SOCIAL BASES:2

       SOCIAL BASES OF EDUCATION

                          Equip yourself to interpret these issues, both critically and constructively, by studying the various dimensions of our field, including:

• History of education.  Trace the origins of current educational beliefs and practices.

• Philosophy of education.  Question your assumptions the nature of knowledge and the purposes of education.  Think critically about what it means to be “educated,” to “learn,” and to “teach.”

• Sociology and Anthropology of education.  Recognize that schools are products of society, and that American schools, as products of a democratic society, represent the degree to which our social, political, economic and cultural traditions are successful or just.

• Comparative education.  Explore similarities and differences among educational systems and practices across societies and regions because of distinct cultural, political, historical, economic and religious traditions.

These branches of Schools, Society, & Culture overlap in multiple ways.  Taken together, they remind us that cultural contexts and societal priorities shape schools and vice versa. Our graduate programs offer students a thorough grounding in these areas to equip them for rapidly changing conditions in their educational careers – as teachers, scholars, school leaders & policymakers, and ultimately, as citizens.