Adolescence Education (BA)
Department Co-Chairs: Marya Grande, PhD and Kelly Harper, PhD
Introduction
Professional sequences in Adolescence Education give teacher candidates a thorough foundation in the many facets of modern American secondary education and a gradually increasing exposure to the realities of the classroom. A broad range of field experiences, from observation and tutoring to a full semester of student teaching, is an essential part of the curriculum. Each program also includes an integrated sequence of subject-area courses offered by one or more of the academic departments at the college. The Adolescence Education program offers nine certification programs at the Adolescence Level — grades 7 through 12.
Licensure Disclosure
Canisius College cannot determine whether completion of this program would be sufficient to meet licensure requirements outside of New York State for the intended occupation. We advise you to contact your state licensing board or appropriate licensing entity to determine whether the program meets requirements for Professional Licensure in the state where you are located or the state in which you intend to pursue licensure. Please contact the associate dean of your school if you have further questions.
Qualifications
Academic criteria for endorsement and completion of the program are as follows: Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher and a grade of C or higher in content and pedagogical courses. They must achieve satisfactory performance in field placements. All candidates must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate.
Advisement
All students should have an advisor in the major and should contact the department directly to have an advisor assigned if they do not already have one. Meetings with academic advisors are required prior to students receiving their PIN for course registration each semester. All majors should work closely with their advisor in discussing career expectations, choosing their major electives, developing their entire academic program and planning their co-curricular or supplemental academic experiences.
In addition, candidates will be assigned an advisor in their respective concentration area.
Double Majors
Students who wish to expand their educational opportunities may decide to declare a double major. This decision may be based on career goals, planned graduate studies, and/or other student interests. Before a student declares a double major, it is important to meet with the appropriate academic departments for advisement. In order to declare a double major, the student must complete the Major/Minor Declaration form. This form will be submitted electronically and reviewed and approved by each department chairperson as well as the appropriate associate dean.
Per college policy, each additional major requires a minimum of 15 credits that do not apply to the student's first or subsequent major. Some double major combinations can be completed within the minimum 120 credit hour degree requirement, but in other cases additional course work may be required. Please note that students will receive only one degree unless the complete the dual degree requirement including at least 150 undergraduate credit hours, regardless of the number of majors they complete. Both (all) majors appear on a student’s transcript.
Minors in Other Disciplines
Minors provide students the opportunity to pursue additional interests but generally do not require as many courses as a major. Minors generally range from five to eight required courses. To receive a minor, the student must complete at least 9 credit hours of coursework distinct from their other credentials (i.e., majors, other minors). The complete list of minors is available on the Canisius website and in the catalog and provides links to each minor. Some majors and minors can be completed within the minimum 120 credit hour degree requirement, but in some cases additional coursework may be required. Students must complete the appropriate minor request form.
Curriculum
An Ignatian Foundation
All undergraduate students must complete either the Canisius Core Curriculum or the All-College Honors Curriculum. Many schools refer to their college-wide undergraduate requirements as "general education" requirements. We believe that the core curriculum and the honors curriculum are more than a series of required classes; they provide the basis for a Jesuit education both with content and with required knowledge and skills attributes that are central to our mission.
Free Electives
Students may graduate with a bachelor's degree with more but not less than 120 credit hours. Free electives are courses in addition to the Canisius Core Curriculum or All-College Honors Curriculum and major requirements sufficient to reach the minimum number of credits required for graduation. The number of credits required to complete a bachelor's degree may vary depending on the student's major(s) and minor(s).
