Secondary Certification in Citizenship Education
(Revised Track—for students graduating after January 1, 2013)
The College offers a program for students seeking certification to teach social studies in the secondary schools. The program includes three required components: the social studies core, the secondary education core, and a major in history or political science (graduation requirements for these majors are noted in this catalog under the History and Political Science department). There is no major in Citizenship Education. Dr. James H. Broussard is the coordinator of the social studies and citizenship education certification program. Students who will graduate by January 1, 2013 should follow the Traditional Citizenship Education track.
Required courses:
ECN 105 Essentials of Economics| This course examines economics from both the microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives. The course covers the basic principles of economics including the problem of scarcity, economics systems and models, supply and demand, market equilibrium, competition and monopoly, the banking system, monetary policy and inflation, fiscal policy, deficits, economic growth, and international trade. |
| A study of the development of civilizations from the development of human civilizations to the end of the first era of empire building in India, China, and the Mediterranean. Topics include the river valley civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China; the formation of great philosophies and religious traditions in Asia and Greece; and the first empires in the Mediterranean world, India, and China. |
| This course is a survey of modern history, from ca. 1400 to the present. The course will focus on one of the most important aspects of modern history, the processes of colonization and decolonization. The course is framed by three main areas of inquiry. First students explore why it was the Europeans who expanded over the globe from 1500 to 1900. The second theme is the cultural encounter that resulted from European expansion. The final section of the course deals with the twentieth-century. The following themes are covered: colonial resistance, the three-world order, and globalization. |
| The major events and developments in America from Columbus to the Civil War, with emphasis on the creation of a distinctive American society from the interaction of different cultures, ethnic groups, and ideas. Major themes include the transformation of European cultural ideas in colonial America and the impact of republican ideology, democratization, and the spread of the market economy between the Revolution and the Civil War. |
| American history from 1865 until the present. Students learn about important themes in recent history such as law and order, native land rights, protest movements, foreign policy and its critics, and the rise of corporate power and its economic and political consequences. |
| An introduction to historical geography and to the concept of historical-geographic change over time in various parts of the world, focusing on prominent scholars and scholarly communities that examine key aspects of contemporary and human physical landscapes, especially with regard to agriculture, land use, urbanization, transportation, settlement, industry, migration, and disease. |
| This course provides a survey of key developments, institutions, and issues in American politics. Topics include the ideas that shaped the original American political system, the presidency; Congress and federal courts; the operation of political parties and interest groups; domestic and foreign policy debates; and contemporary issues such as civil rights and affirmative action. |
| This is an introduction to the study of comparative politics: the comparison of political systems in order to understand how and why these systems function differently. The course is built around three fundamental questions: What is comparative politics? What kinds of phenomena do we compare? What are the major theoretical approaches that guide our studies? We also examine distinctions between the "developing" and the "developed" worlds, and between authoritarian and democratic political regimes. |
| This course is designed to expose students to the study of concepts and theories of international relations. It will provide students with a conceptual approach to understanding the principal actors in the international system and a systematic analysis of advanced international relations theories, namely realism, liberalism, radicalism, constructivism, and feminism. Topics addressed include international relations theory, history of international relations, the global system, the state and the individual, global organizations, non-governmental organizations, international law, war and strife, international political economy, and transnational issues. |
| Governmental institutions, characteristics of state and local political systems and the major inter-governmental problems in state and local relations with federal government. |
| This survey course examines the relationship between research and theory in the field of psychology, with emphasis on the field of applied psychology. Individual and societal influences on physical and psychological health will be examined. Topics will include psychological testing, personality theory, intelligence, motivation and emotion, social behavior, and psychological disorders and treatment. |
| A survey of major ideas in child development and educational psychology, with an emphasis on classroom applications. Topics include human development, intelligence, language, learning, memory, motivation, social and cultural contexts of development, and assessments. |
| An introduction to the sociological perspective with a focus on how individual behavior is shaped by the social context. The nature and characteristics of human societies and social life are examined from a perspective known as the "sociological imagination". Topics range from the influence of culture on human behavior, the development of the self, group dynamics, deviance, population, and social inequality. |
| Introduction to both physical and cultural anthropology including human evolution, human variation, and cross-cultural analysis and comparison. |
Secondary Education Courses:
EDU 245 Lang, Diversity, Achieve: 7-12| This course is designed to allow the pre-service music, art, language, or grade 7 - grade 12 secondary teacher certification candidate to gain an understanding of the complex factors impacting the education and language acquisition of the diverse language and cultural minority groups of the United States. This course is required under Act 49-2 and may be taken while student teaching. |
| This course will offer comprehensive preparation for teaching social studies in secondary schools through discussing, reading, writing, and completing projects. As part of this course, students will establish and practice appropriate classroom management strategies; design lessons/units of study that meaningfully integrate different and varied aspects of social studies; develop appropriate assessment strategies for all students including those with disabilities; explore and utilize materials, techniques and methods of classroom instruction for a variety of populations including those with disabilities; synthesize, reconfigure and connect what they have learned within the areas of social studies literacy, writing and education; evaluate student work by creating their own rubrics to assess learning; use technology effectively as an instructional tool. |
| A study of the basic principles and procedures for middle school and secondary classroom management and instruction |
| A continuation of the basic principles and procedures for middle school and secondary school classroom management and instruction. |
| Students spend an entire semester in an area school under the supervision of a cooperating teacher. |
| This course is designed to introduce all categories of disability. Specific attention will be given to the potential cognitive, physical, social, behavioral, and language differences in children with disabilities. Delivery approach will include, but not be limited to: lecture, case study discussions, and student presentations. |
| This course will begin with a historical overview of the field of special education, including key legislation and litigation that drives current practice. Assessment tools for diagnosing disability will be introduced, as well as assessment tools for documenting student progress. In addition, collaboration and communication skills essential for working as a part of the special education team will be practiced and further developed. Delivery approach will include, but not be limited to: lecture, field experiences, and hands-on experience with various assessments. |
Note: Students transferring credits into the program from other institutions may also need to take the following:
SPE 258 Instruct & Behav. Strategies
| The focus of this course content will be on (a) behavioral principles and their application in the classroom, (b) literacy development and literacy interventions for students with disabilities, and (c) evidence-based instructional strategies in other content areas, such as mathematics, social studies, science, and the creative arts. Delivery approach will include, but not be limited to: lecture, case study applications, field experiences, hands-on experience with various literacy programs, and student presentations. |
Students must conform to state guidelines that require two math courses and an English or American literature course in addition to the general education requirements. Students must apply to the certification program after completing at least 48 credits (including the math and English courses) with a 3.0 grade point average and must maintain that average in order to proceed to student teaching and certification.