An interdisciplinary analysis of thinking, the central process of education. Topics studied include psychological, logical and semantic aspects of thought. Emphasis upon the societal and cultural conditions in which the ideas emerged, and the relevance of these ideas to contemporary educational policy concerns. Emphasis on schools as formal organizations and education in a changing, technologically oriented and stratified society. Questions of theory, method, and application examined.
Students plan and implement a study under faculty supervision.
May be repeated to a maximum of six credits. An analysis of the cultural role and function of educational institutions and processes. Topics considered include schooling as cultural transmission, the community context of education, cross-national studies of schools, and implications of anthropological approaches for teacher training. The course examines the relationships between gender and education in U.S. society. The focus will be on the formation and enactment of gender within social and educational institutions.