Inside:

Spotlight on Dr. Van Lanen 2 Careers in Social Sciences 2

Important dates

to know 3

Importance of GenEd 3

Tips for college

success 4

Directory of Social

Sciences faculty 4

If you’ve just started college this year, be prepared to be asked by everyone you know what your major is. Choosing a major is one of the most import-ant things a student faces in college. Perhaps you are still undecided, or perhaps you have declared. Before you get too far into the Social Sciences program, the faculty would like to introduce you to each of the disciplines within a Social Sciences Major so you can confidently answer what your major is.

Within the Social Sciences program major, there are four different disciplines: Anthropology, History, Political Science, and Sociology. Each has its own methodology and content, but they rely heavily on each other. As a Social Sciences major, you will find that many of your courses build on others that you have taken within the major even if they are in a different field. All of the disciplines share the goal of getting students to think critically about different social phenomenon.

Majoring in the Social Sciences at LCSC Being able to read and write in an analytical manner and get to the deeper issues are skills needed in all areas of life and majoring in Social Sciences can help you prepare for this.

In their book, Power and Society, Thomas Dye and Brigid Harrison define the fields in the following way:

Anthropology is the study of people and their way of life. History is the recording, narrating, and inter-preting of past human actions and events. Political Science is the study of politics and government, including

how individuals influence political leaders and institutions’ actions. Sociology is the study of relationships among individuals and groups, both formal and informal. All of the faculty for Social Sciences can be found in Spalding Hall (directory of faculty can be found on page 4), which is also the location of the main Social Sciences office. Get to know your faculty members (and especially your advisor); check out their office hours and stop by. We want to help you in your college experience.

Fall 2013

Social Sciences Program Newsletter

The Social Sciences main office and all of your Social Sciences professors’ offices are in Spalding Hall. Feel free to stop by any faculty offices to get to know your professors better.

Lewis-Clark State College Vol. 3, Issue 1

Social Sciences office:

Spalding Hall 101A

Social Sciences webpage

http://www.lcsc.edu/social-sciences/

WarriorWeb:

www.lcsc.edu/warriorweb/

Course catalog

http://webdev.lcsc.edu/catalog

/

Soc. Sciences Newsletter

Page 2 of 4

This fall will be Dr. Van Lanen’s first at LCSC, but she is not a newcomer to teaching. Dr. Van Lanen graduated with her Ph.D. in history from Washington State University in 2009, and has taught at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania since 2010. She is returning happily to the Pacific Northwest, and joining the Social Sciences program as the new historian.

Dr. Van Lanen’s specialty fields include U.S., Public, Middle Eastern, and food and agricultural history. Her diss-ertation and current research focuses on the development of the apple industry in Washington State. She plans to

technician, library circu-

lation director, campus

recreation specialist,

teaching, deputy

prosecutor, defense

attorney, and interpreter

for the Nez Perce

National Historic Park.

Faculty spotlight: Dr. Amanda Van Lanen (History)

There are many jobs available to you with a degree in Social Sciences. The social sciences help you learn to think critically, to write better, and to be more aware of the world around you. Studying the social sciences is a great way to help you develop skills that can help in the “real world.” Being able to come to a carefully con-sidered conclusion, based on analysis and interp-retation, is something you

teach an ethics class on the topic of food in the U.S.

“There are many issues with food in the U.S. that raise ethical concerns,” Dr. Van Lanen commented, “and I look forward to exploring those topics in an interdisciplinary setting. “

In addition to the food course, she plans on developing a class on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era in the U.S., as well as a class on the Modern Middle East. Students taking her classes can expect to be active participants, as discussions will be a major component of her courses.

Dr. Van Lanen explains, “History is open for interpretation, but the inter- pretation has to be based on solid evidence. This is where critical thinking skills come into play; students have to learn to judge the evidence and

form an opinion of it. I think it's important for students to read primary source documents and formulate their own analysis, but I also think it's important to share those ideas with each other. Part of the reason for meeting as a class is so that we can have a dialog about why history is important and what historical events mean.”

