Liberal Arts & Sciences: Adolescence Education (History / Social Studies Transfer Advising Guide)

Associate in Science Degree

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This program is the first step for students seeking teacher certification. The program is appropriate for Adolescent Education (grades 7-12). In order to earn teacher certification, students must transfer and complete an appropriate bachelor’s and master’s degree. As part of the first two years of that process, students in this program complete all ten of the general education areas required by SUNY for a bachelor’s degree. They complete six credit hours of professional courses (ED150, and PY212), which include at least thirty hours of classroom observation. (Students complete 15-18 credit hours in their concentration (Mathematics, English, History/Social studies, Biology, Physics, Geology, or Chemistry). Specific courses taken depend on the area of concentration, the type of certification being sought, and the transfer institution. It is important for students to contact the school to which they may transfer in order to plan their curriculum. In some cases, it may require careful planning for students to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years.

Goal 1. To provide students with a core foundation of knowledge of the liberal arts

  • Students will successfully complete courses in 10 out of 10 SUNY General Education areas
  • Students will be able to demonstrate effective ways of utilizing technology as an aid to learning

Goal 2. To provide students with core concepts in multicultural education

  • Students will identify educational issues within a multicultural, diverse society
  • Students will complete 4 diversity tutorials.
  • Students will complete a minimum of 2 courses that meet the DGV requirements.

Goal 3. To provide students with core concepts in special education.

  • Students will describe educational strategies used with special education populations.

Goal 4. To provide students with an opportunity to explore education as a career path.

  • Students will complete 45 hours of classroom observation.
  • Students will analyze teaching strategies and how they apply to teaching theory.
  • Students will analyze adolescent behavior and apply developmental theories.
  • Students will interact with a diverse population of students.

Goal 5. To prepare students to demonstrate information literacy.

  • Students will use traditional and contemporary information technology.
  • Students will identify, access, and appropriately use authoritative sources of information.

Total Credit Hours: 61

First Semester

This course is an opportunity for students to develop the skills necessary to be successful in college. Students learn the importance of the faculty-student and advisor-advisee relationship, develop time management techniques, apply effective study skill techniques, recognize the implications of living in a diverse society, utilize college resources, and explore career and transfer requirements. Collaborative projects are included. Students matriculated in a degree program must take this course in their first term of study.

This course provides a study of the philosophical, historical, sociological, ethical, and political bases of the N-12 American educational system. It includes a comprehensive introduction to the issues, laws, policies, and practices affecting the education system, teaching, learning, and assessment. It explains ways that teachers and schools can work with students and families to provide a meaningful and equitable education. Topics include diversity in student populations, school funding, high-stakes testing, school desegregation and re-segregation, technology, standardized tests, and learning standards. The history of the American educational system is discussed in relation to current issues and topics in education, teaching, and learning. A 15-hour observation in a general education classroom must be completed.

This course focuses on several kinds of writing-self-expressive, informative, and argumentative/persuasive, and others. A minimum of five essay compositions are required. The course emphasizes the composition of clear, correct, and effective prose required in a variety of professions and occupations. Prerequisites: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or EN090 Basic Writing Skills or SL116 ESL4: Advanced Composition or SL145 ESOL Advanced Composition

This course introduces probability and statistics. Topics include graphs, tables, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, normal distribution, correlation and regression, probability, and inferential statistics. This course is available in two formats: lecture only, or lecture plus laboratory using technology. Prerequisite: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or MA089 Arithmetic.

Language requirement consists of a two-course sequence in the same foreign language. American Sign Language counts as a foreign language in education programs within the SUNY system. Regents level 4 foreign language in high school (or level 3 with a score of 90 or better) allows students to take one semester of that language at a level of 191 (Review) or higher to satisfy this requirement. Those who are exempt MUST replace language credits with courses approved by the advisor.

This course introduces the many and varied facets of psychology. Emphasis is on interactions of individuals in their cultural, social, and economic environments as determined by their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional experiences and training.

Take any Physical Education Course

Second Semester

This course encourages a deeper understanding of human nature and the human condition through the study of ideas and values expressed in imaginative literature. Emphasis is placed on the use and development of critical thinking and language skills. Library-oriented research is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

This course studies the behavior of the individual and firm in allocating resources in a market system under various the degrees of competition. Topics include the nature of economics, scarcity choice, market pricing and applications, theory of consumer choice, business cost measurement, forms of competition, antitrust and regulations of business, factor pricing, externalities, and pollution. Poverty-income distribution, labor economics, or agricultural economics may also be discussed.

