Master of Education: Teaching Concentration in Secondary Social Studies

The Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction course focuses on applying curricular theory to best practices to the 21st century classroom setting. Planning for instruction and evaluation of learning are the two focal points of this experience. This course is designed as an introduction to the systematic process of planning for effective classroom instruction and assessment, as these tasks relate to contemporary curricular concepts. The skills needed for writing learning objectives and instructional plans for various domains of learning will be taught by placing an emphasis on setting goals and objectives for instruction; planning activities and assessments based on cognitive, social, affective, and psychomotor factors; and designing appropriate means of assessing those learning objectives. Special attention will be given to the related use of technology in the development of effective and systematic learning environments in the 21st Century classroom. This will include a basic recognition of computer hardware and software, capabilities and limitations of technology, evaluating programs and technological resources, and the effective use of various technologies in the classroom.

This course examines the theoretical and applied aspects of learning, motivation, human development, personality, assessment, and evaluation in the educational setting. Content includes the study of learning theories as well as cognitive, emotional, and social learning processes that underlie education and human development to include affective processes and socialization. Emphasis is placed on developing skills to better understand learners to foster improved learning, influence and manage classroom learning, and recognize and consider individual differences.

This course provides pre-service and in-service teachers with an examination of the characteristics of exceptional students to include gifted, developmentally disabled, learning disabled, and emotionally/behaviorally disordered. The course includes identification and implications for planning instruction for these exceptional students as well as exploring legislation, philosophy, least restrictive approaches, parent involvement, and due process safeguards. Federal legislation including Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, IDEA, ADA, and Section 504 are discussed. Finally, major contemporary issues related to field of special education to include legal, curricular, and instructional procedures appropriate for students at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels are examined.

This course examines the particular role of the classroom educator in understanding a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners. This approach to effective instruction will focus on the classroom factors relating to the nature of the student and the essential meaning of the curriculum. Particular emphasis will be placed on classroom elements that the educator can differentiate – or modify – to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as possible, as efficiently as possible. This would include the areas of content, process, products, affect and learning environment. Additionally, there are three core student characteristics that educator must consider when creating curriculum and instruction: readiness, interest, and learning profile. The idea of differentiating instruction to accommodate the different ways that students learn involves a hefty dose of common sense, as well as sturdy support in the theory and research of education.

This course explores how technology may be used as a tool in the 21st Century classroom to facilitate changes in the ways teachers teach and students learn, and ultimately to stimulate positive changes in education. It also examines how educators can increase their own productivity by using technology for communication and collaboration among colleagues, staff, parents, students, and the larger community. Candidates will examine the benefits and possible drawbacks of technology use in their classrooms and learn how to integrate technology effectively into their teaching as a means to promote student learning. Candidates will discover how technology can be an engaging and effective tool in the classroom. Candidates will also have the opportunity to learn how to incorporate the latest technology and software into the curriculum to support learning. This course addresses the standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). It also incorporates 21st Century Learning Skills. The importance of ICT (information and communication technologies) literacy is emphasized.

This course explores the underlying principles and philosophical foundations of teaching and education and examines how teachers function on the basis of a set of assumptions and beliefs regarding what they teach, how they teach, and to what end they teach. Candidates will consider the origin, tensions and arguments surrounding the character of American education. They will also explore their own assumptions and gain a critical understanding of the philosophical foundations by entering into conversation with others that have also engaged in a deep exploration of the perennial human questions as they pertain to the conceptualization and practice of education. Prominent philosophies that underlie current educational thought and practice of education/teaching are also examined.

This course examines issues relating to the skills that promote equal learning opportunities in the classroom, including effective approaches to working with colleagues, staff, parents, and students who are culturally, ethnically and socio- economically diverse. Interpersonal communication skills – to include speaking, listening, reading, and writing - and their effect on individuals, organizations, and communities will be discussed. Topics examined include ethnic, cultural, gender, class, religious, and linguistic diversity, as well as human exceptionality. The use of technology as an aid to effective communication will be presented. Laws and issues that have a bearing on curriculum and instruction for exceptional students will be examined.

This course examines classroom-management models and theoretical and empirical approaches to classroom management. The course helps candidates develop appropriate classroom-management decision making and problem solving skills, explores the merits and limitations of each classroom-management model, and examines the rationale when each approach to classroom management could be most appropriately implemented. The course also presents concepts of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation; the concept of self-motivation; assertive, positive, and cooperative discipline; and examines the relationships among classroom environment, classroom behavior, and learning. In this course s will focus on implementing interventions for preventing and managing routine and disruptive discipline problems in a practical manner to include establishing effective classroom rules and procedures, relationships, role of parents, and helping students contribute to a positive learning environment that is relevant to their lives. Information provided in this course is directly linked to the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards.

