Social Foundations of Education

Catalog description

In this module, you will have the opportunity to scrutinize the ethical, political, and philosophical principles underlying our educational practices. In the first session we will consider competing visions of the goals and aims of education. We will then explore various proposals for the scope and content of schooling in a democratic and multicultural society, and some of the challenges that arise therein. We will conclude with normative frameworks and conceptual resources that will enable you to translate abstract and philosophical thinking into effective and thoughtful action. Throughout the course you will learn how to read historical and contemporary works of scholarship with analytical precision, how to distill complex ideas for a wider and non-specialist audience, and how to reason thoughtfully with others about ethically and politically contested issues.