Molly Johnson

2/7/21

Rho Kappa Essay

The Vitality of Social Studies

Denying the importance of social studies is to deny humanity. Without us, there is no

social studies and without social studies, there is no us. Bold statement, I agree. However, social

studies revolve on studying society. Social studies is, in some ways, the very basis of the proof of

our humanity. By knowing this, we can confirm that social studies is vital to education too.

As cliché as it is, one may say by quoting philosopher George Santayana that “those who

cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Atrocities such as WWI, WWII and, quite

frankly any war, should not be eager to be repeated as well as such events as the holocaust, the

events of September 11th, and the Rwandan genocide. And, while that is unmistakably true, there

are many more truths to the vitality of social studies in education.

There are many subsets, or branches, of social studies: each of which teach us something

different and equally important. The study of economics is the study of how and why people are

willing to pay for the things they want. This study shows the importance of value, money and the

market. Human Geography shows the placement of people in comparison to the natural

landscape. Features like mountains, plains, and oceans are learned and located as well as their

respective people groups or lack thereof. Politics show how people govern themselves and how

decisions are made. This teaches the importance of laws, regulations, power, and making

informed decisions. As a last example, the study of psychology explains the reasoning of actions,

thoughts, and behaviors of individuals. As there are a myriad of subset groups, there is a vast

amount of quality knowledge gained. Social studies has the possibility to teach cultural
Molly Johnson

2/7/21

Rho Kappa Essay

understanding, real-world issues, past issues and how to move forward, responsibility as a

citizen, critical thinking and respect.

Social studies is astoundingly the very thing that keeps as together while still keeping us

apart. Social studies is at large, the reason people have succeeded in creating intricate societies.

The importance of social studies can be found in its critical lessons learned and its application to

the real life. While in a traditional sense, social studies seem like a bunch of dates to be

memorized, it is rather the basis of successful society.