This course introduces candidates to a variety of pedagogical approaches from the objectivist, constructivist and social family of learning models. Through case study analysis, candidates will critically assess the syntax of instructional models that can be applied across a variety of content areas. Candidates will demonstrate their understanding of various teaching models and integrated model constructs through the development of lesson plans in their content area. As part of this process it is expected that cross-modal approaches to content exploration will be developed, which in turn can be transitioned into classroom application. In addition, candidates will become engaged in critical analysis and evaluation of these lesson plans in order to develop a self-reflective approach to praxis.

This course examines the purposes, significant issues, and current trends which affect social science and history subject matter in the elementary and secondary schools. It includes an exploration of the materials and techniques for effective teaching of the social studies with an emphasis on the selection and organization of classroom methods and materials to accelerate the preadolescent and adolescent child’s understanding of their social and global environment; the criteria to select appropriate social studies content, skills, and attitudinal objectives; teaching strategies; the inclusion of instructional technology in the classroom setting; and the evaluation procedures that facilitate the social learning of young children and adolescents. It also addresses the cultural, economic, political, and social development of students living in a multicultural and global environment, as well as the scope and sequencing of history and social studies courses in the school curriculum.

This course examines the development of behavioral objectives, materials, classroom instructional procedures, subject matter, diagnosis and remediation, and evaluation procedures consistent with the 10 national themes for social studies. In this course candidates develop necessary knowledge and skills to design, plan, and implement a secondary level social studies program. This course includes an overview of the social science disciplines and their concepts and generalizations; the methodology of historical study; strategies for teaching which include a variety of media and both teacher-centered and student-centered activities; and a discussion of the diverse settings in which social studies are taught. Current issues and topics in social studies education are also examined.

Pre Reqs: Issues, Methods, and Materials in Teaching Social Studies(EDUC543)

This course presents essential literacy skills and examines ways in which they may be developed in K-12 subject area classrooms. The course will provide an overview of the reading process based on current theory and scientifically based research as well as best practices for promoting content area reading and learning. A variety of instructional strategies for reading and writing will be presented for use in all content areas and grade levels. The use of technology to expand students’ literacies will also be investigated.

This course examines the history of the Renaissance as a European wide movement emanating from the Italian peninsula; the crisis of the church medieval and the rise of the Renaissance papacy; Humanism, with special emphasis on the great painters, architects, and sculptors; the Renaissance city-states, Machiavelli, and the Renaissance monarchies of France, England, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire; the continuing crisis of the church medieval and the religious upheavals of Protestantism; the work of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and the Anabaptists; the Catholic Reformation; the age of civil and religious wars.

This course is an historical survey of West Virginia and the Central Appalachian’s development from prehistoric times to the present time. Areas stressed include Native American settlements, colonial migrations, revolutionary activities, Civil War and statehood, industrialization, and the region’s assimilation into the national economy.

This course is a study of the major social, political and cultural changes in Europe from the death of Louis XIV to the fall of Napoleon. Topics include the intellectual history of the Enlightenment, the causes of the Revolution, the development of radical ideologies, social and political instability, the French impact on Europe, and the achievements of Napoleon as civil administrator, military strategist, and commander.

This course is a comparative study to demonstrate the importance of the historical context of any great military event. Context includes all aspects of a society or culture and in this case, 18th century British and colonial American political and constitutional philosophies, social norms and societal structure, economics, religious concepts, and foreign and diplomatic policy. Students examine issues such as divergent historiographical opinions on the degree of American constitutional conservatism versus political and social radicalism, and the nature of the soldiery of the continental Army.

This course is a study of the political, economic, cultural, and social aspects of the Civil War as a seminal event in our nation’s history. Students explore the causes of the war, how a nation coped with the struggle across multiple dimensions, and how we dealt with the conflict's aftermath. Special emphasis is on the continuing debate that the impact of the Civil War had on both the North and the South.

This course examines the changes in American society at the end of the 19th century as it confronted the issues of industrialization, immigration, and urbanization. It explores the open conflict between the advocates of isolationism and collective security and studies the impact of World War I. It also studies the changing values of the 1920s, the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and the cultural, social, political, military, and economic growth of the United States from World War II to the present.

This course examines the origins, content, and judicial interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. The course involves study of the Supreme Court’s evolving decisions on such issues as States’ rights, civil rights, the Commerce Clause, Due Process in criminal and other proceedings, and protected freedoms (speech, religion, assembly, etc.) under the Constitution.

