Program Requirements
2024 - 2025 Catalog
We have the following degrees:
Education minor
A minor in education requires completion of at least 18 credits, distributed as follows. In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits that are not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor.
- Required: EDUC 200
- Electives: Three courses totaling at least nine credits chosen from among the following: EDUC 230, 235, 239 (ECON 239), 302, 305, 330, 335, 336, 340, 343, 353, 356, 365, 369 (unless ECON 234 has been taken), 375, 377; and, when appropriate, EDUC 403
- Fieldwork: At least three credits chosen from the following: EDUC 201, 210, 303, 306, 331, 337, 341, 344, 354, 357, 366; and, when appropriate, EDUC 401 or POV 102
- Capstone Experience: EDUC 390 or 464
- Required courses:
- EDUC 200 - Foundations of Education
FDR SS5 Social Science - Group 5 Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to the issues relating to American public education in the 21st century. Students are introduced to information about teaching strategies and school policy upon which future courses can build. Emphasis is given to school efforts to create environments which promote equity and excellence within a multicultural system. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia.
- Electives: Three courses totaling at least nine credits chosen from among the following:
- EDUC 230 - Educating Citizens for Democracy
FDR SS5 Social Science - Group 5 Distribution Credits 3 Students study the relationship between education and democracy by critically examining various theories of democracy, competing conceptions of citizenship, and its implications for formal education. Specifically, students investigate the actual and possible roles for citizens in a democracy and the function of education in reproducing, altering, or challenging these roles. Students analyze and evaluate historic and philosophical texts, educational research, and conduct a narrative inquiry project to help draw conclusions about the best practices and policies for educating citizens for democracy.
- EDUC 235 - Educating for Global Citizenship: Policies and Practices in the US and Italy
FDR SS5 Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent An examination of global citizenship education--its development, characteristics, and outcomes--in Italy and the United States. Beginning with study and fieldwork in Lexington, students then travel to Italy to study in the Tuscany Region, including immersion in the schools of Castiglion Fiorentino where they critically analyze sociopolitical contexts of schooling while developing and implementing educational programming on global citizenship, with opportunities for further cultural travels around Italy. As a culminating experience, students connect US and Italian students using digital communication technologies. Throughout the term, students read and evaluate a variety of texts on the politics and economics of globalization, global citizenship education, education policy, and curriculum theory.
- EDUC 239 - Exploring Childhood in Scandinavia: Comparing Policies and Practices to the U.S.
(ECON 239)
Credits 4 Prerequisite ECON 101 An exploration of childhood in Scandinavia and the United States. Students spend one week in the U.S. and three weeks in Denmark, Sweden, and/or Finland. Students have experiences inside schools, daycare facilities, and preschools in both economically advantaged and disadvantaged areas and speak with administrators and policymakers. With additional readings focusing on education policy and broader family policy in each country, students engage in discussions and reflections on the relative strengths and weaknesses of policies in each country.
- EDUC 302 - Teaching the Exceptional Learner
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent This course addresses education for exceptional individuals by examining the key issues surrounding instruction for children and adolescents with disabilities or special talents. Students study the identification, etiology, and incidence of exceptionality. Through case-study review and individual research projects, students investigate the educational, social, and cultural dimensions of life in American society for exceptional individuals.
- EDUC 305 - Teaching Elementary Reading
Credits 3 Prerequisite EDUC 200 Corequisite EDUC 306 - Practicum: Teaching Elementary Reading This course prepares students to teach reading in the elementary classroom. Participants will develop an understanding of the reading process, consider theories of reading instruction, examine current research in reading development and investigate elements of a balanced literacy program. Strategies for teaching word study, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and spelling will be studied for each developmental reading stage. Students will also examine formal and informal diagnostic techniques and instructional procedures for dealing with various types of reading difficulties.
- EDUC 330 - Elementary and General Music Methods
Credits 3 This course includes methodologies for teaching music in the classroom (Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze approaches), computer applications. music textbooks. and classroom materials for music education in the elementary and general music classroom. This course also includes the study of learning theories appropriate to elementary-aged music students combined with applications in practical lesson plans.
