Eastern Michigan University
College of Arts and Sciences

NCSS/Social Studies Education

XI. Matrix

• assist learners in developing an understanding of civic life, politics, and government, so that the learners can explore the origins of governmental authority, recognize the need for government, identify the crucial functions of government, including laws and rules;
• evaluate rules and laws; differentiate between limited and unlimited government; and appreciate the importance of limitations on governmental power;
• guide learners as they explore American democracy, including the American idea of constitutional government, the impact of the distinctive characteristics of American society on our government, the nature of the American political culture, and the values and principles that are basic to American life and government;
• help learners understand how the government of the United States operates under the constitution and the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy, including the ideas of distributed, shared, and limited powers of government; how the national, state, and local governments are organized; and the place of law in the system;
• enable learners to understand the relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs;
• assist learners in developing an understanding of citizenship, its rights and responsibilities, and in developing their abilities and dispositions to participate effectively in civic life;
• insure that learners are made aware of the full range of opportunities to participate as citizens in the American democracy and of their responsibilities for doing so.

The program prepares Social Studies teachers of civics and government who possess the knowledge, capabilities and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of civics and government.

All Political Science majors for secondary education must take a series of classes as part of their program. These include:

1. All students must take PLSC 112 as part of their EMU program. This class introduces students to the concepts and ideals of U.S. government and the role and responsibilities of citizens.

Objectives for this class include:

1). Students will be able to define and analyze political power, democracy, and majority rule.

2). Students will be able to define, identify and analyze the Declaration of Independence and other precursors to the American Constitutional system.

3). Students will be able to define and analyze the U.S. Constitution, checks and balances, and separation of powers.

4). Students will be able to identify contemporary constitutional issues, and assess their political import.

5). Students will be able to define and analyze the concept of Federalism.

6). Students will be able to identify and analyze the Bill of Rights and assess its relationship to modern situations.

7). Students will be able to apply constitutional principles to a modern legal case.

8). Students will be able to describe and analyze the electoral system in the U.S.

9). Students will be able to assess the accuracy of opinion polling.

10). Students will be able to describe and assess changes in the presidency, the cabinet system, and federal agencies since 1787.

11). Students will be able to describe and assess changes in legislative function since 1787.

12). Students will be able to assess the role of lobbying and campaign contributions in the political process.

13). Students will be able to assess the political situation for women and minorities in the U.S.

14). Students will be able to describe and assess the role of the media in politics in the contemporary U.S.

15). Students will be able to describe and assess changes in the role of the Supreme Court since 1787.

16). Students will be able to apply their knowledge of the above to a simulation of the U.S. Federal government.

2. All political science majors must take one class in methods of political research, PLSC 210 or PLSC 310.

3. All political science majors must take two classes out of the following introductory classes: Comparative government, international politics and political thought.

4. All political science majors must take seven upper-level classes, one of which must be in the following categories: American politics, public law, and administration; comparative politics and international relations; and political theories and models.

5. All political science students must take HIST 481, which includes instruction, models and resources for the teaching of government and civics.

2.3.2 Test Evidence

Over the past four years, candidates in Political Science have scored at 66% on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification. The state-wide pass rate was 65% during this time period.

MTTC Objectives for each subject test are listed in the Appendix.

All HIST 481 students must complete a lesson that addresses civics and government as part of their history/Social Studies unit.

The following rubric is used to assess student knowledge of government and civics in their lessons:

Rubrics for unit in HIST 481

Students scored 96% on this assessment of Civics instruction in their HIST 481 units.

A sample of student units developed during student teaching were assessed in Winter 2002 to assess overall student ability to apply the ten strands to design and implementation of units in the classroom. The rubric used was the same as the one above used for assessment of unit design in HIST 481. In this sample, students scored 100% in this discipline.

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