Critical thinking skills are very important in Dr. Van Lanen’s classes. She wants students to learn not only how to formulate their own opinions based on solid evidence, but also how to evaluate other people's arguments and evidence. Dr. Van Lanen notes that critical thinking is a skill that benefits students of all majors, whether you're a nurse evaluating a patient's symptoms, a business person evaluating investment opportunities, or a historian writing history.

“History is a good discipline for developing critical thinking, and in my classes, we do this by analyzing primary source documents

learn as a social scientist and something valued outside of academia, as well. The skills you will learn in your Social Science courses will serve as an excellent foundation in a variety of careers, such as archivist, curator, teacher, librarian, writer, journalist, lawyer, research positions (in both the public and private sectors), non-profit work, working with health organizations, analysts, consultants, human

resources, law enforce-ment. Additionally, getting a Bachelor’s degree in any of the social sciences is excellent preparation for graduate school if you would like to continue your education. Our graduates have gone on to have careers in the following areas: enrollment officer (Colville Con-federated Tribes), site manager for Nez Perce Branch of Northwest Indian College, computer

What can you do with a degree in Social Sciences?

Through primary sources, we learn what people in the past thought or observed, but we also learn to evaluate the biases that might cloud their opinions,” Dr. Van Lanen says.

Learning to understand and appreciate different perspec-tives is an important part of history, and this is something Dr. Van Lanen feels qualified to work on with students. Her parents were missionaries, and she grew up in Rwanda and Saipan. This gave her a chance to learn about other cultures firsthand, something she brings to her classes.

“I learned very early to appreciate other people's perspectives and cultures. It can be instructive to think about things from another point of view, particularly when dealing with complex issues,” Dr. Van Lanen explained.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Van Lanen has a multitude of other interests. She loves the outdoors, whether she is camping, hiking, or just going for walks. The location of LCSC in one of the things that initially appealed to her about the job. Her classes on food history are complemented but her own love of cooking. Additionally, she is an avid quilter.

While incoming freshman might be intimidated by college, Dr. Van Lanen urges them not to be. Her advice for freshmen?

“Ask questions! Your professors are here to help, but we're not mind readers. Don't be shy about asking questions if there's something you don't understand.”

Dr. Amanda Van Lanen at Cape Disappointment.

Soc. Sciences Newsletter

Page 3 of 4

The importance of the General Education Core

Important dates

• Aug. 30 Last day to register/add/drop classes online

• Sept. 2 Labor Day - campus closed

• Sept. 9 add classes or drop without ‘W’ grade on transcript

• Sept. 20 Spring 2013 class schedule posted

• Oct 1 Last day to apply for graduation (Spring 2014)

• Oct 25 Mid-term grades due/posted to WarriorWeb

• Nov 7 Last day to withdraw from classes or college for the semester

• Nov 11-14 Advance registration for Spring 2012

• Nov 25-29 Thanksgiving Break - no classes

• Dec 16-19 Final exam period

• Dec 23 Final grades posted to WarriorWeb

• Jan 21 Classes begin

The General Education Core curriculum is the intellectual foundation of every two or four year degree at LCSC. The Gen Ed Core is the two-plus semesters’ worth of required courses in English, Communication, Mathematics, the Humanities, the Natural Sciences, and the Social Sciences listed on the left-hand side of every major’s program plan. If you are a freshman, familiarize yourself with the elements of the Gen Ed Core as soon as possible because it should be your main focus for the next year. And, as a college student, you should know that your general education is arguably the most important aspect of your college degree. Here are three reasons why: First, concentrating on the Core can be an effective way to select a major. Taking classes in a variety of field and disciplines not only builds up your intellectual skills and confidence, but may help you uncover an interest you did not know you had. For example, few of us had any exposure to anthropology or sociology in high school. Through Gen Ed Core, you might not only discover that you are interested in these fields, but you might also find that you are good at them. Exposing ourselves to new things is the major element of the college experience; and it is through the Gen Ed Core that most of us are exposed to the widest variety of new ideas. Second, in the process of becoming generally educated you set yourself up to be successful in the major of your choice. The Gen Ed Core curriculum is designed to strengthen and expand your academic abilities. It will improve your reading endurance and comprehension, your written and oral communication skills, your time management and organizational abilities, your capacity for analytical and logical thinking, and your skills at finding accurate information. These are basic intellectual abilities necessary to succeed in any major on every college campus because these are also the same basic skills in demand by almost every employer.