Major Requirements
The Adolescence Education Major includes the following required courses and an academic concentration. Each of these courses require a grade of C or higher.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDS 101 | Human Growth and Social Development: Adolescence | 3 |
| EDS 223 | Foundations of Adolescent Literacy | 3 |
| EDS 360 | Evaluation and Teaching Strategies | 3 |
| EDS 390 | Cognition, Learning and Assessment of Adolescence | 3 |
| Choose the appropriate course: | 3 | |
| Methods of Teaching English: Adolescence | ||
| Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Adolescence | ||
| Methods of Teaching Modern Languages: Adolescence | ||
| Methods of Teaching Science: Adolescence | ||
| Methods of Teaching Social Studies: Adolescence | ||
| Choose the appropriate course: | 3 | |
| Applied Methods of Teaching English: Adolescence | ||
| Applied Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Adolescence | ||
| Applied Methods of Teaching Modern Languages: Adolescence | ||
| Applied Methods of Teaching Science: Adolescence | ||
| Applied Methods of Teaching Social Studies | ||
| EDS 493 | Supervised Student Teaching | 12 |
| EDU 100 | Exploring the Teaching Profession | 3 |
| EDU 123 | Technology in Education 1 1 | 1 |
| EDU 223 | Technology in Education 2 1 | 1 |
| EDU 323 | Technology in Education 3 1 | 1 |
| EDU 250 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDU 494 | Capstone Seminar for Teacher Candidates | 3 |
| EDU 495 | Child Abuse Workshop | 0 |
| EDU 496 | Prevention of School Violence Workshop | 0 |
| EDU 497 | Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Workshop | 0 |
| EDU 498 | Student Teaching Seminar | 3 |
| SPE 341 | Inclusive Strategies | 3 |
| Total Credits | 48 | |
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Candidates who are pursuing a concentration in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics are not required to take this class, although it is highly recommended.
Major Experiences
New York State requires the successful completion of at least 100 hours of field experience before student teaching. This requirement is divided up among three courses in the major program. EDU 250 has a 15 hour community-based experience, EDS 223 has a 20 hour field experience, EDS 360 has a 30 hour field experience, EDS 402-EDS 406 (choose the appropriate course) has a 30 hour field experience and EDS 432-EDS 436 (choose the appropriate course) hosts 50 hours. The field experience builds from participatory observation to tutoring or working with small groups to teaching a lesson and then teaching lessons from a learning segment designed by the candidate in the EDS 432-EDS 436 course.
Academic Concentration
Candidates choose from the following areas of certification: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, English, Social Studies, or Spanish. Required courses in these content areas are listed below:
Adolescence Biology Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 111 & 111L | Introductory Biology I and Introductory Biology Laboratory I | 4 |
| BIO 112 & 112L | Introductory Biology II and Introductory Biology Laboratory II | 4 |
| BIO 211 & 211L | Biochemistry and Cell Biology I and Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lab I | 4 |
| BIO 212 & 212L | Biochemistry and Cell Biology II and Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lab II | 4 |
| BIO 404 | Genetics 1 | 3 |
| BIO 450 | Molecular Biology 1 | 3-4 |
| Choose one of the following ecology courses 1 | 3-4 | |
| Field Ecology | ||
| Community Ecology | ||
| Freshwater Biology | ||
| Choose one of the following microbiology or physiology courses | 4 | |
| Medical Microbiology and its Ecological Basis and Medical Microbiology and its Ecological Basis Lab | ||
| Microbiology and Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Physiology and Physiology Laboratory | ||
| In addition to the required biology classes, students also must complete the following courses: | ||
| MAT 111 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MAT 131 | Statistics for Social Sciences | 3 |
| or MAT 141 | Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science | |
| CHM 111 & 111L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| PHY 201 & 201L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | 4 |
| Total Credits | 44-46 | |
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Students must complete a total of 30 biology credits. To reach that total, students must complete one laboratory associated with one of the following classes: BIO 320, BIO 375, BIO 377, BIO 404, or BIO 450.
For students interested in adding a chemistry certification in addition to biology, the following courses must also be completed.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHM 111 & 111L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 227 & 227L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 301 | Fundamental Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| BCH 301 & 301L | Introduction to Biochemistry and Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 301 | Fundamental Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHM 381 | Scientific Literature and Communication | 1 |
| Total Credits | 19 | |
Adolescence Chemistry Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHM 104 | Energy, Environment, and Society | 3 |
| CHM 111 & 111L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 112 & 112L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 227 & 227L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 228 & 228L | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHM 244 | Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHM 301 | Fundamental Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| BCH 301 & 301L | Introduction to Biochemistry and Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| Must take one of the following: | 1 | |
| Fundamental Physical Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Scientific Literature and Communication | ||
| In addition to the chemistry courses for the concentration, students also must complete the following related courses: | ||
| BIO 111 & 111L | Introductory Biology I and Introductory Biology Laboratory I | 4 |
| GEO 325 | Introduction to Physical Geography | 3 |
| MAT 111 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| One statistics class. Choose one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Statistics for Social Sciences | ||
| Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science | ||
| PHY 201 & 201L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | 4 |
| PHY 202 & 202L | College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
| Total Credits | 52-53 | |
Adolescence Mathematics Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MAT 111 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MAT 112 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MAT 211 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MAT 219 | Linear Algebra | 4 |
| MAT 222 | Differential Equations | 3 |
| MAT 230 | Logic, Set Theory, and Proofs | 4 |
| MAT 301 | History of Mathematics | 3 |
| MAT 311 | Abstract Algebra | 4 |
| MAT 331 | Geometry | 3 |
| MAT 351 | Probability & Statistics I | 3 |
| One Math (MAT) elective at the 200-level or higher 1 | 3 | |
| One Computer Science (CSC) course | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Please note that students pursuing the Mathematics Concentration are strongly encouraged to complete a dual major with Adolescence Education and Mathematics and Statistics. To complete the dual major, students must add MAT 321; the series of MAT 380, MAT 381, and MAT 480; and one of the following: MAT 312 or MAT 352.
Adolescence English Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 299 | Introduction to English Studies | 3 |
| ENG 322 | Shakespeare I | 3 |
| One course in Women's Literature (ENG 223, ENG 373, or ENG 382) | 3 | |
| One course in Multicultural Literature (ENG 213, ENG 368, or ENG 382) | 3 | |
| One course in Global Literature (ENG 224 or ENG 381) | 3 | |
| One course in Writing (ENG 294, ENG 383, ENG 385, ENG 388, ENG 389, ENG 391, ENG 392, ENG 393, ENG 411, or ENG 490) | 3 | |
| One Pre-1800 British Literature course (ENG 233, ENG 305, ENG 306, ENG 347, or ENG 373) | 3 | |
| One Pre-1900 American Literature course (ENG 315 or ENG 319) | 3 | |
| One Post-1900 American Literature course (ENG 316 or ENG 369) | 3 | |
| EDS 370 | Young Adolescent Literature | 3 |
| EDU 410 | Writing in the Schools | 3 |
| or ENG 390 | Tutoring Writing | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Adolescence Social Studies Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIS 107 | History of Modern Europe to 1815 (European History) | 3 |
| HIS 108 | History of Modern Europe since 1815 (European History) | 3 |
| HIS 123 | History of the United States: The Colonial Period to Reconstruction (American History) | 3 |
| HIS 124 | History of the United States: 1877 to the Present | 3 |
| HIS 300 | Historical Geography (World History) | 3 |
| History at the 300 level | 3 | |
| ECO 101 | Principles of Macroeconomics (Economics) | 3 |
| ECO 102 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| PSC 103 | The American Constitution (Political Science) | 3 |
| or PSC 104 | American Political Process | |
| PSC 140 | International Relations (Political Science) | 3 |
| or PSC 150 | Comparative Government and Politics | |
| One Culture Class (see department for current list of courses that fulfill this requirement) | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Please note that students pursuing the Social Studies Concentration are strongly encouraged to complete a dual major with Adolescence Education and History. To complete the dual major, students must add the following courses: one of HIS 213, or HIS 230; one of HIS 110, HIS 131, or HIS 132; and one elective at the 300-level.
Adolescence Spanish Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SPA 215 | Communicating in Spanish 1 | 3 |
| SPA 217 | Intro Comp Panorama SocioCultural Latinoamericano 1 | 3 |
| SPA 323 | Topics in Conversation I Peninsular Culture and Civilization | 3 |
| SPA 324 | Topics in Conversation II Latin American Culture and Civilization | 3 |
| SPA 332 | Advanced Spanish Composition | 3 |
| Five Spanish electives | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
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Students who begin study at the 300-level will have the 200-level courses waived, but still need 10 courses for the concentration.
Middle School Extension
Candidates wishing to obtain an extension to teach grades 5-6 in their area of concentration must take EMC 352 and EMC 391 in addition to the courses listed above.
Roadmap
Recommended Semester Schedule for Major Courses
| Freshman | |
|---|---|
| Fall | Spring |
| EDU 100 | EDU 250 |
| EDS 101 | EDU 495 (co-requisite with 250) |
| EDU 123 (May be taken Fall or Spring) | EDU 496 (co-requisite with 250) |
| EDU 123 (May be taken Fall or Spring) | |
| Sophomore | |
| Fall | Spring |
| EDS 223 (20 hours field experience) | EDS 224 (Spring Only) |
| SPE 341 | EDU 223 (May be taken Fall or Spring) |
| EDU 223 (may be taken Fall or Spring) | EDS 360 |
| EMC 352 (Optional - needed for middle childhood extension)(Spring Only) | |
| Junior | |
| Fall | Spring |
| EDS 390 | EDS 402, 403, 404, 405, or 406 (Methods Class) (Spring Only) (30 hours field experience)1 |
| EDU 323 (may be taken Fall or Spring) | EDU 323 (May be taken Fall or Spring) |
| EMC 391 (Optional - needed for middle childhood extension) (Fall Only) | |
| Senior | |
| Fall | Spring |
| EDS 432, 433, 434, 435, or 436 (Fall Only) (50 hours field experience) | EDS 493 |
| EDU 494 | EDU 497 (co-requisite 493) |
| EDU 498 | |
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Choose course based on appropriate concentration.
Learning Goals & Objectives
Learning Goal 1 (KNOWLEDGE – Observed in Writing)
Candidates in the Teacher Education programs will demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical, and professional knowledge necessary for successful performance in their field.
Teacher candidates will:
- Acquire knowledge of each student, and demonstrate knowledge of student development and learning to promote achievement for all students.
- Know the content they are responsible for teaching, and the pedagogical content knowledge to plan instruction that ensures growth and achievement for all students.
Learning Goal 2 (KNOWLEDGE – Observed Skills and Dispositions)
Candidates in the Teacher Education programs will demonstrate professional skills and dispositions necessary for successful performance in their field.
Teacher candidates will:
- Demonstrate professional dispositions and implement instruction that engages and challenges all students to meet or exceed the learning standards.
Learning Goal 3 (SERVICE)
Candidates in the Teacher Education programs will demonstrate willingness to use their skills to benefit and serve society. Within the contexts of their work, candidates promote authentic learning, social and emotional development, and a commitment to social justice in environments that foster respect for diversity and the dignity of all.
Teacher candidates will:
- Work with all students to create a dynamic learning environment that supports achievement and growth.
- Use multiple measures to assess and document student growth, evaluate instructional effectiveness, and modify instruction for diverse learners.
Learning Goal 4 (PROFESSIONALISM)
Candidates will demonstrate self-reflection as a habit of mind, continuously assessing and refining their professional practice as they construct a rich repertoire of research-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes for effective performance ensuring that all students and/or clients have optimal opportunities to learn and grow.
Teacher candidates will:
- Set informed goals and strive for continuous professional growth.
Learning Goal 5 (LEADERSHIP)
Candidates will become adept at applying their acquired knowledge in the process of evaluating their own professional performance and decision-making with respect to its impact on students and/or clients, organizations, and the wider community.
Teacher candidates will:
- Demonstrate professional responsibility and engage relevant stakeholders to maximize impact on student growth, development, and learning.