This course explores the history of expressive and material cultures around the world, with emphasis on industrialized nations. Topics include aesthetics, social identification, and production, consumption, and reception of cultural forms. Using literature, films, pictures, and music, students study theories of popular culture and aesthetic hierarchy; explicate historical contexts of artistic movements; discuss cultural imperialism; address problems of cultural appropriation, creativity, and identity; and examine cultural expressions of social difference and deviance. Topics also include the social history of culture in the age of mass society, including popular arts and the culture of consumption.

This course compares and contrasts revolutions recognized as monumental in scope and/or consequences they are labeled "great"; specifically, the American, French, Mexican, Russian, Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese, and Iranian. Students examine their causes and consequences, to include the transformation of economic, social, and political systems of social stratification. Of particular interest is the relationship among the structural and intentional elements, the impact of revolutionary crisis in a society, and various insurgent challenges to the ancient regime.

This course examines the relationships among technology, culture, and politics in a variety of social and historical settings ranging from 19th century factories to 21st century techno dance floors. Students focus on three questions: What cultural effects and risks follow from treating biology as technology? How have computers and information technologies changed the ways we think about ourselves? How are politics built into the infrastructures within which we live? The cross-cutting themes address whether or not technologies facilitate and undermine inequality, and if resulting changes in technology produce a better world.

This seminar explores past and recent historiographical approaches within the history of science. Students examine a wide variety of topics primarily from the 17th through the 21st centuries, to include the fields of physical sciences, natural history, and medicine. Emphasis is placed on deciphering various theoretical approaches; the pros and cons of different research questions, subjects, and sources of evidence; and what makes the history of science valuable to our understanding of global change.

This course is an in-depth study of the westward expansion of Europeans and the United States from colonial times to the 1890s as it resulted in military conflict with the Native American Indian tribes living between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Students focus on the military strategy and tactics, leaders and groups, economic conditions, diplomatic efforts, and cultural conflicts.

This course is a study in the history of African-Americans in the United States, with emphasis on the social forces underlying transitions from West Africa to the New World, from slavery to freedom, and from rural to urban life. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, American slave societies, maroon communities, free blacks in the antebellum United States, Reconstruction and free labor, colonization, emigration, and urban migrations.

This course is a study of the historical experience of women in America from the colonial period through modern times. Topics include the evolution of women's work, education, legal and political status, religious experience and sex roles as well as age, class, race, sexual preference and region as significant variables in women's experience.

This course prepares teachers to offer a professional development workshop based on the principles of Powerful and Authentic Social Studies (PASS), a program developed by the National Council for the Social Studies. Teachers will learn the three criteria of PASS and how these are applied to standards for developing curriculum, creating assessments, and providing effective instruction. Using content from “new” American history that reflects a change in perspective or interpretation, teachers will learn how to critique and create their own curriculum units, assessment tasks, and instructional video-recordings. Teachers will consider a variety of factors in providing PASS workshops to others.

This course provides an overview of works of the Renaissance, and offers a detailed study of its major thinkers. Issues include the birth of rationalism, individualism, skepticism, and secularism. Questions address the problem of what the knower knows, the war between intellectual tradition and change, and the dominance of the sphere of science. Readings for this course include: Petrarch's Selections from the Canzoniere and Other Works; Machiavelli's The Prince; Francois Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel; Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's Don Quixote; Shakespeare's King Lear; Michael de Montaigne's Selections from the Essays; John Donne's Selected Poems; Rene Descartes' Discourse on Method, and his Meditations; and John Milton's Paradise Lost.

This course examines a broad range of governments utilizing the comparative method of analysis. Students will study democracies, monarchies, dictatorships and authoritarian forms of government. Students will participate in various class projects emphasizing contemporary problems of the various forms of governments of nation states today. This will take into consideration cultural differences and similarities, human nature, and the approaches of individual governments different from that of the American norm in carrying out their basic responsibility to maintain and strengthen society by equal justice for all of its citizens.

This course, the required semester of student teaching, provides the teacher candidate classroom experiences under the direction of a fully licensed teacher. At least half of the classroom time must be spent in supervised direct teaching activities in the concentration area sought. Candidates are expected to participate in school opening sessions if the student teaching is conducted in the fall semester; or school closing activities if the student teaching is conducted during the winter semester. In addition, candidates are expected to fully participate in the life of the school community. EDUC 690 will only be offered during the months when classes are in regular session in order to ensure that candidates have an authentic experience. Candidates must coordinate start dates with the Coordinator of Field Experience.