Education Studies
Forest Hall, home of the Department of Education Studies
Why minor in Education Studies?
Education studies is the exploration of areas related to education, and the Wabash Department of Education Studies offers a program that explores the big questions of educational philosophy, policy, history, and practice, and can help to prepare students interested in a career in classroom teaching, education policy, or other careers that interact with education. Those questions, and their answers, lie at the heart of the liberal arts, engaging students in dialog related to human educational development and educational systems. Such flexibility is an attractive option for students in any major, allowing for critical thought on practical topics.
While the minor in education studies at Wabash does not include teacher certification, we maintain the commitment of the first Wabash faculty member Caleb Mills – remembered as the father of the Indiana public school system – to the preparation of teachers through a deep and wide-ranging liberal arts education. Alumni of our program become classroom teachers and school administrators through postgraduate and alternative licensure programs offered in many U.S. cities and states. Education Studies faculty members are happy to discuss future career and graduate studies options with prospective and current students.
Combined with majors and minors in a variety of departments, the minor in education studies can lead to careers and community engagement opportunities in education policy, school teaching and administration, educational psychology, school counseling, museum education, health education, corporate training, sales, business management, non-profit management, youth services, social work, ministry, higher education, and a host of other fields.
Students interested in learning more are encouraged to speak with a member of the education studies faculty or take one of our courses that satisfies distribution requirements for a Wabash degree.
Student Learning Goals
Students will draw upon concepts related to human development and learning theory to describe, discuss, and analyze the ways in which the U.S. system of public education is designed to support children’s and adolescents’ cognitive, social, and emotional development; including analysis of the ways in which personal and cultural factors influence development, learning, and systems of schooling.
Students will describe, discuss, and analyze the ways in which public education is intended to prepare students to contribute to society through productive employment and social and civic engagement.
Students will describe, discuss, and analyze the role of public education in preparing students for critical social and civic engagement and leadership to advance educational and social reform and progress.
Requirements for the Minor
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Foundations | 2 | |
| Intro to Child & Adolescent Development | ||
| Philosophy of Education | ||
| Curriculum and Pedagogy | 1 | |
| Select one credit from the following: | ||
| Adolescent Literacy Development | ||
| Civic Literacy & Democracy | ||
| Diversity and Multicultural Education | ||
| Theory and Practice of Peer Tutoring | ||
| Electives | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 5 | |
EDU-101 Intro to Child & Adolescent Development
The course examines child and adolescent
development through the lens of education. Using a
variety of course texts, students are introduced
to theories of development and to the concept of
diversity as it relates to child and adolescent
development. Focusing on elements of development,
including biological/physical, cognitive, social,
identity, and language with some attention to
moral - students engage in school and
community-based field placements as they are
introduced to qualitative data collection/analysis
techniques. EDU 101 students compose a variety of
reflective essays and analytical reports based on
field work and course texts. Field Component: EDU
101 students are required to complete a total of
15 hours of field work spread across the semester
in three school settings (elementary, middle, and
high school) and/or community-based organizations
(e.g., Boys & Girls Club). While the nature of
the field work is largely observational and
students do not have explicit teaching
responsibilities, they are expected to be engaged
in the life of the host classes or community
organization, and to interact with hosts in ways
that are helpful and foster understanding of child
and adolescent development. Background checks are
required by local school and community-based
settings.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
EDU-201 Philosophy of Education
This class will examine foundational questions
about education (e.g., What is the nature and
purpose of education?) with a particular focus
upon the role of public schools in a democratic
society. We will read and watch texts drawn from
philosophy, as well as from literature and
history, as we consider the nature of teaching
and learning at the classroom level and within
the broader society. Issues addressed typically
include: tensions between individual students'
development and the needs of the broader society;
the role of the educational system in a diverse
and multicultural society; the nature and goals
of classroom relationship (teacher/student and
student/student); and approaches to educational
reform. Level: Open to any student; required of
all Education Studies minors. Offered
fall and spring semesters.
