| HST 201 | +INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, EMPIRES, AND REVOLUTIONS: MAKING EARLY AMERICA | 4 |
| HST 202 | +*CIVIL WARS AND CIVIL RIGHTS: MAKING US CITIZENSHIP | 4 |
| HST 203 | +CONTESTING FREEDOMS: MAKING THE MODERN UNITED STATES | 4 |
| Civic Ideals and Practices - World History | ||
| Select two courses from any of the following subject areas: 1 | 8 | |
Any HST course | ||
Any PS course | ||
| Total Credits | 52-56 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in a catalog year up to 2024-2025
- +
Core Education course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2025-2026 and beyond
- 1
Blanket course numbers are not allowed
- 2
See advisor for alternative Ethnic Studies or US History course that may be substituted for one of the courses
Option Code: 70