Social studies education’s two main branches-the relatıonship between History and Geography

Abstract

If we look at science from a historical point of view, it can be said that the interdisciplinary relationship was stronger in some aspects in the past than today. Because a scientist in history could dominate mathematics, social science and even natural sciences. The works were prepared in this way. For example, it is possible to see the content of both history, political science and social science in Ibn Khaldun's Mukaddime. Today, more specific fields of study may emerge upon the increase or deepening of the specialization in the fields of science. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of reflection of the principle of providing an interdisciplinary approach in Social Studies Education to the Social Studies Curriculum (SSC, 2018) and Social Studies Textbooks being implemented in Turkey within the scope of historical geography. For this purpose, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grade textbooks and programs were examined by document analysis method, data were collected regarding historical geography contents, and these findings were evaluated and interpreted with descriptive analysis. According to the findings, the definition and scope of historical geography were not directly addressed in the curriculum and textbooks. However, there are many contents that can be considered within the scope of historical geography, especially in textbooks. These contents are for different learning areas. Historical geography will contribute to students' synthesis and multidimensional thinking skills. It will greatly affect the multi-cause and interdisciplinary dimension of social sciences. Considering these, it is thought that it will be beneficial to deal with historical geography in the textbooks and the curriculum. In addition, it is considered important for teachers or field experts to increase their awareness on this subject and to evaluate various subjects in social studies teaching from this perspective.