- EDUC 335 - Secondary Vocal Music Methods
Credits 3 Prerequisite Instructor consent Taught in rotation at Washington and Lee and Southern Virginia University. Secondary Vocal Music Methods focuses on techniques, ensemble pedagogy, classroom management, literature,and other skills necessary to become an effective conductor/teacher. Students will be exposed to the RTEC Framework for Teaching which will be used for evaluation purposes. Students intending to pursue teacher licensure should also enroll in EDUC 337 in the same term.
- EDUC 336 - Secondary Instrument Music Methods
Credits 3 Corequisite EDUC 337 - Practicum: Secondary Music This course includes methodologies for teaching instrumental music in the secondary classroom environment. Emphasis is placed on the music selection process, the day-to-day administration of a secondary instrumental music program, learning theories applicable to secondary students, and current research in the field of secondary instrumental music education.
- EDUC 340 - Elementary Language Arts and Social Studies Methods
Credits 3 Prerequisite EDUC 200 Corequisite EDUC 341 - Elementary Language Arts & Social Studies Methods This course prepares students to teach language arts and social studies in the elementary classroom. Participants develop an understanding of the theories of language arts and social studies instruction and examine current research in language arts and social studies instruction. Students learn strategies for direct instruction and group learning to meet the needs of learners at different stages of development. Students also learn how to plan and prepare lessons while managing the learning environment of the classroom.
- EDUC 343 - Elementary Math and Science Methods
Credits 3 Prerequisite EDUC 200 Corequisite EDUC 344 - Practicum: Elementary Math and Science Methods This course prepares students to teach mathematics and science in the elementary classroom. Participants develop an understanding of the theories of mathematics and science instruction and examine current research in inquiry-based mathematics and science instruction. Students learn strategies for direct instruction and group learning to meet the needs of learners at different stages of development. Students also learn how to plan and prepare lessons while managing the learning environment of the math and science classroom.
- EDUC 353 - Middle and Secondary Content Area Reading and Writing
Credits 3 Prerequisite EDUC 200 Corequisite EDUC 354 - Secondary Content Area Reading & Writing Practicum In this course, students examine research on adolescent literacy and study instructional strategies for secondary content area subjects. Students examine how literacy can be developed through specific strategies in the content area classroom. Specifically, the course highlights methods for incorporating reading and writing across the curriculum through content-based reading and writing activities, questioning and discussion techniques, vocabulary exercises, and research-based study techniques. In addition, students examine ways to integrate the arts across all content areas to foster student comprehension and critical thinking.
- EDUC 356 - Methods for Middle and Secondary Education
Credits 3 Prerequisite EDUC 200 Corequisite EDUC 357 - Methods for Middle & Secondary Education Practicum In this course, participants develop an understanding of theories of instruction and examine current research in secondary instruction. Students learn strategies for direct instruction and group learning to meet the needs of learners at different stages of development. Students also learn how to plan and prepare lessons while managing the learning environment of the classroom.
- EDUC 365 - Methods for World Language
Credits 3 This course prepares students to teach world languages in elementary and secondary classrooms, including English as a Second Language. Participants develop an understanding of theories of world-language pedagogy and examine current research in world-language instruction. Students learn strategies for direct instruction and group learning to meet the needs of learners at different stages of development. Students also learn how to plan and prepare lessons while managing the learning environment of the classroom.
- EDUC 369 - Urban Education and Poverty
Credits 4 Prerequisite EDUC 200, EDUC 210, ECON 236, POV 101, or any Education course numbered between 300 and 399 Same as ECON 234. In this course, students explore pedagogy, curriculum, and social issues related to urban education by working in schools in the Richmond area for three weeks. Students read about and discuss the broader social and economic forces, particularly poverty, that have shaped urban schools and the ramifications of those forces for school design. The Richmond schools provide the opportunity to observe critical components of teaching and learning in the urban classroom. Housing is provided with alumni during the week. Students return to Lexington for Friday seminars and for the fourth week of the term for seminars and discussion.
