Social and Religious Studies

Key unit competence: The student-teacher should be able to explain the components of Social Studies and evaluate its importance.

Introductory Activity

Mugabo was born in the village of Masaka to business parents. His father was a shop keeper and his mother a smallscale milk seller. One day, when he was coming from school, he saw a young girl called Keza who was crying…… When Mugabo asked her why she was crying, Keza replied that she was hungry. Mugabo decided to take her to the mother so that she could get what to eat since he was a Social Studies student. When the two arrived, his mother served them with milk and Keza was very happy. From that day, they became great friends.

From this social behaviour, discuss the importance of Social Studies to both students and the entire community.

1.1. Meaning and importance of Social Studies

Learning activity 1.1.

1. Using internet and other reference books, carry out research and write the meaning of Social Studies

2. What is the importance of teaching and learning Social Studies in schools?

The inclusion of Social Studies in the curriculum of TTC classes signifies the importance of the subject and the role it plays in a student’s life. Social Studies is incorporated in the TTC school curriculum through a combination of subjects like – History, Geography, Economics, Sociology, Foundation of Education.

According to Collins English dictionary, Social Studies is the studies of how people live and organize themselves in society, embracing Geography, History, Economics and other subjects.

Social Studies is also a study of people in relation to each other and to their world. It is an interdisciplinary subject which borrows from many disciplines for example History, Geography, and Economics. It focuses on peoples’ relationship in different environments and help learners to become active and responsible citizens.

Social Studies is very important not only to the student teachers but also to the whole society of Rwanda. Some of its importance is explained below:

1.   The study of Social studies provides students with the basic knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to continue to learn, make informed decisions, positively participate in society, and achieve personal goals of interest.

2. Social Studies has the capability to guide students’ skills progress, stimulate students’ interest and awareness, and enhance their thought processes and decision making.

3. Some of the major skills from Social Studies will help students to master include critical thinking, writing, reading, analysis, interpretation, independent thinking, and more. If these skills are practiced consistently throughout a school year, students can begin to master them. It is these skills that will build a foundation for the knowledge, ideas, abilities and stimulated interest that Social Studies can provide for students.

4. Social Studies is also designed to increase historical understanding; turning points, cause and effects, progress and decline, empathy, connecting past and present, and historical agency.

5. Social Studies have the ability to expose students to common biases and multiple perspectives from an early age preparing them for the reality that waits for them after high school, including diversity and dishonesty.

6. Social Studies have the ability to prepare students and adolescents to be productive, successful, and active citizens in a democratic society. All of the skills, ideas, and exposure all funnel into the overall idea of guiding the development of independent, individual, intelligent and informed citizens who can actively participate in society to make necessary changes and improvements.

Application activity 1.1

From the content learned above, explain other importance of learning and teaching Social Studies in secondary schools.

1.2. Components of Social Studies

Learning activity 1. 2

Read a range of textbooks or use internet and explain the main components of Social Studies.

Social Studies is an interdisciplinary integration of Social Sciences and humanities concepts for the purpose of practicing problem solving and decision making for developing citizenship skills on critical social issues.

Social Studies involves the following component: History, Geography, Economics, Moral issues/Ethics, Philosophy, Political science.

Geography is the study of earth’s landscapes, peoples, places, and environment. It is quite simply about the world which we live. Geography is unique in bridging the Social Sciences with natural sciences.

Geography informs us:

• The places and communities in which we live and work.

 • Our natural environment and the pressures they face.

• The interconnedness of the world and our communities within it. 

• How and why the world is changing globally and locally.

• The importance of location in business and decision-making.

History is the analysis and interpretation of the human past that enables us to study continuity and change overtime. It is an act of both investigations that seeks to explain how people have changed overtime.

History is a mean to understand the past and the present through the study of History we can investigate and interpret why society develops as it has and determine what influence has infected the past and the present and shape the future. History helps to learn to understand the immense complexity of our world and provide insight to help cope with problem and possibility of the present and future. History is also a bridge to other disciplines. In order to understand the other humanities and the sciences one needs an historical overview of those ones. Historical knowledge is prerequisite fundamental for understanding the world in which we live. History is “magister vitae” teacher of life.

