Social Sciences and Humanities Research?

[Education&Law]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about education research in the area of improving the teaching and curriculum for social sciences and humanities in public schools? I really love both areas (e.g., sociology, history, psychology, anthropology), but prior to university I had no idea how enlightening and important these areas were due to the fact that the high schools in my area (and I suspect many other areas) did an underwhelming job of teaching these subjects and properly harnessing their power. Originally, I thought I just wanted to teach for a living, but my recent work with a professor doing research has allowed me to realize just how much I enjoy the research process, and that perhaps I would like to do it for a living someday. Specifically, I would like to be involved in research pertaining to the teaching/curriculum surrounding the humanities and social sciences in high school. I am currently in the process of applying to various teachers colleges in Canada (e.g., UofT, UBC). 

 

My question is: Is this an area that I could actually do research in, or complete a graduate thesis on (e.g., masters and/or PhD)? Moreover, what kind of career should I be looking into given that these are my interests? Of course, this second question is a highly individualized one, but perhaps some of you have recommendations  

 

Best wishes all,

E&L.

[t_ruth]

Yes, research in this area is done in a variety of sub-disciplines of education and in other fields as well. In education, you may want to look at curriculum and instruction programs or even educational psychology--depending on the specific research question. It may be most helpful to find some articles that interest you and see what programs the authors are in.