(unless ECON 234 has been taken)
and, when appropriate
- EDUC 403 - Directed Individual Study
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Students investigate current issues in education through research and work in the field and have opportunities to put educational theory into practice in elementary and secondary school settings. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- Fieldwork: At least three credits chosen from the following:
- EDUC 201 - Practicum: Foundation of Education
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 200 - Foundations of Education This practicum is designed to provide an experience observing and participating in a primary or secondary classroom. Additionally, a forum is provided for discussion of issues in education such as classroom management, differentiation, standardized curriculum and more. With these topics in mind, students challenge and refine beliefs as they spend time in a classroom. Working closely with a supervising teacher is invaluable to meeting the goals of this course. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 24 hours of fieldwork during the term.
- EDUC 210 - Fieldwork in Education
Credits 1-3 Prerequisite instructor consent This course provides students an opportunity to observe, assist, or tutor in a local educational setting. It is intended for those students who wish to explore education as a profession or who are interested in post-graduate programs and jobs in education and education policy.
- EDUC 303 - Practicum: The Exceptional Learner
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 302 - Teaching the Exceptional Learner This practicum reinforces the content of EDUC 302 by providing students with an opportunity to explore special education in the field through observing and assisting in inclusive classrooms and special classes. Students also study the relationship between general-education and special-education teachers.
- EDUC 306 - Practicum: Teaching Elementary Reading
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 305 - Teaching Elementary Reading This practicum course accompanies Education 305, and provides students with the opportunity to observe and practice reading methods used in elementary education.
- EDUC 331 - Practicum: Elementary and General Music Methods
Credits 1-2 An introduction to the teacher's role in instructional settings. Class sessions focus on techniques for observing and recording classroom behavior, relationships between the teaching of reading and the teaching of music, and planning music instruction. Students must complete a placement on both the elementary and the secondary level. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 30 hours of fieldwork during the term.
- EDUC 337 - Practicum: Secondary Music
Credits 1-2 This fieldwork placement permits students to work in the schools to observe and practice instructional techniques covered in EDUC 335 and EDUC 336.
- EDUC 341 - Practicum: Elementary Language Arts and Social Studies Methods
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 340 - Elementary Language Arts & Social Studies Methods This practicum reinforces the content of EDUC 340. This observation and participation in area schools gives the students the opportunity to carry out instructional techniques and examine language arts and social studies instruction in an authentic environment.
- EDUC 354 - Practicum: Secondary Content Area Reading and Writing
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 353 - Middle & Secondary Content Area Reading & Writing This practicum reinforces the content of EDUC 353 and provides students with an opportunity to teach several lessons they have designed. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 30 hours of fieldwork during the term. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
- EDUC 357 - Practicum: Methods for Middle and Secondary Education
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 356 - Methods for Middle and Secondary Education This practicum reinforces the content of EDUC 356. It provides students with an opportunity to observe and participate in secondary school instruction in an authentic environment. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 30 hours of fieldwork during the term. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
- EDUC 366 - Practicum: Methods for World Language
Credits 1-2 This practicum reinforces the content of EDUC 365. It provides students with an opportunity to observe and participate in world-languages instruction in an authentic environment. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 30 hours of fieldwork during the term. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. May be taken for a second credit if a different placement is completed.
and, when appropriate,
- EDUC 401 - Directed Individual Study
Credits 1 Prerequisite instructor consent Students investigate current issues in education through research and work in the field and have opportunities to put educational theory into practice in elementary and secondary school settings.
- POV 102 - Introduction to Community-Based Poverty Studies
Credits 1 Prerequisite POV 101 Sustained critical reflection on pivotal issues in poverty studies based on supervised volunteer work, journals, and weekly discussions and papers related to the readings in 101.
- Capstone Experience: EDUC 390 or 464
- EDUC 390 - Education Studies Capstone
Credits 3 The capstone course in Education Studies centers around the creation and implementation of an authentic project in curriculum, instruction, or education policy. The capstone project is the culminating experience for all Education minors (Education or Education Policy) that are not seeking teacher licensure. (Students seeking teacher licensure will complete the specific course requirements for licensure, including a term of directed-teaching and the directed-teaching CAP or Cumulative Assessment Portfolio). The Education Studies Capstone is an opportunity to apply the interests, knowledge, and skills students have developed during their studies at W&L to complete an original project in education or education policy.
