Social Studies Adolescence Education Bachelor of Arts degree

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Studies Adolescence Education (leading to initial certification)

Responsibility for the B.A. in Social Studies Adolescence Education is shared by the College of Education and the Department of History. Students are encouraged to double major in History (or another field) in order to enhance their understanding of the discipline and their future employment opportunities. Requirements beyond those of the College Core Curriculum include:

I. Professional Education Courses (39 credit hours required)

EDU 105Introduction to Contemporary Inclusive Education

3

and

EDU 106Practicum in Inclusive Education I

0

EDU 224Adolescent Development

3

EDU 250Introduction to the Exceptional Learner

3

and

EDU 251Practicum in Inclusive Education II

0

EDU 276Literacy and Technology in Inclusive Educational Settings

3

EDU 301Safe Schools/Healthy Students: Child Abuse and Child Abduction

1

EDU 302Safe Schools/Healthy Students: Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Abuse

1

EDU 303Safe Schools/Healthy Students-DASA: Safety Education/Fire and Arson/School Violence

1

EDU 305Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in the Classroom

3

and

EDU 313Practicum in Inclusive Education III

0

EDU 349Educational Psychology

3

SSED 419Secondary (Adolescence) Social Studies Teaching Methods

3

EDU 430Student Teaching in the Secondary School

15

EDU 105: recommended for freshmen

EDU 250: recommended for sophomores

EDU 305 and EDU 349: recommended for juniors

SSED 419: senior year/offered fall semester only

EDU 430: senior year/generally offered Spring semester only (Capstone experience)

II. Social Studies Course Work (51 credit hours required)

Group I: Basic Knowledge (all courses required, 21 credit hours)

HIST 101World History I

3

HIST 102World History II

3

HIST 105United States History I

3

HIST 106United States History II

3

HIST 115Western Civilization I

3

or

HIST 116Western Civilization II

3

POLI 120American Politics

3

SOC 116Introductory Sociology

3

or

PSY 129Introduction to Psychology

3

or

ANTH 115Introductory Anthropology

3

Group II: Methodologies (10 credit hours)

HIST 100History Introductory Seminar

1

HIST 201Doing History

3

SSED 205Economics for Social Studies Educators

3

or

ECON 201Principles of Macroeconomics

3

SSED 204World Regional Geography

3

or

POLI 352World Political Geography

3

HIST 201: normally taken during the sophomore year

Group III: Cultures and Civilizations (9 credit hours)

A. American Minorities

Any one of the following:

HIST 206Introduction to African American Studies

3

HIST 359Ethnicity and Race

3

HIST 333African American History to 1877

3

HIST 334African American History Since 1877

3

HIST 336African American Black Women's History

3

HIST 343Civil Rights Movement

3

HIST 345Asian American History

3

HIST 356American Indian History

3

HIST 357Indians and Europeans in Early America

3

SOC 316Minority Groups

3

Note: Students seeking a double major in Social Studies and History should take a history course in this category.

B. World Regional Civilizations

Two 200-level world regional civilization courses in Asian, African, Atlantic World, Latin American, or Middle Eastern history. These courses must cover different regions.

Group IV: Building Knowledge, Connections, and Arguments (15 credit hours)

Five courses at the 300-level or above: four History courses, including two with focus on U.S. History (one pre-1877, one post-1877); one focusing on European History; and one on global/non-western history; one course in a social studies field other than History (ANTH, ECON, POLI, PSY, SOC).

Foreign Language (0-6 credit hours)

Candidates in all education programs are required to demonstrate competence in a foreign language. This requirement must be satisfied in any one of the following ways:

  • Score of 85 percent or higher on New York State Regents Exam or New York State High School Equivalent Exam*: Requirement is fulfilled.
  • Scores of 65 percent - 84 percent on New York State Regents Exam or New York State High School Equivalent Exam*: Student needs to take an Elementary I level course or an Elementary II level course of a language or equivalent course(s), or successfully complete an equivalent Fredonia proficiency exam.
  • Scores below 65 percent on New York State Regents Exam or New York State High School Equivalent Exam*: Student needs to take an Elementary I level course and an Elementary II level course or equivalent course(s) of the same language.
  • If student did not take a New York State Regents Exam or New York State High School Equivalent Exam*: Student needs to take an Elementary I level course and an Elementary II level course or equivalent course(s) of the same language.

Note: The General Education foreign language requirement differs from the certification requirement and must be satisfied for degree conferral.
* High School Equivalent Exam refers to a New York State Local School District Exam or Regional Exam in a Foreign Language.

Other Requirements

All majors must fulfill all testing and assessment requirements set by the Department of History. At present, these include gated assessment requirements. Grades must be C+ or better in all required courses in the Social Studies program. The Written Communication requirement under the General Education Program must be passed with a C or better. Students are encouraged to complete one course in statistics as part of the General Education Program. Enrolled students and transfer students wishing to declare the Social Studies Adolescence Education major must have an overall GPA of 2.75. Social Studies Adolescence Education majors must maintain a 2.75 GPA in order to remain in the program. The grade point requirements for entering the professional year are: overall GPA of 2.75, in Professional Education courses 2.75, and in the Social Studies content component 2.75. Acceptance into the senior professional year is also contingent upon a personal interview and review by the Social Studies screening committee composed of Department of History faculty and area social studies teachers. A copy of the criteria used by the screening committee may be obtained in the history department. Acceptance into student teaching also requires approval by the Dean of the College of Education.

SSED 419 can be taken only in the fall semester of the senior year. EDU 430 requires the entire spring semester as a full course load.

Requirements for Transfer Credit

Students transferring credits to Fredonia should normally expect no more than 27 credit hours earned elsewhere to apply to the Social Studies course requirements. (Special consideration can be given to students who have earned a B.A. degree in one of the social sciences.) As a rule, the department will not accept as equivalents to advanced social studies courses credits earned at two-year colleges. HIST 201 must be completed at Fredonia. All requirements for SSED 419 and EDU 430 must be completed under Fredonia supervision. To be applied to the requirements of the Social Studies Adolescence Education program, transferred courses must have been completed with a grade of C+ or better.

Additional Requirements for Initial Certification

The New York State Education Department also requires fingerprinting and a background check for all applicants for initial certification. In addition, students seeking initial certification must pass appropriate New York State Teacher Certification Examinations. Students are strongly advised to pursue a second major in History or one of the other social science disciplines (economics, political science, or sociology/anthropology) and may count appropriate courses taken for the Social Studies Adolescence Education major and the General Education Program requirements towards such a second major.

As of December 31, 2013, candidates in all education programs are required to complete training under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Beginning in the Fall 2013 semester, the training required under the Dignity for All Student Act (DASA) will be included in EDU 303 at Fredonia. Undergraduate candidates planning to graduate after Fall 2013 who have already completed EDU 303 on campus or taken a workshop as a substitution for EDU 303 must also complete the EDU DASA workshop prior to graduation.

For certification information, please consult the Education section of the catalog.