2026-2027 Course Catalog – Humanities: Social Studies
Humanities: Social Studies
CL College Level
DC Dual Credit
Required Courses
For an Academic Honors Diploma students need to have successfully completed: 2 semesters of World History, 2 semesters of United States History, 1 semester of Government and 1 semester of Economics. For more information, see the Academy Diploma Requirements on page vi.
SOC203
American History, 1492-1876 (DC)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Fall
This course surveys the American historical experience through 1876. Students will examine key events, ideas, personalities and movements from before European exploration to the end of Reconstruction.
* Ball State University offers 3 college credit hours in HIST 201 to students who complete this course. Refer to the Dual Credit section for details on enrollment and fees.
SOC204
American History, 1877-Present (DC)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Spring
This course surveys the American historical experience since 1877. Students will examine key events, ideas, personalities and movements since the end of Reconstruction.
* Ball State University offers 3 college credit hours in HIST 202 to students who complete this course. Refer to the Dual Credit section for details on enrollment and fees.
SOC301
Exploring United States Government: Political Theory and Practice (CL)
Prerequisite: Two credits of American History or Senior status
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Fall
An exploration of United States government, with particular reference to past and present political theory. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of thinkers and ideas, as both the sources of American law and government and as comparative examples. Connections will be made between theory and practice, and students will be encouraged to think creatively about the nature, history, and present course of American government and politics. Critical thinking and productive civil discourse will be consistently emphasized. (Only one credit can be earned from the Exploring United States Government course series.)
SOC303
Exploring United States Government: The Constitution (CL)
Prerequisite: Two credits of American History or Senior status
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Spring
An exploration of United States government, with particular attention to the history and role of the Constitution. The Constitution of the United States is not only the law of the land, it is also the fundamental political mechanism under which the nation has achieved unprecedented freedom and prosperity. This course will provide students with both a historical background and a modern working knowledge of the Constitution and the American political system. Discussions will regularly consider how the Constitution applies to current issues. Critical thinking and productive civil discourse will also be consistently emphasized. (Only one credit can be earned from the Exploring United States Government course series.)
Economics
ECON116/116S2
Survey of Economics (CL)
Prerequisite: Two credits of American History or Senior status
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Fall (ECON116) or Spring (ECON116S2)
An introduction to important and influential economic theories and circumstances, with specific examples chosen by the instructor. Course topics will include the study of scarcity and economic reasoning, supply and demand, market structures, the role of government, national economic performance, the role of financial institutions, economic stabilization, and trade.
Electives
SOC05101
Indiana History (CL)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Spring
This course will examine the history of Indiana through the present day. Major personalities and important events in the political, economic, literary, philosophical, intellectual, educational, and social realms will be explored. Hoosier hospitality will be the norm for discussion—even when asking the age-old question: what exactly is a “hoosier?”
SOC05102
Decades of Controversy (CL)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Fall
This course will examine the domestic, national and international policies, forces, and events, which formed a 20-year time frame of contradictions, contrasts, and progress in US History 1948-1968. Special emphasis will focus on the ideological philosophies, which were existing, developing, and being challenged in politics, economics, foreign affairs, and national culture. Overriding themes include significant social developments, cultural ideas in conflict, rival political policies, and an analysis of the influence of Pax Americana. As students explore the controversies of the decades from 1948 to 1968, they will develop historical research skills using both primary and secondary sources.
SOC05130S2
The West in the World (DC)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Spring
The West in the World is a survey of the development of Western Civilization since its origins emphasizing key problems, turning points, and recurring themes, especially in the past two centuries. The course emphasizes the civilization that emerged and developed in Europe and spread to the Americas during the past two millennia. The West in the World also focuses on the way peoples around the globe helped to shape Western Civilization and how they felt its influence. Non-Western civilizations have exercised a powerful influence on Western Civilization, and the West has interacted with the rest of the world throughout its history.
* Ball State University offers 3 college credit hours to students in HIST 150 upon completion of this course. Refer to the Dual Credit section for details on enrollment and fees.
SOC05137
Prosperity and Depression, 1920-1945 (CL)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Spring
This course explores the American national history from 1920 to 1945. Particular attention is given to national political, economic, social, and cultural development; the 1920s; the Great Depression and New Deal; and the American home front of the first half of the 1940s.
SOC05138
Workers in America (CL)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Fall
This course will explore the major issues and historical transformations of the American working class. Particular focus will fall on the institution of slavery as a labor system, the early attempts at solidarity, the rise of corporate capitalism, the emergence of labor organizations during the industrial period, the ideologies of the working class, and the impact of downsizing on workers. Specific attention will be given to the roles of gender, race, ethnicity, and technological changes in defining the experiences of the working class.
SOC05140
History of World Religions (CL)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1 credit
Offered: Spring
Explore the development of religions around the globe that have greatly affected large numbers of people and had significant impact on the development of world civilizations. We will examine key events related to people and places, as well as transcultural interaction and exchanges. Special emphasis will be placed on exploring the interaction between different religions. We will focus on primary sources in order to discover, from the words of their own sacred texts, the beliefs that have motivated millions of diverse peoples and civilizations throughout world history.