- EDUC 464A - Directed Teaching: Pre-K to 12
Credits 14 Prerequisite instructor consent Corequisite EDUC 451A - Directed Teaching Seminar: Pre-K to 12 This directed-teaching experience is designed for students seeking licensure in the area of Pre-Kindergarten-to-12 education. Students participate in designated field settings for a minimum of 12 weeks. Specific activities are conducted within these settings to demonstrate competencies necessary for licensure. On-site supervision is provided to the student at least four times during the term of the placement. Pre-K-12 students must complete two seven-week placements; three observations per placement are completed for their directed teaching experience. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
- EDUC 464E - Directed Teaching: Elementary
Credits 14 Prerequisite instructor consent Corequisite EDUC 451E - Directed Teaching Seminar: Elementary This directed-teaching experience is designed for students seeking licensure in the area of Pre-Kindergarten-to-12 education. Students participate in designated field settings for a minimum of 12 weeks. Specific activities are conducted within these settings to demonstrate competencies necessary for licensure. On-site supervision is provided to the student at least four times during the term of the placement. Pre-K-12 students must complete two seven-week placements; three observations per placement are completed for their directed teaching experience. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
- EDUC 464S - Directed Teaching: Middle and Secondary
Credits 14 Prerequisite instructor consent Corequisite EDUC 451S - Directed Teaching Seminar: Middle and Secondary This directed-teaching experience is designed for students seeking licensure in the area of Pre-Kindergarten-to-12 education. Students participate in designated field settings for a minimum of 12 weeks. Specific activities are conducted within these settings to demonstrate competencies necessary for licensure. On-site supervision is provided to the student at least four times during the term of the placement. Pre-K-12 students must complete two seven-week placements; three observations per placement are completed for their directed teaching experience. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
Education Policy minor
A minor in education policy requires completion of at least 18 credits, distributed as follows. In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits that are not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor.
- Required: EDUC 200
- Quantitative Literacy: One course chosen from BIOL 201, CBSC 250, DCI 202, ECON 202, POL 202, MATH 118, SOAN 218, SOAN 222
- Policy Analysis & Formation: Two courses chosen from: CBSC 235; ECON 222, 235, 236, 239 (EDUC 239), 250; EDUC 230, 235, 403; POL 203, 232; POV 232
- Fieldwork: Fieldwork: Three credits chosen from the following: EDUC 201, 210, 235, 239
- Required Capstone: EDUC 390
- Required:
- EDUC 200 - Foundations of Education
FDR SS5 Social Science - Group 5 Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to the issues relating to American public education in the 21st century. Students are introduced to information about teaching strategies and school policy upon which future courses can build. Emphasis is given to school efforts to create environments which promote equity and excellence within a multicultural system. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia.
- Quantitative Literacy:
- BIOL 201 - Statistics for Biology and Medicine
Credits 3 Prerequisite BIOL 111, 113, and either a Biology major, Neuroscience major, or Data Science minor This course examines the principles of statistics and experimental design for biological and medical research. The focus is on the practical and conceptual aspects of statistics, rather than mathematical derivations. Students completing this class will be able to read and understand research papers, to design realistic experiments, and to carry out their own statistical analyses using computer packages.
- CBSC 250 - Statistics and Research Design
Credits 4 Prerequisite any CBSC course and at least sophomore class standing Students learn about the design and analysis of psychological research, with particular emphasis on experimentation. Students learn statistical inference appropriate for hypothesis testing, and they use standard statistical packages to analyze data. Laboratory course.
- ECON 202 - Data Analytics for Economics
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, 180, 180A, or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Fundamentals of probability, statistics, estimation, and hypothesis testing and ending with an introduction to regression analysis. The topics are critical for success in upper-level economics electives and are important for careers that rely on empirical research in the social sciences. Students engage in a dialogue between theory and application and learn to think formally about data, uncertainty, and random processes, while learning hands-on methods to organize and analyze real data using modern statistical software. Not open to students with credit for BUS 202 or POL/INTR 202.
- POL 202 - Applied Statistics
Credits 3 Not open to students with credit for BUS 202, ECON 202, INTR 202, CBSC 250, or MATH 118. An examination of the principal applications of statistics to allow students to develop a working knowledge and understanding of applied statistics in the social sciences (politics, sociology, and economics), and accounting and business. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis.
