Educational Studies (EDUC)
Chair: Professor Deborah Appleman
Professors: Deborah Appleman, John G. Ramsay
Assistant Professor: Lance T. McCready
Visiting Assistant Professor: Mary S. Gustafson
Visiting Instructor: Ann Leming
Scholar-In-Residence Fellow: Terah Talei Venzant
Guided by the assumption that an understanding of educational values, policies, and practices is a legitimate and important part of liberal arts studies, Carleton offers a program of courses which, with the exception of student teaching, are open to all students and can be counted toward meeting distribution requirements in social sciences. No major is offered; however, we do offer an interdisciplinary concentration for those students who are especially interested in educational studies but not necessarily in public school teaching.
Students may qualify for 5-12 teaching licensure in the State of Minnesota in communication arts, mathematics, earth science, life science, and social studies. 7-12 licensure is offered in chemistry and physics. K-12 licensure is offered in world languages (French, German, Russian, Spanish) and visual arts. Earning licensure requires: completion of an approved Carleton major, other subject area courses not required by the Carleton major and/or specific courses within the major, a specified program of educational studies courses (see the Teacher Education Handbook), and student teaching in the major field, usually in a "13th Term."
Students interested in pursuing teaching licensure should obtain a handbook from the department office and should consult with a member of the education faculty early in their sophomore year. There may be occasional courses offered at St. Olaf through the inter-registration process. Students are encouraged to make formal application for admission to the teacher education program during the spring term of their sophomore year.
Carleton's licensure programs are approved by the Board of Teaching of the Minnesota Department of Education.
Educational Studies Courses
EDUC 110. Introduction to Educational Studies This course will focus on education as a multidisciplinary field of study. We will explore the meanings of education within individual lives and institutional contexts, learn to critically examine the assumptions that writers, psychologists, sociologists and philosophers bring to the study of education, and read texts from a variety of disciplines. What has "education" meant in the past? What does "education" mean in contemporary American society? What might "education" mean to people with differing circumstances and perspectives? And what should "education" mean in the future? Open only to first-and second-year students. 6 cr., SS, Winter,Spring—L. McCready, T. Venzant
EDUC 225. Issues in Urban Education This course will explore the unique qualities that make city schools places of great richness and diversity, as well as places that face financial challenges and declining enrollment. We will explore race, culture, language, and curricular developments in many cities in the United States that have placed urban schools in the forefront of innovative educational leadership. We will read and discuss research on the importance of outreach to communities around a school. Other topics for class reading include the effect of funding inequities on urban schools, political ramifications and their direct effect on children, and the effect of tracking on all students. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 234. Educational Psychology Human development and learning theories are studied in relation to the teaching-learning process and the sociocultural contexts of schools. Three hours outside of class per week are devoted to observing learning activities in public school elementary and secondary classrooms and working with students. No prerequisite. 6 cr., SS, Fall—D. Appleman
EDUC 240. Philosophies of Education First, we will explore the concept of vocation. To what kind of work am I called? What calling is most congruent with my gifts, my identity, my integrity? We will examine our own vocational clarity and/or confusion, and sort things out using various discernment processes. Second, we will explore teaching as a vocation, remembering that teaching is not restricted to people who work in educational institutions: good parents, managers, activists, and politicians are also teachers. The goal is to help us make informed vocational decisions, and help those who opt for teaching understand its nature, its problems, and its potentials. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 254. Teaching Exceptional Students This course considers the identification, planning, non-discriminatory testing and instruction of exceptional students. The course includes the topics: the needs and rights of exceptional students, speech/language impaired students, hearing impaired students, visually impaired students, physically impaired students, gifted and talented students, learning disabled students, and emotionally disturbed students. Prerequisite: Educational Studies 234. 3 credits cr., ND, Spring—A. Leming
EDUC 260. Gender, Sexuality and Schooling This course explores how gender and sexuality are socially constructed in school settings. Using a variety of feminist cultural texts ranging from empirical studies to popular films, we will focus on how masculinities, femininities and queer identities are formed and performed in the context of school, and how notions of gender and sexuality inform interactions between teachers, students and administrators. In addition, we will address how race, class, age and nation complicate gender and sexuality identities. Specific topics to be covered include sex education, teachers' work, sex/gender segregation, and the experiences of queer students. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Winter—L. McCready
EDUC 331. Sexual Politics in Urban Education This seminar defines sexual politics in urban education as sets of ideas and social practices shaped by gender, race, class, sexuality, globalization and transnationalism that frame metropolitan area students' and teacher's treatment of one another, as well as how students are perceived and treated by others in urban schools. Such politics are the core of our beliefs about masculinities and femininities, feminism, sexual identities and "new" forms of racism that occur in post-civil rights era urban schools. Prerequisite: Educational Studies 260 or Women's and Gender Studies 110 or permission of instructor. 6 cr., SS,RAD, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 336. History of African American Education The course will explore the history of African-Americans from slave codes prohibiting literacy instruction to the challenges of contemporary urban schools. One strand will be biographical and institutional, examining the thinking of key educational leaders and the programs they created. Another focus will be on the ideological underpinnings and legal reasoning of public policies such as "separate, but equal," desegregation, and the consideration of race in college admissions. The course will use primary sources and data to compare the barriers, opportunities and achievements of African-Americans with those of other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. 6 cr., SS,RAD, Winter—T. Venzant
EDUC 338. Multicultural Education This course focuses on the respect for human diversity and personal rights, especially as these relate to various racial, cultural and economic groups, and to women. It includes lectures and discussions intended to aid students in relating to a wide variety of persons, cultures, and life styles. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Fall—L. McCready
EDUC 344. Teenage Wasteland: Adolescence and the American High School Is adolescence real or invented? How does the American high school affect the nature of American adolescence? How does adolescence affect the characteristics of middle and high schools? In addition to treating the concept historically, this interdisciplinary course focuses on psychological, sociological, and literary views of adolescence in and out of the classroom. We will also analyze how adolescence is represented in popular culture, including television, film, and music. Prerequisite: 100 or 200 level education course. Cannot be taken if student has taken American Studies 115 (Growing Up American). 6 cr., SS, Spring—D. Appleman
EDUC 345. Methods of Teaching Art This course explores approaches to teaching art in education including the purposes, standards, materials, and methods for addressing the socio-emotional, creative, and curricular needs of children and adolescents. 6 cr., ND, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 346. Methods of Teaching Modern World Languages Methods of, and curricular materials for, the teaching of modern world languages in the secondary school. Prerequisite: Senior standing, Educational Studies 234 and permission of the instructor. 6 cr., ND, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 347. Methods of Teaching Science Cross-listed with BIOL 302. This course will explore teaching methods for the life and physical sciences in grades 5-12. Curricular materials and active learning labs will be discussed and developed. In addition, time outside of class will be spent observing and teaching in local science classrooms. Will not count toward a biology major. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. 6 cr., ND, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 348. Methods of Teaching Social Studies Structure, methodology, strategies, and materials for teaching sociology-anthropology, psychology, economics, political science, geography and history in grades 5-12. Prerequisites: Senior standing and permission of the instructor. 6 cr., ND, Winter—Staff
EDUC 353. Schooling and Opportunity in American Society This course is concerned with both the role of schools in society and the impact of society on schools. It deals with race, ethnicity, sex, social class and other factors which influence school achievement, and also examines the widespread assumption that the expansion of schooling can increase equality of opportunity in society. 6 cr., SS, Fall—L. McCready
EDUC 355, 356. Student Teaching Fulltime teaching in middle and high school under supervision. Prerequisites: 13th term licensure candidate, special methods in teaching area, and permission of instructor. 6 each cr., ND, Fall—D. Appleman
EDUC 370. Brown vs. Board of Education: Decision and Legacy This interdisciplinary course focuses on the Brown vs. Board of Education decision of 1954 and how it has affected K-12 and higher education in the United States. Among the issues to be addressed are affirmative action, segregation-integration-resegregation, white flight, ethnic studies, contact theory, and stereotype threat. We will read a variety of scholars in relation to these topics including Thurgood Marshall, Kenneth Clark, Gordon Allport, Janet Schofield, David Kirp, Pedro Noguera, and Michelle Fine. Prerequisite: One education class, or one African/African American Studies class or permission of instructor 6 cr., SS,RAD, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 379. Methods of Literacy Instruction Cross-listed with ENGL 379. This course introduces students to a variety of approaches and perspective in teaching English language arts in grades 5-12. We will explore methodologies and issues surrounding the teaching of reading, literature, language and composition in middle and high schools. In addition to the usual course components of reading, writing, and discussion approximately one day per week outside of class time will be devoted to observation and mini-teaching in 5-12 grade English classes in the Twin Cities. Prerequisites: Senior English major, permission of the instructor and Educational Studies 234. 6 cr., ND, Winter—D. Appleman
EDUC 380. Ethics and Education This course will explore the ethical issues that face educators, parents, and volunteers as they attempt to guard the physical safety and nurture the educational well being of kids in schools. The course will introduce students to range of ethical theories. It will be organized around a set of specific topics including: indoctrination and other forms of manipulation, systems of reward and punishment, verbal abuse and bullying, confidentiality and other problems of privacy, emotionally-charged curricula and teaching strategies, enforcement of school rules, and responsibility for school safety. The course will use case method to engage the issues and spur discussion. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2005-2006.
EDUC 385. Schooling and Communities: A Practicum for Teacher Candidates This course provides licensure candidates with an opportunity to work directly in schools and community organizations related to schools and to reflect on that experience in a classroom setting. Prerequisites: Acceptance into teacher education program and registration for fall student teaching. 3 cr., ND, Spring—D. Appleman
EDUC 395. Violence and Violence Prevention in the Schools
The seminar is the culmination of educational studies concentrators' study of educational issues. The course attempts to bring together theory and practice by combining traditional reading, writing and discussion course work with fieldwork and action research. The 2005-2006 seminar focuses on issues of violence and violence prevention by examining psychological, social, and cultural roots of violence in K-12 schools, as well as specific forms of school-based violence including name calling, bullying, gang warfare, sexual assault, school shootings, and hate crimes. The culmination of the seminar will be student presentations (based on individual research and fieldwork) on specific violence prevention programs. 6 cr., SS, Spring—L. McCready