Broadfield Social Studies Education program

Become a social studies teacher

UWL’s Broadfield Social Studies Education programs will prepare you to teach middle and high school social studies in grades 4-12. This undergraduate program includes both professional education coursework and clinical experiences.

The programs are part of the Secondary Teacher Education Preparation (STEP) program, housed within UWL’s History Department in the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CASSH).

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Broadfield Social Studies Education

The Broadfield Social Studies Education programs provide undergraduate content and skills-based training for teacher candidates seeking to teach social studies in grades 4-12. The program prepares candidates to teach all the disciplines associated with social studies, including economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.

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History Concentration

The broadfield social studies education major: history concentration is intended for those who intend to seek licensure in the grades 4-12 developmental range. It provides a grounding in the core courses of the history major, as well as a foundation in four categories of history covering much of the world and its time periods

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Political Science Concentration

Political science is the study of governments, policies, institutions, and the behavior of participants in the political world. Broadfield social studies education: political science concentration students are prepared to teach a range of civics, social studies, and government courses. This major prepares students to earn a Wisconsin teaching license for grades 4-12 in the six subjects of social studies: economics, geography, history, psychology, political science, and sociology.

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Sociology Concentration

Sociology is the study of human groups and how the group influences social behavior. Students in the broadfield social studies education major: sociology concentration can be licensed to teach through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. This major prepares students to earn a Wisconsin teaching license for grades 4-12 in the six subjects of social studies: economics, geography, history, psychology, political science, and sociology.

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A program within the History Department

Types of Careers in Broadfield Social Studies Education?

Graduates of UWL’s BFSS program receive a degree in Broadfield Social Studies and a license to teach social studies in grades 4-12 in the state of Wisconsin. The degree and license can also be used as a launching point for advanced degrees and licensure in social studies education, school counseling, and/or school administration.

Students who choose the history, political science, or sociology concentrations complete enough coursework to fulfill basic requirements to attain master's degrees in those subject areas.

Careers in social studies education

Middle school teacher
High school teacher
Historian
Political scientist
Sociologist
School counselor
School administrator

What distinguishes UWL’s Broadfield Social Studies Education program?

Learn teaching methods and theory

In addition to content courses in the social studies, students in the BFSS program are required to take a sequence of five courses related to teaching methods and theory with particular emphasis on teaching for social justice.

Learn to teach English learners

Students are required to take coursework designed to prepare them to teach English learners—a course unique to undergraduate teacher programs in the UW System.

Graduates find jobs

The BFSS program has a high job placement rate with the majority of graduates finding full-time teaching jobs within one year of graduation.

Four paths to choose from

Teacher candidates completing one of the STEP Broadfield Social Studies Education (BFSS) programs will complete at least 120 credits of coursework and will earn one of the following Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees, all leading to endorsement of a Middle and High School Social Studies license (grades 4-12). BFSS offers four distinct paths toward graduation and licensure, including a general BFSS program, and three others that allow students to choose an emphasis in the fields of History, Political Science, or Sociology.

Broadfield Social Studies Education (grades 4-12)
Broadfield Social Studies Education (grades 4-12) – History Emphasis
Broadfield Social Studies Education (grades 4-12) – Political Science Emphasis
Broadfield Social Studies Education (grades 4-12) – Sociology Emphasis

Sample courses

HIS 304 Schools and Learning in Social Studies and Field Experience I This course will be integrated with a field experience for secondary social studies teachers and provide a forum for students to consider both the theories and practices of teaching. A significant portion of this course will be dedicated to collaborative reflection and discussion of teacher candidates' experiences in their field placements. Teacher candidates will design, enact, and assess activities to enhance student learning. Teacher candidates will work together to create a collegial and supportive community of educators. Assignments are designed to support reflective practice and to critically analyze teacher candidates' development as educators. A multi-day, consistent schedule in the middle school field experience classroom will be established by the course instructor in consultation with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher. Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring.

HIS 402 Secondary Content Methods for Teaching English Language Learners This course will explore the importance of teaching content to English Language Learners (ELs) at the secondary (grades 4-12) level. Students enrolled in the course will examine the various methods and teaching strategies that can be utilized to best teach students with limited English proficiency (LEP) while at the same time working to develop English language literacy. The primary method to be taught is called Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE). Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Offered Spring.

HIS 403 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Social Studies Education This course will introduce pre-service education majors to the foundational concepts, theories, and strategies associated with social studies and history education. Topics to be introduced include lesson planning and learning segment design, variations of assessing student work, content literacy, teaching for social justice, theoretical approaches to social studies and history education, and instructional methods. Prerequisite: HIS 110; EDS 203, EDS 206. Offered Fall.