- MATH 118 - Introduction to Statistics
FDR FM Math and Computer Science Foundation Credits 3 Elementary probability and counting. Mean and variance of discrete and continuous random variables. Central Limit Theorem. Confidence intervals and hypothesis tests concerning parameters of one or two normal populations.
- SOAN 218 - Basic Statistics in the Social Sciences
Credits 3 Introductory statistics course designed to help students become good consumers of statistics, but especially geared for students interested in sociology, archeology, and anthropology. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, sampling, and regression analysis. Students also get practical experience with cleaning and analyzing real world secondary data.
- SOAN 222 - Data Science Tools for Social Policy
FDR SC Science, Math, CS Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite One of the following: BIOL 201, CBSC 250, DCI 202, ECON 202, POL/INTR 202, MATH 310, SOAN 218, or SOAN 219; or instructor consent Students learn about how we think about and estimate causal effects, and practice important contemporary techniques with real data, culminating in reports analyzing the effects of a policy intervention of their choice. All work will be done in R. No previous experience with R is required, but some basic previous exposure to linear regression will be helpful.
- Policy Analysis & Formation:
- ECON 236 - Economics of Education
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, 180, 180A, or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Investigation of the role of education on outcomes for both nations and individuals. Understanding of the factors in the education production function. Emphasis on the challenges of pre-K-12 education in the United States; secondary coverage of postsecondary education. Analysis of the effect of existing policies and potential reforms on the achievement and opportunities available to poor and minority students.
- ECON 250 - Public Finance and Public Policy
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A; or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Public choices and the public economy. An inquiry into how the references of individuals and groups are translated into public sector economic activity. The nature of public activity and public choice institutions. The question of social balance. The effects of government expenditures and taxes on the economic behavior of individuals and firms.
- ECON 239 - Exploring Childhood in Scandinavia: Comparing Policies and Practices to the U.S.
(EDUC 239)
Credits 4 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A Same as EDUC 239. An exploration of childhood in Scandinavia and the United States. Students spend one week in the U.S. and three weeks in Denmark, Sweden, and/or Finland. Students have experiences inside schools, daycare facilities, and preschools in both economically advantaged and disadvantaged areas and speak with administrators and policymakers. With additional readings focusing on education policy and broader family policy in each country, students engage in discussions and reflections on the relative strengths and weaknesses of policies in each country. Study Abroad Course.
- ECON 235 - The Economics of Social Issues
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A This seminar is based on readings that set out hypotheses developed by economists and other social scientists regarding the causes and consequences of a wide range of social problems. Evidence examining the validity of these hypotheses is scrutinized and evaluated. The course is writing intensive and interdisciplinary since readings are drawn from a wide variety of fields. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, poverty, education, health, crime, race, ethnicity, immigration, and fiscal matters.
- ECON 222 - Current Public Policy Debates
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A The course is an applied public finance and policy course that focuses on current policy debates. While the topics are updated with each offering, students in this course examine options for replacing the Affordable Care Act, analyze whether the country should adopt a universal voucher program for K-12, discuss containing the cost of college, and explore options for securing the long-term financial stability of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. We use economic theory to frame the each of the policy questions. Students conduct additional research on each of the topics, debate topics, and author policy opinion papers.
- EDUC 230 - Educating Citizens for Democracy
FDR SS5 Social Science - Group 5 Distribution Credits 3 Students study the relationship between education and democracy by critically examining various theories of democracy, competing conceptions of citizenship, and its implications for formal education. Specifically, students investigate the actual and possible roles for citizens in a democracy and the function of education in reproducing, altering, or challenging these roles. Students analyze and evaluate historic and philosophical texts, educational research, and conduct a narrative inquiry project to help draw conclusions about the best practices and policies for educating citizens for democracy.
- EDUC 235 - Educating for Global Citizenship: Policies and Practices in the US and Italy
FDR SS5 Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent An examination of global citizenship education--its development, characteristics, and outcomes--in Italy and the United States. Beginning with study and fieldwork in Lexington, students then travel to Italy to study in the Tuscany Region, including immersion in the schools of Castiglion Fiorentino where they critically analyze sociopolitical contexts of schooling while developing and implementing educational programming on global citizenship, with opportunities for further cultural travels around Italy. As a culminating experience, students connect US and Italian students using digital communication technologies. Throughout the term, students read and evaluate a variety of texts on the politics and economics of globalization, global citizenship education, education policy, and curriculum theory.
