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. No major is offered; however, we do offer an interdisciplinary minor for those students who are especially interested in educational studies but not necessarily in public school teaching.
*Students may also qualify for 5-12 teaching licensure in the State of Minnesota in communication arts, mathematics, earth and space 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, 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. Students are encouraged to make formal application for admission to the teacher education program during the spring term of their sophomore year. Carleton licensure students will complete the majority of their course work at Carleton, but there will be courses only offered at St. Olaf through the inter-registration process which are required for licensure. St. Olaf will submit Carleton student's recommendation for licensure to the Minnesota Department of Education after completion of student teaching.
*Note: Teaching licensure at Carleton will no longer be available beginning with the Class of 2027.
Educational Studies Minor
The Educational Studies Minor provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of education as an individual pursuit, an institutional venture, and a societal imperative. The minor aims to develop thoughtful, skillful and imaginative students of the psychology, social and cultural history, and politics of education. Students will pursue the study of education as a liberal art, one that both reveals the constraints of socialization and informs alternative visions of self and community. The minor is appropriate for students of all majors interested in the stewardship of education as a cornerstone of democracy.
Requirements for the Educational Studies Minor
All students will be required to take a minimum of seven courses: three core courses, three supporting courses and a senior seminar. Students interested in the minor are advised to begin their study during their sophomore year.
Core Courses:
Supporting Courses: Select one course from each of the three clusters; these courses must be from three different departments. The list below is not an exhaustive one. Please check the appropriate department pages for course descriptions and prerequisites and when courses are offered. We can neither control nor predict when courses from other departments are offered. If you have difficulty enrolling in a course for a particular cluster, please see the minor adviser to discuss other courses that might fulfill the requirement.
Cluster I Learning, Cognition and Development The purpose of this cluster is to provide additional perspective about how K-12 students develop physically, cognitively and socially. This cluster builds on the core course, Educational Psychology.
- CCST 100 Growing up Cross-Culturally
- CGSC 130 Revolutions in Mind: An Introduction to Cognitive Science
- CGSC 130 What Minds Are What They Do: An Introduction to Cognitive Science (not offered in 2023-24)
- CGSC 232 Cognitive Processes
- CGSC 236 Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making (not offered in 2023-24)
- EDUC 262 Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning in Diverse Classrooms
- EDUC 344 Teenage Wasteland: Adolescence and the American High School (not offered in 2023-24)
- PSYC 210 Psychology of Learning and Memory
- PSYC 232 Cognitive Processes
- PSYC 250 Developmental Psychology
- PSYC 251 Lifespan Development (not offered in 2023-24)
- PSYC 258 Social Cognition (not offered in 2023-24)
- PSYC 366 Cognitive Neuroscience
Cluster II Social and Cultural Context of Schooling in a Diverse Society The purpose of this cluster is to provide an in-depth understanding of the broader historical, social and cultural context in which U.S. educational institutions are located. This cluster builds on the background knowledge provided by the core courses Introduction to Educational Studies and Multicultural Education.
- AMST 115 Introduction to American Studies
- EDUC 262 Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning in Diverse Classrooms
- EDUC 340 Race, Immigration, and Schools (not offered in 2023-24)
- EDUC 367 Culture Wars in the Classroom (not offered in 2023-24)
- GWSS 110 Introduction to Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies
- HIST 116 Intro to Indigenous Histories, 1887-present (not offered in 2023-24)
- HIST 122 U.S. Women's History to 1877
- HIST 123 U.S. Women's History Since 1877
- HIST 125 African American History I: From Africa to the Civil War (not offered in 2023-24)
- HIST 126 African American History II
- HIST 203 American Indian Education
- HIST 228 Civil Rights and Black Power
- HIST 229 Working with Gender in U.S. History (not offered in 2023-24)
- IDSC 203 Talking about Diversity
- POSC 302 Subordinated Politics and Intergroup Relations
- PSYC 384 Psychology of Prejudice
- RELG 140 Religion and American Culture
- SOAN 114 Modern Families: An Introduction to the Sociology of the Family (not offered in 2023-24)
- SOAN 226 Anthropology of Gender (not offered in 2023-24)
- SOAN 288 Diversity, Democracy, Inequality in America (not offered in 2023-24)
Cluster III Public Policy and Educational Reform The purpose of this cluster is to explore the public policy contexts, issues and questions that are most relevant to educational policy making and school reform. This cluster builds on the background knowledge provided by the core course Introduction to Educational Studies.
- ECON 246 Welfare Economics and Mechanism Design
- ECON 270 Economics of the Public Sector
- EDUC 225 Issues in Urban Education (not offered in 2023-24)
- EDUC 245 School Reform: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
- EDUC 250 Fixing Schools: Politics and Policy in American Education
- EDUC 330 Refugee and Immigrant Experiences in Faribault, MN (not offered in 2023-24)
- POSC 122 Politics in America: Liberty and Equality
- POSC 218 Schools, Scholarship and Policy in the United States (not offered in 2023-24)
- POSC 273 Race and Politics in the U.S.
