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Broad Field Social Studies is the study of human behavior and its impact on our world. As part of this interdisciplinary major, students will not only study history but will also examine aspects of anthropology, sociology, psychology, and geography. Graduates in this major will be well prepared for graduate school and work in research, government, politics, and education. Students at Bethany may take additional coursework and earn a secondary education licensure in Social Studies.

Opportunities

While there are many occupations related to a such a degree, broad field social study by itself has rarely served primarily as an occupational preparation. Rather, such study allows students to gain a broad perspective on the human condition as taught through the various social sciences and history. This is something that is of great value for intelligent decision making in a democratic society and a primary goal of a liberal arts education. Similarly, a Broad Field Social Studies major also offers students the opportunity to develop important job skills identified by employers as important. Opportunities for the Broad Field Social Studies graduate include:

• Teacher
• Museum Director/Curator at the local, county, state, and national levels
• Archivist
• Living History Interpreter
• Paralegal
• Editor

Areas suited to Broad Field Social Studies majors include:

• Graduate Studies in law, clergy, and higher education
• Business/Finance
• Travel Industry
• Government/Politics
• Military/Diplomatic Service
• Law Enforcement
• Non-profit Organizations

Entry into the Major

Students should declare BFSS as their intended major as early in their college career as possible by filing a Declaration of Major and Change of Advisor form with the registrar. The student's advisor should be from the history department.

Formal acceptance into the major, however, occurs at the end of the sophomore year. Students must complete at least two history and two social science courses from the required lower division course with no less than a C+ in each course. Students must also have a GPA of 2.0 or above. An application for acceptance into the major must then be filed with the chair of the history department at the beginning of the student's second semester of the sophomore year. Students will be notified of formal acceptance into the major by the chair of the history department, who will also notify the registrar.

Teaching Social Studies
Students who seek state licensure for secondary level (grades 5-12) teaching of social studies must first meet all requirements for "Entry into the Education Major" (see Education Majors) as well as all requirements for the BFSS major. Then students are required to take the courses listed below with an asterisk AND the courses listed under "State of Minnesota Teaching Licensure in Social Studies."

Core Requirements

Required lower division courses: The Broad Field Social Studies major consists of 57 credits so it does not require a minor. Twelve of the required 57 credits also fulfill general education requirements.

• ECON203 Principles of Macroeconomics*
• GEOG101 Physical Geography*
• GEOG102 Human Geography*
• HIST207 History of USA Part I*
• HIST208 History of USA Part II*
• PLSC105 American Government

One of the following:

• ANTH102 Cultural Anthropology*
• SOCL101 Introduction to Sociology

Two of the following:

• HIST114 The Rise of Ancient World Civilizations
• HIST115 Medieval/Renaissance World Civilizations
• HIST116 Early Modern World Civilizations
• HIST117 Modern World History
• Students who seek state licensure must take HIST114 OR HIST116 and HIST115 OR HIST117.

Required upper division course:

• RELG316 Comparative World Religions

Major Electives

Fifteen additional credits in upper division history courses with at least three credits from American history, three credits from European history and three credits from a course dealing mostly with matters after 1815 (which may simultaneously fulfill either the American or European requirement).

American History (choose at least one of the following):

• Note: For students who seek state licensure, either HIST410 or HIST420 is required, but NOT both.
• HIST410 The Era of the American Revolution*
• HIST420 The Constitution and Early Republic*
• HIST430 The American Civil War and Reconstruction
• HIST450 Civil Rights Movement
• HIST460 Religion in American History
• HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People
• HIST480 Topics in American History

European History (choose at least one of the following):

• HIST315 History of Ancient Greece
• HIST320 History of Ancient Rome
• HIST330 Dark Age Europe
• HIST335 The High Middle Ages
• HIST340 Renaissance and Reformation History
• HIST345 Tudor and Stuart England
• HIST350 The French Revolution through Napoleon
• HIST360 Early and Imperial Russian History
• HIST365 The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union

Post-1815 courses (choose at least one of the following which may simultaneously fulfill either the American or European requirement):

• HIST365 The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union
• HIST430 The American Civil War and Reconstruction
• HIST445 The World in the 20th Century
• HIST450 Civil Rights Movement
• HIST460 Religion in American History
• HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People

Additional upper division electives (6 credits):

• ECON330 Comparative Economic System
• HLTH311 Drug Education*
• PSYC330 Psychology of Adult Development or SOCL350 Aging in Society
• PSYC340 Social Psychology
• PSYC350 Abnormal Psychology (prerequisite PSYC210)
• PSYC360 Educational Psychology and Human Relations*
• PSYC420 Psychological Testing and Measurements
• PSYC430 Introduction to Physiological Psychology
• PSYC460 Facilitating Groups
• SCIE320 History and Philosophy of Science or SCIE350 Technology in Society
• SOCL330 American Minorities
• SOCL340 Rural and Urban Communities
• SOCL345 Religion and Society
• SOCL410 Sociological Theory
• SOCL440 Social Stratification

Recommended Religion electives to compliment the BFSS major:

• RELG203 The Life of Christ
• RELG204 Israel's History
• RELG206 The Young Church-Pentecost to Nicaea
• RELG300 History of Christian Thought I, RELG301 II, and RELG302 III
• RELG320 Luther: His Ongoing Significance
• RELG321 History of the Lutheran Church
• RELG330 Christian Social Thought
• RELG350 Islam

Capstone

• HIST490 Introduction to Historical Research and Writing*
• HIST495 Senior Seminar in History*

State of Minnesota Teaching Licensure in Social Studies

In addition to the BFSS major requirements students who seek state licensure for secondary level (grades 5-12) teaching of social studies are required to take the courses listed previously with an asterisk AND the following courses:

• EDUC200 Educational Foundations
• EDUC210 Linguistics for Professionals
• EDUC370 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner
• EDUC401 Educational Technology and Media
• EDUC450 Curriculum Planning and Assessment
• EDUC455 Classroom Management
• EDUC499 Teaching Internship and Seminars
• HIST403 Native American Culture and Government
• HIST444 Methods In Teaching Social Studies (grades 5-12)
• HLTH206 Advanced First Aid or equivalent
• PSYC220 Human Growth and Development