- EDUC 403 - Directed Individual Study
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Students investigate current issues in education through research and work in the field and have opportunities to put educational theory into practice in elementary and secondary school settings. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- POL 232 - Public Policy
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 100 Introduction to public policy formation and implementation, decision making in government, the concepts and techniques of policy analysis, and ethical analysis of policy. Policy issues such as education, immigration, and public health are used as illustrations.
- POL 203 - State and Local Government
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite at least sophomore class standing An introduction to the structures and functions of United States subnational governments, with particular emphasis on the policy-making process and on the relationships between policy makers and the public. Computer-assisted analysis of survey-research data is included.
- POV 232 - Race, Class, and Education Policy
FDR SS4 Credits 3 Prerequisite POV 101 or EDUC 200 The course is an interdisciplinary examination of education policy questions that are of particular importance to understanding and addressing barriers to equitable opportunity for historically disadvantaged groups. The course focuses primarily on barriers for those in the United States who experience poverty as well as the distinct experiences of Black, Latino/a, and Native American peoples. Drawing on perspectives from experts in disciplines such as economics, sociology, education, and demography, the course examines issues in K-12 and post-secondary education. Through discussion, written assignments, and oral presentations, the course will promote further development of your ability to analyze and critique apply policy analysis to public policy debates.
- Fieldwork:
- EDUC 201 - Practicum: Foundation of Education
Credits 1 Corequisite EDUC 200 - Foundations of Education This practicum is designed to provide an experience observing and participating in a primary or secondary classroom. Additionally, a forum is provided for discussion of issues in education such as classroom management, differentiation, standardized curriculum and more. With these topics in mind, students challenge and refine beliefs as they spend time in a classroom. Working closely with a supervising teacher is invaluable to meeting the goals of this course. To meet the course requirements, students must complete 24 hours of fieldwork during the term.
- EDUC 210 - Fieldwork in Education
Credits 1-3 Prerequisite instructor consent This course provides students an opportunity to observe, assist, or tutor in a local educational setting. It is intended for those students who wish to explore education as a profession or who are interested in post-graduate programs and jobs in education and education policy.
- EDUC 235 - Educating for Global Citizenship: Policies and Practices in the US and Italy
FDR SS5 Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent An examination of global citizenship education--its development, characteristics, and outcomes--in Italy and the United States. Beginning with study and fieldwork in Lexington, students then travel to Italy to study in the Tuscany Region, including immersion in the schools of Castiglion Fiorentino where they critically analyze sociopolitical contexts of schooling while developing and implementing educational programming on global citizenship, with opportunities for further cultural travels around Italy. As a culminating experience, students connect US and Italian students using digital communication technologies. Throughout the term, students read and evaluate a variety of texts on the politics and economics of globalization, global citizenship education, education policy, and curriculum theory.
- EDUC 239 - Exploring Childhood in Scandinavia: Comparing Policies and Practices to the U.S.
Credits 4 Prerequisite ECON 101 An exploration of childhood in Scandinavia and the United States. Students spend one week in the U.S. and three weeks in Denmark, Sweden, and/or Finland. Students have experiences inside schools, daycare facilities, and preschools in both economically advantaged and disadvantaged areas and speak with administrators and policymakers. With additional readings focusing on education policy and broader family policy in each country, students engage in discussions and reflections on the relative strengths and weaknesses of policies in each country.
- Required Capstone:
- EDUC 390 - Education Studies Capstone
Credits 3 The capstone course in Education Studies centers around the creation and implementation of an authentic project in curriculum, instruction, or education policy. The capstone project is the culminating experience for all Education minors (Education or Education Policy) that are not seeking teacher licensure. (Students seeking teacher licensure will complete the specific course requirements for licensure, including a term of directed-teaching and the directed-teaching CAP or Cumulative Assessment Portfolio). The Education Studies Capstone is an opportunity to apply the interests, knowledge, and skills students have developed during their studies at W&L to complete an original project in education or education policy.
One course chosen from:
Two courses chosen from:
Three credits chosen from the following: