Lower-Division

Examines history and philosophy of U.S. public education system and its impact on identity formation. Introduces basic frameworks for understanding school and society.

Introduction to educational theory, Plato through Freire. A survey of major ideas and issues in education, ranging from the purposes of education and the organization of knowledge to the nature of teaching, compulsion in schooling, and questions concerning developmental theory, moral education, and aesthetic education. Course enrollment is unrestricted.

A general survey of theories and partial theories of education organized into three recurrent topics: teaching and learning, schooling, and education in society. Each is considered in terms of the partial theories of James, Dewey, and Skinner; cognitive constructivism, particularly the theories of cognitive science; and, finally, an integrated sociocultural theory of education.

Examines the impact on schools and students of social/ethnic status, social class, and gender, with attention to historical, cultural, and psychological variables. An introduction to the theory, research, and reform movements in education in response to our state's and our nation's increasing diversity.