Educational foundations course list
Listed below are the titles of courses deemed appropriate for meeting the educational foundations requirement for the Ph.D. in education, curriculum, and instruction. The courses appear in four categories: cultural foundations, historical and philosophical foundations, psychological foundations, and sociological foundations.
A minimum of 6 semester credits is required in the area of educational foundations. Students must choose the courses in consultation with adviser(s). If you find a course you’d like to use in place of a course from this list, it must be approved by your adviser and the director of graduate studies.
Cultural foundations
ANTH 5980—Topics in Anthropology: Teaching in
a Multi-Cultural World
(3 cr)
How the anthropological concept of culture may facilitate
communicating in a multicultural classroom. Cross-cultural
ethnographically informed discussions of work, gender,
leadership, authority, religion and art.
CI 5145—Critical Pedagogy
(3 cr; S-N only)
Examination of critical pedagogy; critique of power relations regarding
race, culture, class, gender, and age in various educational settings;
consideration of improved practice in education for children, youth,
and adults.
CI 5150—Popular Culture and Education
(3 cr)
This course is grounded in the premise that “schooling” can
usefully be expanded to consider the immense influence and
importance of popular culture in the lives of children and
young adults. From sporting events to toys, clothing to
music, YouTube to comics… the course will engage graduate
students in developing teaching and learning strategies.
CI 5410—The Politics of Literacy and Race
in K-12 Classrooms
(3 cr)
Explores the politics of literacy and race in classrooms
(with politics understood both as how power plays out and in
relation to creating democratic forms of life in
classrooms). Theoretical resources are developed first;
then, with the help of earlier theory, the course shifts to
close exploration of workings of literacy and race in
classrooms.
CI 5972—Education in the Community
(3 cr)
Models of community/education, their intersections. Twentieth-century
practice of education in the community in the U.S. Examples from
other cultures/times.
CI 8115—Curriculum and Achievement Outcomes in a Diverse Society
(3 cr; prereq Doctoral student; A-F only)
Analysis of American public school experiences for students of African-American,
Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian background; social, political,
regional, and educational variables that influence student outcomes;
perspectives concerning ethnic student achievement; factors influencing
school achievement, and prospects for change.
CI 8150—Special Topics (Course number to change in 08–09):
Cultural Studies in Education
Cultural Studies in Education is an interdisciplinary course that
brings perspectives from the humanities and social sciences to bear
on the study of teaching and learning. Cultural Studies recognizes
that educational systems are situated in the contexts of culture,
knowledge, and power and that these contexts have created systems
of inequity. The course, then, is meant to advance a critical understanding
of education though the study of culture and to encourage students
to investigate the relationship between schooling, education, culture,
and society. In short, students will learn to “do” cultural studies
in education.
EDPA 5101—International Education and Development
(3 cr)
Introduction to comparative and international development education,
contemporary theories regarding the role of education in the economic,
political, and sociocultural development of nations; examination
of central topics and critical issues in the field.
EDPA 5102—Knowledge Formats and Applications: International
Development Education Contexts
(3 cr)
Analyzes the interrelationships of "knowledge capital" (noetic symbolic
resources) and culture through intrinsic, cross-, and multicultural
perspectives. Distinguishes knowledge from information and data,
focusing on national and international developments occurring along
basic and applied knowledge paths.
EDPA 5103—Comparative Education
(3 cr)
Examination of systems and philosophies of education globally with
emphasis upon African, Asian, European, and North American nations.
Foundations of comparative study with selected case studies.
EDPA 5128—Anthropology of Education
(3 cr)
Insights from educational anthropology for educators to
address issues of culture, ethnicity, and power in schools.
EDPA 5132—Intercultural Education and Training: Theory and
Application
(3 cr)
Examination of intercultural education; formal and nonformal education
programs intended to teach about cultural diversity, promote intercultural
communication and interaction skills, and teach students from diverse
background more effectively.
EDPA 5721—Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education
(3 cr)
Review of research. Theoretical frameworks, methodological perspectives,
and research strategies used to study students, staff, and faculty;
historical perspectives.
EDPA 8022—Education and Globalization
(3 cr)
Anthropological/comparative perspectives used to understand
educational processes in a globalized world. What can be
gained by adopting translocal view of educational phenomena.
GWSS 5103—Feminist Pedagogies
(3 cr; prereq grad or #)
Theory and practice of feminist pedagogies by comparing and evaluating
various multicultural feminist theories of education/teaching and
the application of specific theories, techniques, and teaching strategies.
WHRE 8142—Comparative Systems in WHRE
(3 cr; Prereq-WHRE 8141)
Comparison of work, community, and family education systems within
the United States and between the United States and other countries.
Historical and philosophical foundations
CI 5974—The Democratic Learning Community
(3 cr)
Historical/theoretical development of how leading thinkers have
conceptualized education centered in the community. Colonial, Native
American, transcendentalist, progressive, experiential, critical,
and feminist perspectives.
EDPA 5021—Historical Foundations of Modern Education
(3 cr)
Analysis and interpretation of important elements in modern education
derived from pre-classical sources: Greeks, Romans, Middle Ages,
Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, and Industrial Revolution.
EDPA 5032—Comparative Philosophies of Education
(3 cr)
Exploration of the principal philosophies in educational thought
today, e.g., realism, idealism, pragmatism, and postmodernism. Practice
in philosophical critique.
EDPA 5701—U.S. Higher Education
(3 cr)
U.S. higher/postsecondary education in historical/contemporary perspective.
Emphasizes structure, history, and purposes of system as a whole.
EDPA 8002—Critical Issues in Contemporary Education
(3 cr; prereq EdD or PhD student)
Meanings of difference from sociological, psychological, historical
and philosophical perspectives as related to current and emerging
critical issues in education. Participants help design, facilitate,
and present the course.
EDPA 8104—Innovative Systems Thinking in Education and Culture
(3 cr)
Critical aspects of historical and contemporary systems philosophy,
thinking, and analysis. Development of concepts and skills applicable
to coping with evolutionary and chaotic environments. Modeling and
simulation of learning systems in rapidly changing national and
international contexts.
WHRE 8141—Foundations of Work and Human Resource Education
(3 cr; )
Key historical and philosophical concepts within the realms of work,
career and adult development, individual and organizational change,
and learning through experience.
Psychological foundations
ADED 5102—Perspectives of Adult Learning and Development
(3 cr)
Emphasis on major adult development theorists, theories, and current
applications. Transformative learning, self-directed learning, experiential
learning, and cooperative learning provide theoretical framework
for exploring physiological, psychological, sociological, and cultural
aspects of adult development through the life span.
EPSY 5101—Intelligence and Creativity
(3 cr; A-F only)
Contemporary theories of intelligence and intellectual development
and contemporary theories of creativity and their implications for
educational practices and psychological research.
EPSY 5112—Knowing, Learning, and Thinking
(4.0 cr; A-F only)
Principles of human information processing, memory, and thought;
mental operations in comprehension and problem solving; developing
expertise and automaticity; emphasis on applied settings.
EPSY 5113—Psychology of Instruction and Technology
(3 cr)
Introduction to adult learning and instructional design. Application
of core foundational knowledge to development of effective learning
environments for adults. Topics include philosophy, learning theories,
instructional models, development and experience, individual differences,
evaluation, assessment, and technology.
EPSY 5114—Psychology of Student Learning
(3 cr; A-F only)
Principles of educational psychology: how learning occurs, why it
fails, and implications for instruction. Topics include models of
learning, development, creativity, problem-solving, intelligence,
character education, motivation, diversity, special populations.
EPSY 5115—Psychology of Adult Learning and Instruction
(3 cr)
Survey of adult learning/instruction. Emphasizes instructional design,
learning theories, experience, individual differences, evaluation,
tests/measurement, technology. Implications for curricular/instructional
design in higher education, continuing education, professional/business
related training.
EPSY 5151—Cooperative Learning
(3 cr)
Participants learn how to use cooperative learning in their
setting. Topics include theory and research, teacher's
role, essential components that make cooperation work,
teaching social skills, assessment procedures, and collegial
teaching teams.
EPSY 5157—Social Psychology of Education
(3 cr; A-F only)
Overview of social psychology and its application to education.
Participants study the major theories, research, and major figures
in field. Class sessions include lectures, discussions, simulations,
role-plays, and experiential exercises.
EPSY 5612—Understanding of Academic Disabilities
(3 cr; A-F only)
Introduction to issues related to the education of students with
academic disabilities (learning disabilities, mild mental intellectual
disabilities, and emotional/behavioral disabilities) including history,
definition, assessment, classification, legislation, and intervention
approaches.
EPSY 8114—Seminar: Cognition and Learning
(3 cr)
Advanced study in critical analysis and application of contemporary
psychological theory and research in cognition and learning for
education.
EPSY 8116—Reading for Meaning: Cognitive
Processes in the Comprehension of Texts
(3 cr)
Students read primary articles on cognitive processes
involved in reading comprehension. Focuses on inference
making during reading and on construction of a coherent
memory representation. Computational models, neurological
processes, developmental/individual differences, effects of
text genre (e.g., expository, narrative).
CPSY 8301—Developmental Psychology: Cognitive Processes
(4.0 cr; prereq Doctoral student or #)
Perceptual, motor, cognitive and language development, and biological
bases of each. Conceptual framework of research issues.
Psy 5014—Psychology of Human Learning and Memory
(3 cr; prereq 3011 or 3051, except honors, grads)
Survey of basic methods and findings of research on human learning,
memory, and cognition. Emphasis on major factors influencing human
encoding or acquisition of information and skill, retention, and
retrieval. Theoretical perspectives on underlying processes of encoding,
retention, and retrieval.
Psy 5015—Cognition, Computation, and Brain
(3 cr; prereq 3051 [except for honors/graduate students])
Human cognitive abilities (perception, memory, attention) from different
perspectives (e.g., cognitive psychological approach, cognitive
neuroscience approach).
IDSC 8711—Cognitive Science
(4.0 cr; prereq Business admin PhD student or #; offered alt yrs)
Empirically based concepts of knowledge and reason, mental representation
and conceptual systems that guide problem solving and decision making.
Computational metaphor of mind drawn from psychology, computer science,
linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy. Implications for understanding
of knowledge work.
Sociological foundations
CI 8461—Sociocultural Theory, Education and
Literacy
(3 cr)
This course focuses on theoretical perspectives that have
informed sociocultural research on education and literacy from
the 1960s to present. Researchers have turned to sociocultural
theories of human development because these theories have
profound implications for how we understand learning. Within a
sociocultural framework, learning is viewed not as primarily a
mental act but as a social act dependent upon interaction among
people and their tools and technologies.
EDPA 5041—Sociology of Education
(3 cr)
Structures and processes within educational institutions; linkages
between educational organizations and their social contexts, particularly
related to educational change.
EDPA 5341—The American Middle School
(3 cr)
Focus on the uniqueness of the early adolescent and appropriate
learning situations. For educators working with middle-level students.
EDPA 5346—Politics of Education
(3 cr; prereq postbac, M.Ed., or grad student; A-F only)
Political dimensions of policy formulation/implementation in education.
Use of power/influence in shaping educational policies and in resolving
conflicts over educational issues. Analysis of consequences/cross-impacts.
SOC 8011—Sociology of Higher Education: Theory and Practice
(3 cr; prereq Grad soc major or #)
Social/political context of teaching. Ethical issues, multiculturalism,
academic freedom. Teaching skills (e.g., lecturing, leading discussions).
Active learning. Evaluating effectiveness of teaching. Opportunity
to develop a syllabus or teaching plan.
Revised November 2008
