Department Overview

The Social Studies program explores the global political, economic, social, historical, and religious trends of our world. The curriculum is designed to examine the emerging trends of history and to achieve an awareness as to how they shape institutional, intergovernmental and interpersonal relationships in our world. Thus, the curriculum seeks to establish patterns of human behaviors, within their historical and geographic contexts, and to examine their impacts upon cultures around the globe in order to gain an appreciation for the complexity of our world. In addition, the curriculum attempts to leave the students with a sense of empowerment and a “call to action” to seek out a more just world.

In order to achieve these overriding goals, the students are asked to learn to think for themselves. To this end, the student activities have a concentration on communication and critical thinking skills. This includes, but is not limited to, a focus on writing, small group work, large group discussions, reflective writing, seminar discussion, note-taking, reading for analysis, persuasive argumentation, and the use of contemporary technologies to access, analyze, comprehend and communicate information about our world. Ultimately, the course work is designed to allow students to learn how to learn and to begin to appreciate learning as a life-long activity that includes a community much greater than themselves.