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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

What Exactly Is Social Studies?

So I realized that in my last post, I may have jumped ahead of myself. If you were to create a taxonomy of social studies (the field in which I am earning my Masters), history would fall under the heading of social studies. That is to say that before one can discuss history education, one must consider the greater category that it falls in. In order to correct such a massive oversight, I offer the following. Enjoy!

Welcome everyone. Get ready, because critical thinking time begins now. Today's lesson will examine the following question: what exactly is social studies? There are a few things that I would like you to think about as we make our inquiries today. They are:
  • What disciplines make up social studies?
  • What is the "point" of social studies?
  • Why do we teach social studies?
  • How can we make learning social studies fun?
  • Why is social studies relevant to your life?

To get you thinking, I present the following situation:
Your name is Harry Potter. You have been chosen and marked by the Dark Lord as his equal. Your mother died to protect you, and you have powers beyond your own that protect you as a result; these powers derive from love. You have twice faced Voldemort and and you know that a third meeting is imminent thanks to Sybill Trelawney's prophecy. You also know that there is a single remaining horcrux (remnant of his soul that binds Voldemort to the realm of the living) beside the one that exists within you. You have a choice to make. Sacrifice your life for the destruction of Voldemort, or let Voldemort reign once more?
How could an understanding of disciplines found within social studies allow you to turn the advantage in this situation? We will return to this question a little bit later.

If nothing else, I hope that at the end of today you take away this understanding: social studies is a series of interconnected disciplines that focus on human interactions with a variety of institutions, individuals, and places, and the study of these disciplines can provide individuals with the necessary skill sets to be informed and contributing citizens.


Now if you would, I ask that each of you take a moment to briefly consider what disciplines you believe would fall under the heading of "Social Studies". Some that come to mind for me, include but are not limited to: history, geography, human (cultural) geography, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, political science, civics, religion, economics and psychology.

Have you ever previously considered just how diverse a field social studies actually is? If you were anything like me, you probably had a class that was called "Social Studies" in middle school but you never actually knew what they meant by that term. Did it mean history? Did it mean memorizing maps? Did it mean learning about other cultures? Was it ultimately a mixture of all of the above? Again, if you are anything like me, you would probably identify most with the latter of all those questions. But the question begs to be asked...why does this mixture of random subjects matter?

I posit this in response: social studies matters because it helps students  learn essential life skills that force them to think beyond the scope of their individual existences. We teach social studies because we aim to prepare our students for a global, interconnected and complex world that requires them to understand the dynamics of cause and effect, the value of grounding logically based arguments in evidence, thinking critically about sources of information, and understand how past actions and decisions can influence present and future circumstances and events. Earlier, I argued that a social studies education "can provide individuals with the necessary skill sets to be informed and contributing citizens," and I stand by that claim. An effective implementation of social studies curriculum can produce an informed and engaged citizenry that is prepared to meet and overcome the challenges that your students will face and be saddled with in their lifetime.

But while this all sounds well and good in theory, I am sure that many of you would be quick to point out that with many, if not all, of the disciplines that I have listed, your experiences have been overwhelmingly less than stimulating; and this is the part that returns to my previous post on teaching a "dead" subject.

Unfortunately, it is exceedingly easy to fall back on the standard method of teaching social studies. For those of you that have enjoyed J.K. Rowling's masterpiece that is Harry Potter, I invoke the image of Professor Binns' History of Magic class: dry descriptions of facts, individuals and events, in a monotone voice, in the face of death or other such trivial happenstances. Thus, the alternative becomes the critical question: how do we not become the Professor Binns of social studies? This is a question that pre-service and in-service teachers alike grapple with on a daily basis. How can we "hook" our students into caring about social studies?

To this end, I would like to return to my initial question and situation (re: Harry Potter). For a child of the 1990s, that situation alone would have made devoting my attention to the subsequent lesson worthwhile. For a child of today, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy offers ample material in which to base a social studies lesson that will have many students hanging off their seats and eager to draw connections. There are many possible answers to the question I posed though; having a understanding of the past can better inform Harry about his present choices and the possible consequences; understanding the psychological condition of  Voldemort can help him better plan his strategy to victory; understanding the political machinations of the Death Eaters allows him to better understand how to dismantle their reign. I could go on and on, and regardless of how far fetched this may seem, there is a legitimate connection that can draw in students. It is the art of finding those connections that social studies teachers must focus on and make a priority.

As I continue down my teaching career path, this question will arise again and again. And when it does, I hope to be able to provide additional answers and suggestions along the way. Additionally, if you have ideas or comments regarding this topic, I would love to hear them. Dialogue on this topic is welcomed and encouraged.

If nothing else, I hope that I made even the tiniest bit of headway in convincing you that there is much more to social studies than you ever believed, and that it is indeed "a series of interconnected disciplines that focus on human interactions with a variety of institutions, individuals, and places, and the study of these disciplines can provide individuals with the necessary skill sets to be informed and contributing citizens."


--CW

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