Education for Empowerment
The Education for Empowerment minor is designed for students interested in examining the critical role of education in building our individual and collective capacity to advance the aims of justice and democracy in society.
Students will explore questions such as the following:
- What is the relationship, historically and today, between education and power?
- How do individuals, communities, organizations, and societies leverage teaching and learning as tools for social change and social movement?
- Beyond schools and classrooms, what are the sites of educational and youth work that offer opportunities to advance justice, in the United States and around the world?
- How might we develop our imagination for humanizing educational spaces—both within and beyond schools—that recognize everyday people’s power in the ongoing struggle for justice?
Requirements
Foundation credits
Students choose one of the following courses:
Elective credits
Students choose any three from a single pathway. A course may not be used as both a required foundation and an elective.
We currently offer four pathways from which to choose, but students may petition to create their own individualized strand of coherent coursework, with the support and approval of an advisor.
Internship credits
Students complete EDUC 330 – The Education for Empowerment Internship.
The goal of the Education for Empowerment internship experience is to give students practical field experience in education work, broadly conceived. Although not tightly defined as formal teaching and learning activity, in all cases, the work must have some relevance to education and, specifically, to the student’s selected pathway.
Each student in the Education for Empowerment minor shall register for two credits of internship experience. These two credits can be earned by enrolling in one or more internship experiences. The internship can be taken in a single semester (for 2 credits), or over two semesters (1 credit per semester).
Capstone credits
Students complete EDUC 480 – The Education for Empowerment Capstone.
All students will complete the minor with a one-credit mandatory capstone course. The capstone asks students to consider their learning across all their courses and reflect on how the totality of their experiences informs their thinking about the role of education in the empowerment of children, youth, and/or adults. Students will create and present a multimedia presentation to illustrate their learning about education for empowerment.
Class Schedule
| Term Sort descending | Class | Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | EDUC 330-101 |
ED Empwrmt Internshp | Kendra Hearn |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 118-001 |
Intr Ed:Sch Mcul Soc | Jamaal Matthews |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 119-001 |
Education Policy in a Multicultural Society | Erika Davis |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 200-001 |
Learn for Social Chg | Thomas Drake |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 211-001 |
Intro Ed Policy, Inquiry and Advocacy | Bob Bain |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 212-001 |
Hist College Athlet | Gregory Dooley |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 213-001 |
Equity and Empowerment | Brian Lampman |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 240-001 |
Coaching as Leading | Gregory Dooley |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 330-001 |
ED Empwrmt Internshp | Kendra Hearn |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 333-001 |
Video Games&Learning | Phill Cameron, none |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 335-001 |
Education and Equity in Name, Image and Likeness in College Athletics | Greg Dooley |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 343-001 |
Race Frameworks in Education | Erika Davis |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 360-001 |
Partners in Learning | Ha Bui, Matt Diemer |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 480-001 |
ED Empwrmt Capstone | Kendra Hearn |
| Fall 2025 | EDUC 490-003 |
Topics Professnl Ed | Rona Carter |
Declare the Minor
To declare the Education for Empowerment minor, students must:
- Meet with an academic advisor at the Marsal School
- Have a declared major
- Receive a grade of C or better in any minor course
- Submit the declaration form
Current Policies
Effective Fall 2024
Students interested in completing the Education for Empowerment minor must develop a plan and receive approval in consultation with academic advisors in the Marsal School. Students must also observe the following policies:
- Students must declare the minor before graduation
- Students must earn a GPA of at least 2.0 (C) within each course and in the minor overall
- Only courses on the approved course list count toward the minor
- Courses transferred to UM from other institutions do not count toward the minor
- A maximum of one non-EDUC course may be counted towards the minor
- A maximum of one course may be shared between the requirements of a minor and a major
- Courses may count toward only one minor or supplemental studies program
- Students with a declared major must declare the minor before they may enroll in EDUC 330
- Students who choose the Design Your Own pathway option may select one foundation course and three elective courses from the full listing of approved pathway courses
- Students may change approved courses in a customized pathway by submitting the Course Substitution Request Form
- Students may change their pathway by submitting the Minor Pathway Change Request Form
- Students may propose an internship for approval by contacting [email protected] with details about the organization and the anticipated scope of responsibilities
Pathways
under construction
AVAILABLE PATHWAYS
Advancing Equity Through Education Policy
For students working at the intersections of public policy and education, this pathway focuses on policy inquiry, design, and implementation that intervene in the problems of educational injustice and social inequities.
| Course | Description |
|---|---|
| MUSED 111** | The Art of Music Teaching |
| EDUC 119 | Education Policy in a Multicultural Society |
| EDUC 211 | Introduction to Educational Policy, Inquiry and Advocacy |
| EDUC 220 | Coaching for Today's Society |
| EDUC 240 | Coaching as Leading and Leading as Coaching |
| EDUC 275 | Wellness for Learning, Teaching, Coaching, and Leadership |
| ECON 325 | Economics of Education |
| EDUC 332 | Coaching and Consulting for Social Change |
| EDUC 343 | Race Frameworks in Education |
| RCSSCI 365 / RCSTP 365 | Excellence, Equity, and the Politics of Education |
| EDCURINS 382 | Introduction to Environmental Education for Sustainable Development |
| SOC 458 | Sociology of Education |
| EDUC 460 | Equity in Everyday Practices |
| EDUC 490 | Topics in Professional Education - Designing the Future of Undergraduate Education |