Major
10 courses
Core Courses
120 or 130
140
250
260
470
Internship for transcript notation: extensive field work in a setting related to education such as schools, child care centers, museums and policy centers.
Concentration in Teaching and Learning
300
Two electives from the following: 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 391
Two courses in one other department related to the concentration and approved by the Educational Studies advisor.
Concentration in Education and Society
310
Two electives from the following: 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 391
Two courses in one other department related to the concentration and approved by the Educational Studies advisor.
Minor
Five courses
120 or 130
140
250
260 (if not a Social Science major)
One 300-level EDST course (two 300-level if EDST 260 is not taken)
Student Organizations
Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education, was founded in 1911 and is one of the oldest discipline-specific honor societies in the United States. Dickinson received a charter to establish the Alpha Beta Rho chapter of KDP in 2004 and has maintained an active presence on the Dickinson campus and in the Carlisle community ever since. In addition to hosting lectures and panel discussions on important educational issues, the Dickinson KDP chapter supports education in the local community by sponsoring an annual Literacy Alive program and women's history essay contest as well as providing tutoring in an after-school homework program.
Educational Studies majors and minors are eligible for membership in Kappa Delta Pi after they have completed at least eight Dickinson courses and have declared their education major or minor. Admission to Kappa Delta Pi will be based on academic grade point average and service to the education profession.
Suggested curricular flow through the major
First Year:
EDST 120 (spring only) or 130 (fall only) and 140
Second Year:
EDST 250 and 260 plus two non-departmental electives
Third Year:
EDST 300 or 310 (both fall only)
Fourth Year:
Two EDST 300-level electives and 470
Opportunities for off-campus study
Educational Studies majors are encouraged to study abroad, taking coursework that informs them of the education systems in the countries in which they are studying and to seek out internships in education that might include both school and non-school settings (such as museums). Through the Center for Global Study and Engagement at Dickinson, the department has identified the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen as the primary study abroad site for our students. Appropriate coursework taken at DIS-Copenhagen will transfer toward the Educational Studies elective requirements.
Co-curricular activities/programs
Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education, was founded in 1911 and is one of the oldest discipline-specific honor societies in the United States.
Educational Studies majors and minors are eligible for membership in Dickinson's chapter of Kappa Delta Pi after they have completed at least eight Dickinson courses and have declared their Educational Studies major or minor. In accordance with the Kappa Delta Pi bylaws, eligibility is based on academic grade point average and education-related service.
For more information, see the Student Organizations section of the Academic Bulletin.
Courses
120 Contemporary Issues in American Education
An examination of current policies, practices, and problems in the landscape of American education with particular attention to the perspectives of various stakeholders (e.g. teachers, students, families, community leaders, employers, and elected officials). U.S. diversity with respect to race, class, gender, language, and exceptionality is considered within a variety of educational contexts. The course also examines the ways in which educational issues and reform efforts intersect with social, economic, political, and cultural forces.
Attributes: AMST Struct & Instit Elective, Appropriate for First-Year, Social Sciences, US Diversity
130 History of American Education
An examination of the evolution in the purposes, structures, and methodologies of formal and informal education in the United States from the colonial period to the present with particular attention to how marginalized groups have been educated. The course situates educational history within the broader context of social, political, and economic developments in the U.S. and considers ways in which education has been used to meet societal goals.
Attributes: AMST Struct & Instit Elective, Appropriate for First-Year, Social Sciences, US Diversity
140 Educational Psychology
An examination of physical, cognitive, and psychological developmental theories and research as well as theories of learning. The course includes theoretical perspectives on: age-stage characteristics, exceptionality, achievement versus aptitude, as well as how developmental, sociocultural, and motivational factors influence student learning in classroom contexts.
Attributes: Appropriate for First-Year, Social Sciences
250 Curriculum Theory
An examination of how the curriculum of educational institutions is shaped as well as how curriculum serves as a shaping force for educational institutions. This includes an examination of various conceptions of curriculum and of knowledge as well as curriculum ideologies and structures. Finally, the course examines how diverse student populations may experience the curriculum.
Prerequisites: 120 or 130, and 140.