History prepares us to live more humanly in the present and to meet the challenge of the future because it provides us with understanding human condition. History fulfils our desire, to know, understand ourselves and our assistant. It also trains its students to read intelligently, think critically, and writing effectively.

Economics: Is a social science that analyze the production of goods and services, it focuses on how economic agents behave or interact and how economic works. Economics is a social science that predicts and studies the human behavior before given economic; situation.

Moral issues or Ethics: Moral issues or Ethics refers to an issue concerning how one ought to behave, how other ought to behave or whether a situation proper or improper, Moral issues are defined by society often called norm however if you claim to be a Christian moral issues can or should be defined by biblical principles the question might what is your moral stand that you use?

Below are several moral issues to which a person should examine in and themselves and compare their response biblical teaching

Philosophy: is a way of thinking about a world the universal and can help to us to learn how to think more creatively. It offers us path to improve our critical thinking skills far beyond anything else. It can also help us to live better in two ways.

Good life can be in past philosophical became better life. It can help us decide how our life can be improved, it provides the meaning of being human being and its benefit and how it can be treated in the best way. It also enables us to make a good choice, to accomplish our goal, live better life, and become better people.

Political Education: refers to the knowledge regarding politics. Political Education provides the science of leadership, national integration, creation of good citizen and preparing adult life

Sociology: it is the study of group living, cooperation and their responsibilities

Psychology: it is the study of the mind, emotions and behavioral process

Anthropology: it is the study of the way people live.

Application activity 1. 2

Explain the components of Social Studies.

1.3.Relationship among the components of Social Studies

Learning activity 1. 3

Read a range of textbooks and found out the relationship among the components of Social Studies

Although the term “Social Studies” includes primarily History, Geography, civics, Economics, and sociology, it also deals with materials from other subjects. Thus some elements of Ethics, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, art, literature, and other subjects are included in various courses in the Social Studies.

Relationship between History and Geography: History and Geography are specially closed because they represent fundamental dimension of the same phenomena. History view human experience from the perspective of time and Geography view human experience from the perspective of space. These dimensions of time and space are constantly affecting the other. Key concept of Geography such as location, space, and region are tired inseparably to major idea of History such as time, period and events. Geography and History enable learner to understand how the events and places have affected each other across time.

Relationship between Economics and Geography:

Location and climate have large effects income levels and income growth,

through the effect of transport cost, disease burdens and agricultural productive, among other channels. Furthermore, Geography seems to be a factor in choice of economic policy itself. When we identify geographical regions that are now conducive to modern economic growth, we find that many of these regions have high population density and rapid population increase. This is especially true in populations that are located far from the coast, and thus that face large transport cost for internal trade, as well as population in tropical Regions of high diseases burden.

Relationship between Political Science and History:

The Political Science and History are very close, History without Political science has no fruits, and Political science without History has no roots. History is essential in Political science because it is a record of past events. It provides the raw materials to Political Science. The study of state as it has been can be done only with the help of History. Historical study is essential for understanding Political thoughts, movements and institutions. In general, History is a vast store house of facts and information as from which Political Science obtains data for all its generation. History has also much to borrow from Political Science. Our knowledge of History is a meaningless if the Political bearings of events and movements are not adequately appreciated. E g: History of 19th Century Europe can’t be fully understood without bring out significance of Movements like Nationalism, Imperialism, Individualism and Socialism.

Relationship between Politics/Political Science and Ethics/Morals:

Ethics/ Morals and Political are intimately related, both are normative science.

Ethics aim at supreme good individual well as Political aim at public good. Public good can be obtained through individual good and also individual goods can be attained through public good. Both Ethics and Political are concerned with the idea of justice, liberty, right, and duties etc…

Thus, we can conclude that incorporating Social Studies in the TTC curriculum ensures well-rounded Education of the students.

Application activity 1. 2

What are the relationship between the components of Social Studies

End unit assessment

As a prospective teacher, how you will apply the Social Studies skills to live in harmony with other people?