Academic & Student Services

UW System Competency Based Admissions - Mathematics

SOCIAL STUDIES
UW System Competency Based Admissions - Social Studies
WTCS
A. Knowledge: Students should be able to: 1. Recognize the principal significance and chronological sequence of major events, movements and personalities in the political and diplomatic history of the British North American colonies to 1776 and the United States thereafter; 5.C. Analyze group and institutional influences on people, events and elements of culture in both historical and contemporary settings

10. Evaluate the ideals, principles and practices of citizenship in the United States
2. Distinguish among the powers assigned to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government in the U.S. Constitution, and between the areas of responsibility assigned to the state and federal governments; identify significant changes that have altered the foregoing through judicial interpretation and other developments; 10. Evaluate the ideals, principles and practices of citizenship in the United States
3. Describe the processes for choosing political and governmental leaders in the United States, including formal constitutional and other conventional procedures, and the role of such major elements in American political culture as political parties, interest groups, traditional images and values, and the media; 5.F. Analyze the extent to which groups and institutions meet individual needs and promote the common good in contemporary and historical settings

6.B. Analyze the acquisition, use and justification of government powers
4. Discuss the sources and history of civil rights in the political system of the United States, recognizing distinctions between ideas of natural and civil rights, and identifying issues and competing interests in debates over human and civil rights; 4.C. Evaluate the impact of stereotyping, conformity, acts of altruism and other behaviors on individuals and groups
5. Discuss the concepts of class, race, ethnicity, and gender in the analysis of society, and: a. Characterize the major ethnic and racial groups that compose the population of the United States, identifying their linguistic, religious, and other cultural differences, the chronology of their arrival in North America, and their main regional and national influences within the United States; 1.D. Analyze various cultural perspectives on the same event or issue

2.D. Connect past historical experiences to present challenges

4.A. Critique the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to an awareness of self and others

4.C. Evaluate the impact of stereotyping, conformity, acts of altruism and other behaviors on individuals and groups
b. Describe how the following have affected the status of women in various cultures of the world, including the United States: 1) increasing numbers of women in the economy; 2) the rebirth of an organized women's movements; 3) traditional definitions of women's roles. 1.D. Analyze various cultural perspectives on the same event or issue

4.A. Critique the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to an awareness of self and others
6. Recognize the principal eras in the history of western civilization from Greek and Roman times to the present, identifying elements used in conventional periodization; show a knowledge of the basic chronologies of world history;  
7. Demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast the various political theories including socialism, communism, fascism, totalitarianism, and democracy; 2.D. Connect past historical experiences to present challenges

4.A. Critique the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to an awareness of self and others

6. Evaluate the creation and evolution of the structures of power, authority and governance
8. Discuss patterns of governmental authority in countries other than the United States in relation to their differing historical, geographical, cultural and social circumstances; 2.D. Connect past historical experiences to present challenges

4.A. Critique the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to an awareness of self and others

6. Evaluate the creation and evolution of the structures of power, authority and governance
9. Recognize in chronological order the major wars of the twentieth century, and alliances of nations that preceded and emerged from the wars, and the principal international organizations that have been founded to resolve disputes and promote concord and cooperation among nations;  
10. Demonstrate knowledge of major world religions and belief systems; 4.A. Critique the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to an awareness of self and others
11. Recognize differences among major regions of the United States and among major regions of the world; and 1.A. Evaluate biased and prejudicial perceptions of a culture through actual and/or vicarious cross-cultural contact

1.B. Analyze behavioral patterns that hinder or promote cross-cultural understanding

1.C. Analyze biased and prejudicial perceptions of cultures based on a culture's technological developments

1.D. Analyze various cultural perspectives on the same event or issue

3. Illustrate the interconnectedness of people, places and environments

4.A. Critique the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to an awareness of self and others
12. Explain how the scarcity of productive resources requires the development of economic systems to make decisions about how goods and services are produced and distributed. 7. Analyze how individuals and groups produce, distribute and consume goods and services
B. Skills and Methods: Students should be able to:

Distinguish between primary and secondary sources; use them appropriately as evidence to support an argument in formal writing, giving full and accurate citations;

1. Demonstrate ability to use geographic tools and resources (e.g., maps, atlases, data bases, and spatial data); 		3.A. Synthesize information from maps and other representations of the earth

3.B. Explain the relationship among various regions and global patterns of geographic phenomenon

3.C. Compare how people create places that reflect culture, human needs, government policy and current values and ideals as they design and build special structures

3.D. Assess ways that historical events have been influenced by, and have influenced, physical and human geographical factgors in local, regional, national and global settings
2. Demonstrate ability to analyze and correlate data through the use of conventional historical, comparative, and quantitative research techniques (using, e.g. tables, graphs, and basic statistics); and 2.A. Apply results of research to report

2.B. Predict future challenges

2.C. Apply conclusions based on reading of present trends

2.D. Connect past historical experiences to present challenges

2.E. Evaluate meaning of readings and their importance to the subject being studied
3. Show awareness of the variety of sources used as evidence by social scientists and humanists, including print material, statistics, paintings, sculpture, architecture, film, music, photographs, and other artifacts. 5.B. Use modes of inquiry drawn from behavior science and social theory
C. Integrative Applications: Students should also, in their social studies curriculum, be encouraged to complete a major project to demonstrate ability to apply their knowledge and skills in integrative and analytical ways. For example, projects drawn from any of the following topics would be appropriate.
  • Compare and contrast the impact of race, class, ethnicity, and gender on the histories of U.S. and other cultures;
  • Compare and contrast the definition, role and significance of citizenship in the history of the U.S. and other countries;
  • Discuss the significance of geography in the development of cultures with specific reference both to the U.S. and other areas of the world;
  • Apply economic reasoning to help explain historical and current developments and issues, distinguishing between and showing the interaction of the U.S. domestic economy and the global economy;
  • Explain how major world religious systems and philosophical schools affect the way people react to crises and dilemmas;
  • Describe the interconnections among cultural, political, social and technological, and environmental change accounting for and resulting from the emergence of modern industrial economies in the United States and the world; and
  • Use social science methods in such disciplines as anthropology, sociology, and psychology to analyze historical and contemporary issues.
Throughout WTCS competencies, students are expected to "demonstrate", "compare", "explain" and "apply" suggesting alignment with this category

Return to Top
 


To Wisconsin Alignment Index Page

To UW System Office of Academic Affairs Page

If you have questions or comments, direct them to Academic and Student Services, Phone: (608) 262-8778, Email: acss@uwsa.edu

UWSA LogoThis document was last revised on October 14, 1999. ©January 1999 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, All Rights Reserved.
 

dpi\new matrix\social studies cba-wtcs.doc