When Americans write about democracy and education, they typically write about the constructive effects that education can have for democracy by improving future citizens' knowledge, political judgment, capacity for independent thought, and by building common political values. Very few Americans put the question the other way around: What effects has U.S. democracy had on education? This course will examine those effects in several domains: equality and inequality in the provision of schooling and educational resources; the structure of the occupation of teaching; the content of curriculum; the extent to which teaching and curriculum encourage independent thought and political judgment; and what students learn about democracy in school.
 

Students in this course will examine the concepts of diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity from an anti-racist and critical perspective. From defining and dialogue to reflection and re-examination, this course is as much a personal inquiry journey into one’s own identity as it is an exploration of the core concepts. Readings, discussions, and self-exploration will push us to consider how our own ways of knowing, learning, and teaching can more fundamentally account for and enact diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity. We will examine both scholarly and empirical texts, as well as applied strategies and practices. We will also consider our own identities and how human interaction plays a crucial role in learning and teaching in and beyond the university setting.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing at the doctoral level.

Demonstrates application of theory and techniques of assessment to: 1) test and scale construction, 2) testing programs in the schools, or 3) research methodology.

May be elected more than once, for a total of 6 credits.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing

This laboratory course enables the student to practice in the field under supervision, achieving greater competence in use of skills in which he or she has been trained. Repeatable for up to 9 credit hours

Explores selected topics in educational research and practice based on the interests of faculty and students. Topics change each term. Consult the program office for the current list of offerings.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing

May be elected more than once.

Survey of the main periods, persons, and themes in American educational history from the 1770s to the present. Gives special emphasis to recent historiographic debates in the field.
 

Focuses on the role of schooling in reproducing and reinforcing prevailing social, political, and economic relationships and inequities; assesses the potential contradictions between the societal functions of schooling and the professed goals of educators. The course examines sources of educational change, organizational context of schooling, impact of schooling on social stratification, social organization within the school and the classroom, social impact of the formal curriculum, and methods of selection and differentiation in elementary and secondary schools.

This course offers an overview of the multidisciplinary field of comparative and international education, introducing students to the theory and practice of comparative and international education research, the main stakeholders and mechanisms driving global educational policy, and theories of policy borrowing and transfer. Through scholarly accounts, policy documents, and teaching cases, students will become familiar with the core challenges facing educational actors and systems around the world, the relationship between education and national development, and how various stakeholders participate in the landscape of educational aid and development.

Provides an introduction to the multi-disciplinary field of cultural studies; places special emphasis on the concept of a multicultural society.

Provides introduction to basic concepts and processes of policy analysis in education.

Critically examines selected contemporary reform efforts in education from the perspective of one or more of the foundation disciplines. Aims to develop in the career educator a broader and deeper understanding of the tensions between ideas and practice in dynamic social environments. Graduate course required of all new Educational Studies master’s students.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing
 
Introduces preservice teachers to school settings where observation, inquiry, and participation in the processes of teaching and learning are possible. Provides opportunities for the development of instructional strategies and teaching practices, as well as for inquiry into the contexts of classrooms and schools.

Develops the special knowledge and competencies required of elementary school teachers through observation and teaching in elementary school classrooms under the joint supervision of university and public school personnel.

Guides observation and teaching in secondary school classrooms, as well as involvement in other roles of the secondary school teacher under the joint supervision of university and public school personnel.