Students study problems facing culturally different children. Concepts, problem-solving procedures, and attitudes that aid constructive interaction between culturally different teachers and learners are explored. Students study major philosophical writings, their relation to the roles of students and teachers, and their relation to the aims of schooling. Students develop philosophy positions and research a philosopher of their choice. Findings are presented to the class for discussion and analysis.
Students study the field of cultural anthropology as it relates to contemporary issues in education.
The course focuses on education as a social institution. Students study the myriad relationships between formal systems of education and the dominant characteristics of post-industrial society. Content is derived from current thought and writing in sociology and educational theory and practice. Students study political and educational processes in relation to such problems as state and community development, social identification and political participation, pressure groups, indoctrination, academic freedom, and political change and educational planning. Students examine U.S. educational thought and practice emphasizing developments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.