This course introduces the discipline of political science through the study of American government. Topics include the concept of the political system, democracy in theory and practice, the historical background and content of the Constitution, Federalism, and the role of the Supreme Court in civil rights. It stresses these aspects of the American political system: public opinion, voting behavior, the electoral system, political parties, and modern campaigning techniques.

This course explores physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive development during adolescence. It examines theories and research about adolescent development. Topics include the changing role of relationships with peers and parents, gender and identity development, problem behaviors, and appropriate interventions to reduce risky behavior and promote successful development. The influence of the social and cultural context on development is considered. Fifteen hours of observation of adolescents in a 7th - 12th grade school setting must be completed. Prerequisite: PY101 Introduction to General Psychology and CO231 Philosophy, Principles, and Organization of Athletics in Education or, ED150 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education. .

In the case where students are exempt from the language requirement, the language credits must be replaced with courses approved by an advisor. Those attending Utica College must select ED206 Language & Literacy in Childhood as their replacement course.

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Third Semester

This course studies the theory and operation of the economy and how government attempts to achieve domestic and international economic goals using monetary and fiscal policies. Topics include the nature of economics, the economizing problem, capitalism and the circular-flow, overview of the public sector, measuring output and income, macroeconomic instability, aggregate demand and supply, Keynesian employment theory, fiscal policy and its applications, money, banking, and monetary policy applications, and international trade and finance.

This course introduces the nature and study of history, and covers the emergence and development of Eurasian civilization to about 1500 A.D. in the Near East, India, China, Europe, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa. Attention is given to religion in these civilizations and on the rise of the West to a position of world power during the Middle Ages.

This survey course provides an introduction to American history as well as a deeper understanding of how its geography, people, institutions, and culture interact to define the American experience. It begins with Pre-Contact Societies and concludes with the end of the Civil War.

Take any General Education Natural Science Course

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Fourth Semester

This course provides an overview of the education of children and adolescents with exceptionalities, focusing on those with disabilities and those with giftedness. Topics include the historical, philosophical and legal foundations of special education and other exceptionalities and their prevalence, causes, and characteristics. Educational modifications, accommodations, and teaching strategies for general and specific classrooms are addressed. Current issues and trends educating children with exceptionalities are explored. A minimum of fifteen hours of observations in a special education setting must be completed. Prerequisites: ED150 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education and ED205 Child Development or PY212 Adolescent Psychology. Prerequisites must be met with a minimum grade of “C”.

This course is concerned with civilizations and their influences on each other in the modern world. It traces the rise of the West to a position of world dominance and its impact on non-Western societies. Emphasis is placed on the major forces that have shaped the contemporary world - industrialization, urbanization, nationalism, militarism, imperialism, democracy, and communism.

This course continues to survey the development of the American story from an agricultural, frontier society to an urban, industrial nation. Emphasis is placed on the economic revolution of the post-Civil War era, its social, political, and military aspects, and the emergence of America as a world leader. It begins with Reconstruction and concludes with the present.

Choose either HU187, HU204, or HU205

Choose from the following: EN248, EN249, EN255, EN256, EN271, or EN272

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A prior criminal record or a history of behavior that presents a direct risk to the safety, well-being, or health of students, faculty, or staff in PK-12 settings may make placement for mandatory classroom observations unfeasible, thereby hindering the successful completion of the program.

(a) The language requirement consists of a two-course sequence in the same foreign language. American Sign Language counts as a foreign language in education programs within the SUNY system. Regents level 4 foreign language in high school (or level 3 with a score of 90 or better) allows students to take one semester of that language at a level of 191 (Review) or higher to satisfy this requirement.

(b) In the case where students are exempt from the language requirement, the language credits must be replaced with courses approved by an advisor. Those attending Utica University must select ED206 Language & Literacy in Childhood as their replacement course.

(c) Fine Arts: HU187, HU204, OR HU205.

(d) Literature Electives: EN248, EN249, EN255, EN256, EN271, EN272.

MA110 is required except for students interested in Math, Chemistry, and Physics (refer to your specific area of study).

*Students are required to earn a minimum grade of “C” in these courses to meet the graduation requirements.