Social Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies provides students with a broad range of courses through which to examine and appreciate the processes and institutions that shape civilizations and social orders. It seeks to recreate the context of changing human activities, be they cultural, economic, geographic, political, or social, and to explain and understand the contemporary human condition. Because of its interdisciplinary structure, the Social Studies major is valuable for those who want a multidimensional understanding of the human past and future, and of the contemporary world and their own place in it.
The degree was especially designed for students seeking to become secondary school teachers, but it could also provide background for those who seek a career in government work, law or business.
In addition to the major requirements, students must complete all CASL Degree Requirements.
Pre-Major Requirements
The Social Studies major requires the student to take two introductory courses.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| The World to 1500 CE | ||
| The World Since 1500 CE | ||
| The American Past I | ||
| The American Past II | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 6 | |
Major Requirements
Students must complete 33 credit hours of coursework in Economics, Geography, History, and Political Science from the following:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | ||
| One course any GEOG 100-400 level | 3 | |
| One course any GEOG 300/400; 3000/4000 level | 3 | |
| Economics | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Prin: Macroeconomics | ||
| Prin: Microeconomics | ||
| Introductory Economics | ||
| Any ECON 300/400; 3000/4000 level | 3 | |
| U.S. History (CAUS) | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Studies in Det. Hist & Culture | ||
| The Arts & Culture of Detroit | ||
| African American History I: 1619-1865 | ||
| Early American Republic | ||
| Civil War & Reconstruction | ||
| The United States and Vietnam | ||
| Eng Colonies in Amer,1607-1763 | ||
| American Revolution, 1763-1815 | ||
| Emerg of Modern U.S.,1876-1916 | ||
| Era of World Wars:1916-1946 | ||
| America Since World War II: Superpower Blues | ||
| Michigan History | ||
| Comparat. American Identities | ||
| United States Economic History | ||
| America and the Middle East in the Age of Empires | ||
| America and the Middle East in the Age of Nation-States | ||
| History of Islam in the US | ||
| The 1960s in America | ||
| Black Intellectual History | ||
| Women Leadership/Social Change | ||
| Automobile in American Life | ||
| Intro to Arab American Studies | ||
| Public History in Arab Detroit | ||
| Arabs & Muslims in Media | ||
| Arab Americans Since 1890 | ||
| African American History II: 1865-Present | ||
| Civil Rights Movement in Amer | ||
| American City | ||
| Women in Am-Hist Perspective | ||
| History of Industrial Technlgy | ||
| Modern Warfare | ||
| Immigration in America | ||
| Does Women’s History Matter? | ||
| Arab American Identities | ||
| Non-U.S History | ||
| Three courses HIST 300/400; 3000/4000 level - MUST be in at least 2 different global areas: | 9 | |
Africa (CASF): | ||
| The Contmp World, 1945-Present | ||
| West Africa Since 1800 | ||
| Seminar: African Diaspora | ||
Asia (CASA): | ||
| Art of China | ||
| Art of Japan | ||
| Chinese Painting | ||
| Earl Mod Jpn Paint&Wood Prnts | ||
| The Russian Revolutions | ||
| The Age of Revolution in Europe and the World | ||
| The Contmp World, 1945-Present | ||
| The United States and Vietnam | ||
Europe (CASE): | ||
| The Russian Revolutions | ||
| Polish History Since 1800 | ||
| Poland - Study Abroad | ||
| Armenia Ancient Medieval World | ||
| Armenia in the Soviet Period | ||
| Armenians in the Modern World | ||
| Modern Britain | ||
| The Reformation Era: 1500-1648 | ||
| The Age of Revolution in Europe and the World | ||
| Europe in Age of Imp:1815-1914 | ||
| 20th-Century Europe, 1890-1945 | ||
| The Contmp World, 1945-Present | ||
| Germany Since 1945 | ||
| The European City | ||
| Sex, War, and Violence | ||
| Germany Before Hitler | ||
| European and International Economic History | ||
| History of Industrial Technlgy | ||
| Modern France | ||
| Aspects of the Holocaust | ||
| Nazi Germany | ||
| Latin America | ||
| Introduction to Latin America: Utopia to Autocracy | ||
Middle East (CASM): | ||
| Armenia Ancient Medieval World | ||
| Armenia in the Soviet Period | ||
| Armenians in the Modern World | ||
| The Contmp World, 1945-Present | ||
| Islamic Movemnts Mid East Hist | ||
| Women&Islam Mid East to 1900 | ||
| The Late Ottoman Empire, 1789-1924 | ||
| The Middle East 570 to 1800 CE | ||
| Modern Middle East, 1918-1945 | ||
| Modern Middle East, 1945-1991 | ||
| Lebanon in Modern Middle East | ||
| America and the Middle East in the Age of Empires | ||
| America and the Middle East in the Age of Nation-States | ||
| Arab Americans Since 1890 | ||
| Culture& Hist. in Mod. Iran | ||
| Arab American Identities | ||
| Middle Eastern Diasporas | ||
| Political Science | ||
| Two courses any POL 300/400; 3000/4000 level | 6 | |
| Additional Economics, Geography, or Political Science | ||
| One course any ECON, GEOG, or POL 300/400; 3000/4000 level | 3 | |
| Cognates | ||
| Students must also complete six credit hours in upper level cognate courses from any CASL discipline (excluding ECON, GEOG, HIST, POL, MATH 385, MATH 386, MATH 387); or Education courses (EDA and EDC only). | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 39 | |
For Secondary Education Certification Students
Please see the College of Education, Health, and Human Services secondary certification section for specific courses required.
Notes:
- At least 15 of the 27 upper level credit hours required for the major must be elected at UM-Dearborn.
Learning Goals
- Explain, analyze, and interpret the major political, economic, social and cultural movements in United States and World history. Assess the impact of the past on the present.
- Analyze and evaluate historical periods and contemporary societies from multiple perspectives, inclusive of race, ethnicity, religion, social class, and gender.
- Analyze spatial patterns on earth to understand processes that shape human environments and contribute to societal decision-making.
- Explain how people make choices considering scarce resources and how markets coordinate the choices of many decision makers; and analyze how these factors affect national and global changes in production, consumption, employment, and economic prosperity.
- Analyze and explain the conceptual foundations of civic and political life across various political systems.
- Explain the functioning of key government institutions and political organizations as they operate in the United States and other countries. Describe examples of conflict and cooperation between national governments.