Finally, it is through the Gen Ed Core that you are provided the opportunity to begin your journey towards becoming a generally educated person. A generally educated person is familiar with the major ideas in the natural sciences, humanities and arts, and social sciences; and a generally educated person is able to apply these ideas toward understanding and interacting with the world around them. A generally educated person has learned how to learn, and is in a position to professionally be retrained in the future if need be—without going back for extensive schooling. In short, a generally educated person is able to connect learning to life. The Gen Ed Core curriculum is at the foundation of your journey to becoming such a person. This journey will continue throughout your college career and for the rest of your life. The Gen Ed Core provides the foundations for learning how to learn and for becoming generally educated. Then your major takes both these foundations and builds upon them, focusing your formal education in one area. Once you have been trained in one area, you should be able to use the same methods to teach yourself other subjects. At heart, a four-year college degree should train you to educate yourself on any topic you wish for the rest of your life. And it all starts with the General Education Core curriculum your freshman year.

Soc. Sciences Newsletter

Page 4 of 4

Welcome to the LCSC Social Sciences program. Below are four "tips" for those of you new to the program and the college experience. 1) Set aside three hours to study each week for every hour of college credit you take. Most classes are three credit hours. You can do the math. 2) Get involved with the college. Run for student government, work at the radio station, write for the student paper, or join one of the campus clubs. Don't underestimate the value to an employer of someone with experience in event planning/promotion, policy advocacy, public speaking, journalistic writing, public governance, or starting your own organization. 3) Take your 100-level History, Sociology, Anthropology, and Political Science courses as

Tips for Freshmen Majoring in Social Sciences

We’re on the Web!

See us at:

www.adatum.microsoft.com and Facebook page

soon as you can. In order to major in Social Sciences, you must first understand the basics of its various branches. 4) Make sure you know what a program plan is and that you have a copy of it. The left-hand side of your program plan is the General Education portion of your college education and is, more or less, the same for all majors across the campus. The right hand side of your program plan consists of the classes required for your specific major. Together they are your map to graduation. Make sure you know how to read the map. It is your responsibility. The Senior/Junior Social Sciences majors may have other suggestions for getting off to a good start. Ask them about other advice they might have for you. It is a good conversation to have at the beginning of the term. Good Luck!

Faculty information:

Spring 2014 Social Science Electives Anth. 280 Culture and Environment—Dr. Allison

Anth. 320 North American Indians—Instructor TBD

Hist. 333 Africa since 1885: Dr. Martin

Hist. 492 Modern U.S.—Dr. Van Lanen

Hist. 492 Progressive Era/Gilded Age.—Dr. Van Lanen

Pols. 370 Political Communication—Dr. Hoffmann

Pols. 465 Globalization and the State—Dr. Hoffmann

Soc. 315 Marriage and Family—Dr. Earles

SS 350 Animals and Society—Dr. Earles

SS 350 Women in the 20th Century—Dr. Canfield

SS 351 Gender—Dr. Allison

Amy Canfield History aecanfield@lcsc.edu SPH 109 792-2362

Laura Earles

Sociology

leearles@lcsc.edu

SPH 309

792-2340

Eric Martin History elmartin@lcsc.edu SPH 310, 792-2281

Chris Riggs History ckriggs@lcsc.edu SPH 303 792-2264

Kerensa Allison Anthropology klallison@lcsc.edu SPH 212 792-2348

Leif Hoffmann Political Science lshoffmann@lcsc.edu SPH 304 792-2818 leifhoffmann.tripod.com/

Amanda Van Lanen History alvanlanen@lcsc.edu SPH 219 792-2684