HIS 400 - Methods of Teaching History and Social Studies

3 Credit(s)

This course is about truth - how to seek it, and how to model that seeking to our students. Exploring the methods of secondary history and social studies teaching, we examine current and perennial debates, problems, and questions. How do we come to know the past? How can we know what we know, and when do we only think we know it? How to best inspire and instruct our students, helping them to navigate the morass of information we’re exposed to and to ”drink through the firehose” without getting soaked? What is the nature of knowledge, historical and otherwise? Is objectivity possible? Why should we care about any of this? And most important, why should our students care? How can we become effective teachers, committing ourselves to a lifetime of learning?

Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the teacher education program.