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The content knowledge, critical thinking, writing, and analytical skills of this major prepare you for a host of professional options beyond the high school classroom, whether in graduate school or a host of varied careers.
Make the world a better place, starting in your own classroom. Become a high school social studies teacher.
Good social studies teachers help build a better world by broadening students’ knowledge of human history and behavior, and they equip students to better understand the choices we make and have made—individually, as a community, as a democracy, and as a global community.
Your ability to change the world for the better starts in our classrooms at Eastern Illinois University, where you can take courses that encompass the diversity of human experience and in all of the social studies disciplines. Within our program you can earn an endorsement in another social studies subject – or even add an interdisciplinary minor. Our students enter high school classrooms as early as freshman year, and throughout the program we embed rich clinical and professional development experiences that mean students are well prepared for student teaching and with a network of creative and passionate social studies teachers. Be part of a cohort that is the perfect size – small enough for you to get personal attention, but big enough that you will leave with an array of supportive colleagues and professors.
The Annual History and Social Studies Teachers Conference will be on hiatus for 2019-2020. Please plan to join us on Friday, November 6, 2020 for our next conference, and be on the lookout for a call for presenters in late spring 2020! Questions? Contact Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz, Conference Chair, at blaughlinschul@eiu.edu.
“In the History Department, our classes are small enough that faculty know every student by name. But beyond that, we also really get to know students’ interests and ambitions. Our job is not just to teach history. We are here to launch students onto the next stage of their lives. Having the time and support to do that is one of the best things about teaching at Eastern Illinois University."
“Teaching history at EIU allows me to introduce students to the range of historical thinking and to help the students sees that beyond the facts and dates, history is about understanding the very nature of society and how it has transformed over time. Learning to think about society and how it has changed over time prepares students for the wide range of careers and opportunities they will enjoy throughout their lives."
"I believe in the power of the study of history to teach not just the what about the past, but the why, how, and the so-what. In our program for future high school social studies teachers, we work to equip our students with the ability to do all of these things -- to light their students on fire for history, to make profound connections between past and present, and to become better equipped for civic participation in the 21st century. I believe our graduates can change the world, one student at a time, in their classrooms and beyond."
"Coming back after my bachelors to Eastern and to the history department to get my teacher certification was one of the easiest decisions I’ve made. The experiences I was able to have through the program were phenomenal. From day 1 the department felt like a family. Just like any family you’re given opportunities and that varies but through the university I was given the chance to student teach in both a rural setting and in South Africa. This has not only left me feeling prepared going into my first classroom but has helped to create a better understanding of global education. I now have a collaborative network of teachers not only domestically but abroad that I can contact for ideas and help. Without Eastern Illinois University and the fantastic professors and experiences I’ve had there, both times, I would be clueless."
Clara Mattheessen (BA 2016, Postbac 2019)
"Being a full-time social studies teacher and athletic director at a high school is a tough job, especially as it's early in my career. As a History with Teacher Licensure major, the History Dept. and the College of Education provided me with an amazing foundation to succeed as an educator and as an administrator. I can’t stress how very pleased I am with the education I received at EIU, and I’m so very proud to be an alum of the history program. It makes me so happy when my current students choose to attend EIU and major in History as I know they are going to a fantastic place. The History Dept. and its faculty always goes above and beyond to make sure that their majors and alumni have great academic and professional success. The annual Careers Day, the job fairs, the lectures and workshops, the classes, the History & Social Science Teachers Conference… there’s always something! The faculty in History truly care for the students that come through the department, both while they are here and after they have gone on to do great things! I love EIU!"
Derrick Zerrusen (BA 2016)3531 Coleman Hall
217-581-8468
gcsterling@eiu.edu
2566 - Coleman Hall
217-581-3310
bmann@eiu.edu
2556 Coleman Hall
@eiuhistl
blaughlinschul@eiu.edu
2744 Coleman Hall
Eastern Illinois University
600 Lincoln Ave.
Charleston, IL 61920
217-581-3310
history@eiu.edu
