The primary mission of the Social Sciences Department at Ozarks Technical Community College is to provide students with accessible, high quality, and thought-provoking general education courses. Our courses in history, political science, anthropology and geography will develop and increase students’ abilities to retain, analyze and apply information in both academic and professional settings. Success in our courses hinges on the ability of the student to think, read, and write in a logical manner. After mastering these abilities, the student will be able to synthesize and apply learned principles with critical thinking strategies.

The Social Science department also emphasizes the importance of the CORE Experiences at OTC; department courses promote the importance of Managing Information, Communicating, Valuing, and Higher Order Thinking. The CORE Experiences not only aid students in Social Science courses, but help them to obtain essential soft skills employers look for in college graduates.

The department’s paramount goals for our students are that they leave our department having learned to: discover, describe, explain, and predict human behavior and social systems, understand the diversities and complexities of the cultural and social world, past and present, and come to an informed sense of self and others, draw on history and the social sciences to evaluate contemporary problems and more. Our experienced faculty lead discussions and create assignments that stretch students’ minds and help them become better citizens of our community.