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Becoming a teacher requires both deep content knowledge and a critical and comprehensive understanding of the role of education in society. The Secondary Education in Social Studies program invites you to begin your work in these areas while a student at Guttman Community College.
An associate degree in Secondary Education in Social Studies is designed to prepare you for successful transfer to a four-year college/university for continued study in a School of Education to become a 7-12th grade social studies/history teacher. At Guttman, your degree in Secondary Education, Social Studies, will give you the academic courses and skills you will need to transfer into a bachelor’s program.
In this program you will have the chance to take History courses to build your content knowledge in American History, the history of New York, and Latin American History. You will also take Education courses required of secondary education teachers to give you a strong foundation of ideas, theories, and practices involved in becoming a teacher.
It has been a dream of many early Guttman faculty to have a program of study in Education, and we are excited to launch our first Secondary Education program of study in Social Studies. Many of your Guttman professors have advanced degrees in Education, and we chose to work at Guttman because of its desire to do community college education differently. We are excited to share our passion for education as liberation with you!
Contact Us
Dr. Alia Tyner-Mullings, Professor of Sociology, Department Chair
Dr. Lori Ungemah, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Secondary Education contact Lori.ungemah@guttman.cuny.edu
Philosophy
The Secondary Education in Social Studies program provides students with foundational coursework needed to be an advocate for student, family, and community educational success. With a focus on social justice, Guttman’s Secondary Education program emphasizes the importance of relationships, equity, and critical knowledge through liberal arts courses with a focus on history and education courses. The program prepares future teachers and community members to be reflective, knowledgeable, and vocal advocates for all learners. It provides a clearly defined academic path that can lead to continued teacher-preparation study at a four-year college* if desired by the student.
*Students must have a B cumulative average for transfer into most four-year Schools of Education. Please check with your potential transfer schools to determine their requirements.
We believe that many elements of a Secondary Education program translate to careers in a rapidly evolving, global workforce. To promote career readiness within the curriculum, the program implements course design and experiences that promote and incorporate the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) Career Competencies:
- Career & Self Development
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Equity & Inclusion
- Leadership
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
- Technology
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Secondary Education, Social Studies program, you will be able to:
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- Identify, apply, and analyze key historical concepts, historical methods, and primary sources to be a critical educator
- Apply ideas and theories of adolescent development to the secondary classroom
- Understand how teaching is influenced by social and structural forces, school and community contexts, and their own life histories and belief systems
- Consider diverse backgrounds and challenge dominant deficit discourses about teaching and working with urban youth to create spaces to support all learners
- Probe and critique concepts of education and history with a social justice lens
Opportunities
Teaching-Related Experiences Available
The CUNY NYC Men Teach program provides academic and financial supports to program participants, with the goal of supporting them through the certification and hiring process so they can enter the NYC teaching workforce as effective urban educators. Program participants may receive monthly MetroCards, book vouchers, free certification exam practice tests, certification exam vouchers, and other financial incentives, as well as access to a dedicated program manager who will help with advisement and academic supports. NYC Men Teach participants also convene for Colloquium, a semester-long seminar focused on culturally responsive education.
Students who are in Guttman’s Secondary Education program can apply to become members of NYC Men Teach after having completed 12 credits toward an associate degree with a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Please see the website for application information per semester and/or ask your professors for more information.
Due to Guttman’s small size and the fact that the Secondary Education program is in its early launching, Guttman students may be combined with students in NYC Men Teach at a nearby CUNY campus to create a cohort. More information on such a collaboration is forthcoming. Please reach out to Professor Ungemah or your Education course faculty for more information.
Looking for a paid job that relates to education and teaching? CUNY Reading Corps might be the perfect fit for you! CUNY Reading Corps engages CUNY students as paid tutors to provide one-on-one, high-dosage literacy tutoring to striving readers in NYC public schools. Tutors are trained in evidence-based reading programs used across the NYC DoE to support the needs to First and Second graders. CUNY Reading Corps tutors, mainly pre-service education students, not only receive paid clinical work experience, but they also gain a deep knowledge of the science of reading approaches to teaching reading.
Note: Although Guttman’s Secondary Education program is for 7-12 students, work such as this will help you better understand your future secondary students’ literacy needs and is very much recommended.
CUNY Reading Corps recruits each academic semester* and again for summer employment. Please keep your eye on their website for up-to-date application information. Please reach out to Professor Ungemah or your Education course faculty for more information.
*Please note that CUNY Reading Corps recruits on a 15-week semester schedule, and Guttman is on a 12 week/6 week semester schedule, so please be aware of these differences if CUNY Reading Corps is a program you might be interested in.
Requirements
As associate degree in Secondary Education in Social Studies (A.A.) requires the completion of 60 credits. Your first 30 credits fulfill your CUNY Pathways Common Core requirements.
Your additional 30 credits will be in the Secondary Education program. You will complete 12 credits of History/Government courses and 12 credits of Education courses. These requirements total 24 credits. The remaining six credits of your Secondary Education program are electives for you to choose based on your interests.
Your required courses are as follows:
History/Government: (12 credits)
GOVT 202: American Government & Politics (3 credits)
HIST 111: The United States from the Colonial Era to the Civil War (3 credits)
HIST 127: The United States from the Civil War to Present (3 credits)
HIST 225: Latin America (3 credits)
Education: (12 credits)
EDUC 222: Social Foundations of Education (3 credits)(CUNY Gateway course)
EDUC 224: Literacy in the Content Areas (3 credits)
EDUC 226: Adolescent Development (3 credits)*(CUNY Gateway course)
EDUC 228: Special Education (3 credits)(CUNY Gateway course)
CUNY Gateway courses: Please read below to better understand what this means.
*This course requires a fieldwork component in a school. Please read the Fieldwork Guidelines below to better understand what this means.
Transfer Opportunities
CUNY Gateway Courses for Transfer
CUNY Gateway Courses into Majors are a way for students to transfer courses for major credit seamlessly between CUNY colleges for CUNY’s most popular majors. Education is one of CUNY’s most popular majors, and Guttman created EDUC 222, 226, and 228 so that Guttman students could transfer these courses into future Schools of Education across CUNY. EDUC 224: Literacy in the Content Areas is not a Gateway course, but it is a requirement across Secondary Education degrees in CUNY and should also transfer into a Secondary Education major easily.
As per the CUNY Gateway Courses into Majors website (hyperlinked above), course titles vary across colleges, so please consult your advisor at Guttman once you have determined your transfer school so that they can help you best understand how our Guttman course titles align with the courses required at your future School of Education.
Please remember these Gateway course transfer agreements only pertain to transfer within CUNY. If you choose to transfer to a School of Education outside of the CUNY system (NYU, Pace, Fordham, Columbia—just to name a few NYC schools), these transfer guarantees do not apply.
Transfer into Teacher Education Programs
Although CUNY is a large system with many Schools of Education housed across the four-year colleges, each School of Education at each college has varying requirements for entry, so please make sure you meet those requirements when applying for transfer. You can research CUNY transfer schools and Schools of Education on this website: Transfer into Teacher Education.
For general information on the various CUNY Schools of Education, their degrees offered, and various CUNY and NYC Department of Education initiatives, please take time and browse this website: Teacher Education Programs.
At times it might be difficult to discern what each college and their School of Education requires, so please be in contact with your advisor and Professor Ungemah as needed.