Curriculum Foundations

Catalog description

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, historical, psychological, and social foundations that affect the school curriculum. The course calls attention to the global and multicultural perspective in education. It involves the study of the implications and applications of these curricular foundations in the form of issues and theoretical trends that shape the field of curriculum. Participation in the course activities allows candidates to identify and analyze their personal values, beliefs, and perspectives, as well as theories and research which shape their own professional practice as educations within diverse educational settings with children. By the end of the course, participants will be able to 1) develop and demonstrate understanding of how major foundations (disciplines) shape the curriculum of schooling, including philosophy, history, politics/policy, social psychology, and cultural studies; 2) consider and critique selected educational issues, both past and present, examining how they are anchored in and influenced by the foundations of curriculum; 3) investigate how social, economic, cultural, and political/policy debates and representations in the public sphere help to shape the foundations of curriculum; 4) engage in critical inquiry regarding the future roles of teachers, students, and other stakeholders in the learning community and society at large, and exercise the faculty of imagination as a means of thinking "outside the box" for educational purposes; 5) demonstrate professional scholarly attitudes, skills, and dispositions, including critical analysis and constructive use of questioning; scholarly use of research; dedication to continuous learning; positive group interaction and participatory collaboration; and reflective envisioning and enacting of curricular reform; 6) examine issues of race/ethnicity, linguistic variation, social class, gender, and sexual orientation and their relationships to the curriculum and schooling; and 7) demonstrate a professional scholarly writing style with a practical focus sharpened by theoretical awareness, using the APA Writing Manual as a style guide.