260 Introduction to Educational Research
An introduction to the purposes and methodologies of research in education including how various stakeholders in the educational community use and access research findings as well as how studies in education are designed, implemented, and disseminated. Quantitative, qualitative, and historical methodologies are addressed. Research processes are introduced around the topic of literacy. Students will develop a review of the research literature on a topic related to literacy using online catalogs, databases, and other open access resources to find and gather sources and digital publications formats to disseminate their reviews.
Prerequisite: 140.
Attributes: Writing in the Discipline
300 Models of Instruction and Assessment
An introduction to instructional planning and assessment with a particular emphasis on meeting the needs of diverse learners. Primary activities of the course include designing and implementing lesson plans, designing assessment instruments, and designing an integrated unit of instruction. Students will learn to effectively use presentation technologies as well as instructional software and new media to enhance their instruction.
Prerequisites: 140, and 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
310 Policies Shaping American Education
An examination of the policies that have shaped and continue to shape American Education within the broader context of American educational reform movements. Particular policy(ies) of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor. The course might include an in-depth examination of a particular policy such as school funding. Or, it might examine several policies around a broader concept such as inclusion which could include desegregation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Title IX, and policies related to English Language Learners.
Prerequisites: 120 or 130, and 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
Attributes: AMST Struct & Instit Elective
320 Race and Education
An examination of the historical, sociological, political, and legal issues related to race and education in the United States. Particular issues of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor and might include theoretical perspectives on race in education, school segregation, representation of racial groups in curriculum, the roles and experiences of teachers of color, connections between policy initiatives and race, student achievement and college access, and the educational experiences of specific racial groups.
Prerequisite: 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
330 Gender and Education
An examination of the historical, sociological, political, and legal issues related to gender and education in the United States. Particular issues of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor and might include theoretical perspectives on gender in education, single-sex vs. coeducational schooling, representation of gender in curriculum, the feminization of the teaching profession, gender equity and policy initiatives such as Title IX, and student achievement and college access.
Prerequisite: 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
340 Immigration and Education
An examination of the historical, sociological, political, and legal issues related to immigration and education in the United States. Particular issues of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor and might include patterns of immigration, theories on immigrant assimilation, the relationship between culture and education, perspectives on citizenship and their impact on immigrant education, and related legislation, funding, and policy.
Prerequisite: 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
350 Urban Education
An examination of critical issues in educating students in an urban setting. Particular issues of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor and might include race, poverty, student motivation and teacher practice, the community as a source of curriculum, school-to-work programs, educating language minority students, restructuring large urban schools, educational funding and educational policy.
Prerequisite: EDUC 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
Attributes: AMST Struct & Instit Elective
360 Rural Education
An examination of critical issues in educating students in a rural setting. Particular issues of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor and might include race, poverty, the centrality of schools in rural communities, place-based learning, farm to college initiatives, educating indigenous populations, educational funding and educational policy.
Prerequisite: 260 or Social Science Research (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
370 Education and Emerging Technologies
An examination of the role of emerging technologies in American education. Particular issues of focus each semester will be selected by the instructor and might include the capabilities and limitations of contemporary technological tools, how technological tools, particularly new media, can be used to enhance teaching and learning in diverse educational settings, trends in and variations of e-learning, and perspectives on digital etiquette, ethical reasoning, legal guidelines, and institutional policies related to technology use in educational settings.
Prerequisite: 260 or Social Science Research Methods (AFST 200, AMST 202, ANTH 240, ANTH 241, EASN 310, ECON 228, LAWP 228, PMGT 228, POSC 239, PSYC 211, SOCI 240, SOCI 244, or WGSS 200), or permission of instructor.
391 Topics in Education
An examination of topics related to education but not addressed in depth in other courses within the Educational Studies program. Topics will vary based on the expertise of the instructor and may include those offered by faculty from other disciplines that intersect with education.
Attributes: Social Sciences
470 Senior Seminar
The design and implementation of a study in an individual area of interest within the major concentration culminating in the writing of a conference paper or publishable article. Students will develop a review of the related research literature on their chosen topic using on-line catalogs, databases and other open access resources to access sources, gather data related to their topic employing quantitative, qualitative, and/or historiographic methodologies enhanced by electronic devices as appropriate, analyze their data using digital software as appropriate, write a conference paper or publishable article, electronically submit their conference proposals/articles, and disseminate their work via conference, digital, or paper publication formats.
Prerequisites: 120 or 130, and 140, 250, 260, 300 or 310.