Teaching Social Studies in Complex Times
Program Overview
Social Studies, as a core subject area, has become an increasingly complex space in which to teach and learn. Educators face challenges in navigating widening societal political polarization, meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student body, and responding to a host of rapidly evolving societal challenges, including climate change and calls for reconciliation from Indigenous peoples. In addition, many educational jurisdictions, including Alberta, have recently introduced new social studies programs that differ significantly from those that preceded them. The Teaching Social Studies in Complex Times Master’s certificate equips educators with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to navigate these challenges in ways that will meet their professional obligations and the diverse needs of their students.
Program Details
In-person residency and online courses held in both an asynchronous environment (D2L) and a synchronous (real-time) environment (Zoom) which allows instructors to virtually meet and talk with students and experience a live exchange of ideas, hear class presentations and do group work with access to a whiteboard. For additional information regarding online delivery, refer to the eLearn website.
In this certificate, students will learn and apply:
- Theoretical knowledge related to the philosophical and political influences that have shaped the aims and purposes of social studies education over time.
- Pedagogical strategies for incorporating the arts, media, and literature into classroom practice.
- Relationally based frameworks for developing respectful engagements with Indigenous knowledges and pedagogies.
- Approaches to authentic forms of assessment that can support diverse learning needs.
This certificate would be of interest to teachers and other educators working with K-12 students in the area of social studies education. Teachers in Alberta have consistently expressed a need to be better equipped to teach the newly introduced K-9 Social Studies Program.
A registration package will be sent to new students after they have been admitted. Registration for the summer term will be available in late winter. Fall and Winter registration opens in the spring. Your Graduate Program Administrator will send more information about registration to you.
Fee details are available through the University Calendar. An explanation of fees is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies' website.
The University of Calgary offers multiple ways to meet the cost of your education. Please refer to the Awards, Scholarships and Bursaries page to learn more about options available to students. For additional information, please contact Student Financial Support.
Please refer to Admission Requirements for Master's Programs.
Program Schedule & Course Descriptions
- Program begins each July (summer term 1)
- Outlines are normally available 1-2 weeks prior to the start of term in D2L
- 3 units per course
Term 1 - Summer
Social Studies Education: Contexts and Controversies
With a particular focus on the Alberta context, this course examines the historical, philosophical, and political influences and tensions that have shaped social studies education at the elementary and secondary levels over time. Topics to be considered include the relationship between teachers and curriculum change, as well as the connection between differing curricular purposes and pedagogy. Participants in this course will be encouraged to explore new possibilities for understanding social studies education in response to contemporary issues and challenges.
Key ideas and topics: historical context of social studies, curricular purposes, curriculum change
Registration info:
TBA
Term 1 - Summer
Social Studies, Diversity, and Democratic Dialogue
This course will examine pedagogical approaches for fostering democratic dialogue and deliberation around controversial issues in politically polarized times. Participants in this course will explore how the social studies classroom can better respond to students’ unique identities, along with the emotional and affective dimensions that accompany discussions of contentious issues. Topics to be considered include promoting civil classroom discourse, the impossibility of teacher neutrality, and implicative pedagogies.
Key ideas and topics: Dialogue, Deliberation, Democracy, Diversity, Identity
Registration info:
TBA
Term 2 - Fall
Social Studies and Indigenous Ways of Knowing
This course addresses the ways educators, from diverse identity positions, can meaningfully and respectfully carry out curricular mandates in social studies that have responded to the Truth and Reconciliation’s calls to action. As part of this process, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how they can engage Indigenous pedagogies related to place-based learning, responsibilities to land and place, and wisdom and intergenerational ways of knowing.
Key ideas and topics: Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous knowledges, Indigenous pedagogies, place-based learning
Registration info:
TBA
Term 3 - Winter
Teaching Social Studies through the Arts
This course examines the pedagogical possibilities of integrating the arts, including paintings, public commemorations, digital media, and historical fiction, into the social studies classroom. Topics to be considered will include how the use of the arts alongside historical thinking processes can strengthen connections between the past and contemporary issues. Participants will also have the opportunity to explore how arts integration can help students explore a range of perspectives, empathize with diverse groups and people, and imagine different futures.
Key ideas and topics: the arts, interpretive inquiry, historical thinking
Registration info:
TBA
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