Prerequisites: ENG-101 or established proficiency
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion
EDU-203 Adolescent Literacy Development
This course examines adolescent literacy
development, defined as an ongoing process
distinct from early literacy development and
characterized by intellectual and social practices
both in and out of school. Students will explore
the various dimensions of adolescent literacy,
including digital and interdisciplinary literacies
as well as the social, cultural, and political
domains that inform adolescents' identity
development. Students will learn about how the
literacy experiences for adolescents have
dramatically expanded in recent years. To reflect
this expansion, course texts will include classic
and contemporary young adult literature, digital
texts including blogs and gaming, as well as
popular music and social media. Part of the course
will be devoted to investigating the ways in which
middle and high school pedagogical practices have
kept pace with the changing landscape of
adolescent literacy. Other topics guiding our
discussions will include: the impact multiple
literacies have on adolescent development and how
those literacies are valued and devalued in
schools. EDU-203 counts as curriculum and pedagogy
credit for the minor in Education Studies, and is
open to all students as an elective. No
prerequisites.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
EDU-230 Special Topics in Education
Since the content of this course varies from
semester to semester, it may be repeated for
credit upon the instructor's approval. The Course
Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage
provides topics and descriptions of current
offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
EDU-235 Studies in Rural Education
According to the Center for Public Education
Approximately half the school districts
in the United States are located in rural areas,
yet urban and suburban schools attract
most of the nation's attention both in terms of
education policy and academic research.
This course offers an introduction to rural
education, focusing on the various historical,
cultural, economic, social, and political factors
that shape rural education in the U.S.
Students will explore some of the most pressing
issues facing rural schools: the
ramifications of state and federal funding, the
challenges of hiring and retaining
teachers, the viability of popular reform
initiatives (e.g., school consolidation, rural
charter schools, and distance learning),
underlying conditions of poverty, and curricular
programming including career and college
readiness. The course is open to all students.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5
EDU-240 Educational Policy & Evaluation
This course examines educational policy at the
federal and state levels. We will explore the
role of educational policy in guiding educational
evaluation, with particular focus upon the
use-and abuse-of statistical approaches to the
evaluation of teaching and learning. After an
introduction to the assumptions underlying
qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods
designs for educational research, the focus turns
to the ways in which teaching and learning
processes are understood and measured in public
education. Standardized testing and common
practices such as "quantitizing" qualitative data
are examined for their assumptions and
limitations in educational settings. The goal of
the course is the development of quantitative
skills and literacies needed for critical
participation in public discussions and
decision-making about these metrics as tools for
diagnosis and reform in public education. In
particular, students will be prepared to better
evaluate political debate and news coverage
related to the assessment of teaching and
learning. Calculation of descriptive statistics
commonly used in classroom assessments and in
standardized educational measures, including
those with normal and with skewed distributions,
is taught using Excel. Substantial practice is
devoted to representation and interpretation of
quantitative data, using Excel's graphing and
charting functions.
Prerequisites: FRT-101 Freshman Tutorial
Credit: 1
Distribution: Quantitative Literacy
EDU-250 Civic Literacy & Democracy
This course examines the role of P12 social
studies education in preparing students for
participation in democracy in an increasingly
diverse and global country and world. We consider
what kinds of social studies content would be
required to meet the needs of responsible
democratic citizenship and governance today, with
inquiry into selected current controversies over
the teaching of social studies fields including
history, geography, psychology, sociology,
economics, and government. We explore the
underlying social and historic forces that have
led to the present moment, and consider the ways
in which broader social beliefs and values may
interact and conflict with approved and proposed
social studies standards and content. Specific
topics taught in a given year may vary, but will
be drawn from current and recent events. Recent
topics have included #BlackLivesMattter;
Indigenous treaty rights; the role of Confederacy
remembrances in the modern era; immigrant rights
and exclusion policies and practices; and the
content and focus of U.S. government courses in
relation to ongoing questions about individual
rights and freedoms that derive from the 1st and
2nd Amendments.
Prerequisites: ENG-101
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion
EDU-303 Diversity and Multicultural Education
This course introduces students to a sociological
study of diversity in the U.S. system of public
education, with particular attention to schools as
sites of social conservation and reproduction.
Readings, discussions, and written assignments
explore the ways in which opportunity and
(in)equality that exist in the wider society are
reflected and perpetuated by typical approaches in
U.S. schools. These explorations of challenges for
schools are accompanied by an examination of
multicultural and inclusive curricula and
instructional practices. We consider the
theoretical underpinnings of multicultural
education as well as examples of curricula and
practices designed to ameliorate education
inequities. Meets the Diversity Requirement for
the PPE major.
