Disciplinary Studies: Social Studies

The Social Studies research area includes faculty with a broad array of local, national, and global research interests. In particular, the social studies faculty members are leaders within the fields of democratic civic education, history education, media and democratic education, and global multicultural education. Their work examines how social studies education influences students’ civic participation, critical and disciplinary thinking, and understandings of democratic values and practices. In addition, their research also examines the impact of teacher practices and perspectives on student learning within social studies classrooms.

The outstanding graduate students from the Social Studies area are highly sought after by universities around the world and many have obtained faculty positions in well-known universities such as Teachers College, Columbia University and the University of Texas at Austin. Graduates of the elementary and secondary social studies teacher education programs have also been very successful in obtaining teaching positions in Wisconsin, other U.S. states, and internationally.