Senior Seminar:
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 credits; SI, WR2, IDS;
Fall, Winter, Spring;
Anita P Chikkatur, Ryan D Oto
EDUC 138 Multicultural Education This course examines the historical and contemporary issues surrounding the concept of "multicultural education." The course focuses on the respect for human diversity, especially as these relate to various racial, cultural and economic groups, and to women. It includes lectures and discussions intended to deepen students' understandings of what it means to live in a multicultural society. Offered at both the 100 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly. Students who have previously taken a 100- or 200-level Educational Studies course should register for EDUC 338; students who have not taken a previous Educational Studies course should register for EDUC 138. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Fall;
Ryan D Oto
EDUC 225 Issues in Urban Education This course is an introduction to urban education in the United States. Course readings and discussion will focus on various perspectives in the field in order to understand the key issues and debates confronting urban schools. We will examine historical, political, economic, and socio-cultural frameworks for understanding urban schools, students and teachers. Through course readings, field visits and class discussions, we explore the following: (1) student, teacher and researcher perspectives on urban education, (2) the broader sociopolitical urban context of K-12 schooling in cities, (3) teaching and learning in urban settings and (4) ideas about re-imagining urban education. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Not offered 2023-24
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. 6 credits; SI;
Fall;
Deborah Appleman
EDUC 245 School Reform: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow This course explores major issues in the history of school reform in the United States, with an emphasis on the twentieth century. Readings and discussions examine the role of education in American society, the various and often competing goals of school reformers, and the dynamics of educational change. With particular focus on the American high school, this course looks at why so much reform has produced so little change. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Winter;
Ryan D Oto
EDUC 250 Fixing Schools: Politics and Policy in American Education How can we fix American public schools? What is "broken" about our schools? How should they be repaired? And who should lead the fix? This course will examine the two leading contemporary educational reform movements: accountability and school choice. With an emphasis on the nature of the teaching profession and the work of foundations, this course will analyze the policy agendas of different reform groups, exploring the dynamic interactions among the many different stakeholders responsible for shaping American education. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Fall;
Ryan D Oto
EDUC 262 Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning in Diverse Classrooms This course focuses on the importance of integrating students' cultural backgrounds in all aspects of learning. We will study various theoretical perspectives on culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogy and will explore several school sites that incorporate that perspective into their approach to teaching and learning. Students will design and teach culturally sustaining curriculum from their own disciplinary background in K-16 setting. Prerequisite: Educational Studies 100 or 110. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Spring;
Deborah Appleman
EDUC 325 Democracy, Schools, and Power One of the foundational elements of an ideal democratic society is an educated and informed public. Simultaneously, the maintenance of power in society demands control over what and how the public is educated. This class examines how schools in the U.S. serve both as sites of promoting democratic life and ideals as well as reproducing social, political, and economic oppression. Throughout the class, we will explore the relationships, tensions, and contradictions between schools, power, and democracy with the goal of answering whether schools can protect and save democracy. 6 credits; NE, WR2, IDS;
Spring;
Ryan D Oto
EDUC 330 Refugee and Immigrant Experiences in Faribault, MN This course will examine the intersection of immigration and education at all levels in rural communities in the U.S. with a site-specific focus on Faribault, MN. Through readings, primary document analyses, discussions, written assignments, and virtual dialogues with community collaborators, students will understand the challenges and opportunities in Faribault for people with refugee and immigrant backgrounds and for educators and community members working with those communities to create supportive contexts (including educational, social, economic, political) that meet the needs and aspirations of those communities. Prerequisite: 100 or 200 level Educational Studies course or instructor consent. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Not offered 2023-24
EDUC 338 Multicultural Education This course focuses on the respect for human diversity, 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. Offered at both the 100 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly. Prerequisite: 100 or 200-level Educational Studies course or instructor permission. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Fall, Spring;
Ryan D Oto, Anita P Chikkatur
EDUC 340 Race, Immigration, and Schools This course explores the important role that public schools have played in the American national imagination as the way to socialize students about what it means to be American and to prepare them to participate as citizens in a democracy. Focusing on two periods of high rates of immigration into the United States (1890-1920 and 1965-present), the course examines how public schools have attempted to Americanize newly arrived immigrant children as well as to socialize racial minority children into the American mainstream. While most of the readings will focus on urban schools, the course will also consider the growing immigrant populations in rural schools through readings and applied academic civic engagement projects. Prerequisite: 100 or 200-level Educational Studies course or instructor permission. 6 credits; SI, IDS;
Not offered 2023-24
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 Educational Studies course. 6 credits; SI;
Not offered 2023-24
EDUC 367 Culture Wars in the Classroom This course examines past and present school controversies, including school prayer, banned books, and student protests. Who controls the curriculum? How do we teach contentious issues such as evolution, racism, and climate change? To what extent do teachers and students enjoy the right to free expression? These are the kinds of questions “Culture Wars in the Classroom” will explore, as we consider the purpose of public education in a diverse, multicultural nation. Prerequisite: 100 or 200-level Educational Studies course or instructor consent. 6 credits; NE, IDS;
Not offered 2023-24
EDUC 385 Schooling and Communities: A Practicum for Teacher Candidates This course permits licensure candidates to become more familiar with their student teaching sites through frequent observation and interaction. The course provides an opportunity to work directly in schools and community organizations related to schools and to reflect on that experience in a classroom setting. Prerequisite: Acceptance into Teacher Licensure Program and registration for fall student teaching. 6 credits; NE;
Spring;
Deborah Appleman
EDUC 395 Senior Seminar This is a capstone seminar for educational studies minors. It focuses on a contemporary issue in American education with a different topic each year. Recent seminars have focused on the school to prison pipeline, youth activism, intellectual freedom in schools, and gender and sexuality in education. Senior seminars often incorporate off campus work with public school students and teachers. Prerequisite: Educational Studies minor or instructor permission. 6 credits; NE;
Spring;
Anita P Chikkatur