Prerequisites: FRT-101 (required), EDU-201 (recommended)
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: SOC-303
EDU-310 History & Philosophy of Environmental Ed
This course will explore the ways in which science
content focused upon environmental concerns has
been taught in K-12 classrooms from historic and
philosophic perspectives. We will examine the
early models for K12 science education that began
to incorporate ecological perspectives in U.S.
classrooms within the context of the environmental
movement of the 1970s, including the passage of
the Environmental Protection Act and the creation
of the Environmental Protection Agency. The
historic and philosophic approach toward
environmental education found in the U.S. will be
examined in relation to global models of
environmental education, including the
examination-based systems that prevail in many
former colonies in Africa and Asia, as well as the
Traditional Ecological Knowlege (TEK)
approaches used and advocated by Indigenous groups
globally. Particular areas for inquiry will
include the development and persistence of
environmentally focused coursework in response to
political and economic pressures related to
economic development and competition. Topics will
also include the ways in which curricula for
environmental education embody visions of science
literacy related to the Science, Technology, &
Society (STS) approach, and offer the potential to
facilitate improved science literacy as well as
environmentally focused action.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion,
EDU-314 Theory and Practice of Peer Tutoring
This course introduces students to composition
and rhetoric theories, to theories behind
peer tutoring, to the confluences and conflicts
between the different theories, and to the,
at times, obscured foundations of the different
theories. After critically reviewing
multiple theoretic approaches, the course shifts
to the practice of peer tutoring and
reconciling reality with theory when they start
observing or conducting sessions in the
Writing Center. As the course progresses, the
focus shifts to mentoring writing,
describing and teaching composition methods, and
using grammar options as rhetorical
tools. The course is required for all Writing
Center Consultants, but it is open to English
Majors and Minors and students in Education
Studies. Students taking the course to work
in the Writing Center will start conducting
sessions towards the middle of the semester.
Prerequisites: FRT-101 and FRC-101
Credit: 1
Distribution: Language Studies
Equated Courses: ENG-314
EDU-330 Studies in Urban Education
In this course students study issues related to
urban education; in some years it may culminate
with an immersion trip in May during the week
between finals and graduation. In addition to
considering the needs and challenges of urban
communities and their schools, we will examine the
growing use of alternative licensure
programs such as Teach For America (TFA) to
provide teachers for high-needs urban school
districts across the country.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5
EDU-370 Special Topics
This course is a seminar focused upon historical
and/or philosophical topics in education and of
considers global and comparative issues. The
emphasis is upon shared exploration of the
general background to the issue, typically
accompanied by development of an independent
research project connected to it. Because the
content varies from year to year, this course may
be repeated for credit with instructor
permission. Level: Counts toward the elective
requirement for the Education Studies minor.
Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the
Registrar's webpage for Topics and Descriptions of
current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
EDU-372 Colonial & Postcolonial Education
This seminar in the history of education examines
the ways in which colonial systems of
education have been envisioned and implemented for
the inculcation of colonizing values and
perspectives among indigenous peoples. Readings
and theoretical approaches include primary
colonial accounts, and postcolonial, anti-
colonial and decolonial analyses, memoirs, oral
histories, and other primary and secondary
sources. Regions and groups considered may
include any of the following: European colonial
activities in the Caribbean, Africa, and/or
Asia, as well as internal colonization of
indigenous peoples in the U.S., Canada, Australia,
and New Zealand. After shared exploration of
readings and other materials, students conduct
independent research into the educational
experiences of a country or region of their
choice.
This course counts as an elective for the
Education Studies minor. Prior course in Education
Studies or History above the 100 level required.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion
EDU-387 Independent Study
Individual research projects. The manner of study
will be determined by the student in consultation
with the instructor. Students must receive
written approval of their project proposal from a
department Chair before registering for the
course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
EDU-388 Independent Study
Individual research projects. The manner of study
will be determined by the student in consultation
with the instructor. Students must receive
written approval of their project proposal from a
department Chair before registering for the
course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
EDU-487 Independent Study
Individual research projects. The manner of study
will be determined by the student in consultation
with the instructor. Students must receive
written approval of their project proposal from a
department Chair before registering for the
course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
EDU-488 Independent Study
Individual research projects. The manner of study
will be determined by the student in consultation
with the instructor. Students must receive
written approval of their project proposal from a
department Chair before registering for the
course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1