Education Studies Major
Major Description
The Education Studies Major is designed to help students acquire a deeper understanding of education and its relationship to society. Through a range of courses across the curriculum, students look critically and analytically at educational institutions, practices, and thinking, from early childhood through adulthood, using local, national, and global lenses. Foundation courses provide a theoretical background on philosophy, history, and psychology of education. Further requirements empower students with the knowledge, tools, and skills for analyzing different aspects of education, on topics such as human development and cognition, pedagogy and curriculum, and sociocultural approaches to the study of education. Students complete a methods course relevant to education studies as well as a practicum experience to gain hands-on experience complementing their academic work.
Admission to the Major
Students intending to major in Education Studies should simultaneously submit a major request through their WesPortal. It is best to do this as early as possible so that you can receive emails and updates about the major that will help you with academic planning. Students who declare at the canonical time (spring of sophomore year) should simultaneously enroll in EDST101 , the Sophomore Gateway Course, which will be taught in the second half of spring term (4th quarter) every year.
Education Studies is a linked major. It can only be declared and completed in addition to a primary major. There are no restrictions on the choice of a primary major. Students are encouraged to declare the Education Studies Linked Major in the spring of the sophomore year. Late declarations of the Major will be accepted through the spring of the junior year.
Major Requirements
Students must take a minimum of 10 credits plus a practicum experience equivalent to at least .5 credit. Some courses can count toward different requirements, but students need to choose which requirement is being fulfilled by which course: an individual student cannot use the same course to fulfill multiple requirements toward the Major.
The courses may be completed in any order consistent with their prerequisites.
Students can use the same course to fulfill requirements in two academic programs (for example, a cross-listed course in ITAL and EDST could count toward both the EDST Minor and the ITST Major) if that is acceptable to the other department.
These are the requirements for the Major in Education Studies:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Cohort Courses | ||
EDST101 | Introduction to Education Studies | 0.5 |
EDST301 | Senior Seminar in Education Studies | 1 |
Foundations Course | 1 | |
Breadth Requirement | ||
Category 1: Cognition, Development, & Science of Learning | 1 | |
Category 2: Social & Structural Analyses of Education | 1 | |
Category 3: Research Methods & Data Analysis | 1 | |
Foundations Electives | 3 | |
Broader Contexts | 1 | |
Pedagogy | .5 | |
Practicum | .5 | |
Total Hours | 10.5 |
Course Petitions
Students can always petition to substitute a different course to meet any Education Studies requirements by completing this petition form. The petition form asks students to justify the substitution and, for non-Wesleyan courses, to upload a syllabus or other supporting information. Students will be notified if their petition requests are approved. Once approved, they can request the override in their Minor or Major Certification page in WesPortal.
Course Lists and Archive
The following course list is a representative, but not comprehensive, list of courses that may count towards the Education Studies Major. This list is intended to provide an example of the types of courses that fall into each Category. For all current Education Studies courses and a comprehensive archive of all courses ever offered by the College, click the link above.
Courses that have specific prerequisites that must first be completed are indicated with an asterisk.
Cohort Courses
Students must take two courses, one just after declaring the Major and one in the fall of senior year, that will (1) function to build a cohort in the College of Education Studies, (2) help students make sense of the interdisciplinary contributions to Education Studies, and (3) help students understand the faculty, research, and resources in Education Studies at Wesleyan.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
EDST101 | Introduction to Education Studies ! | .5 |
EDST301 | Senior Seminar in Education Studies # | 1 |
- !
Gateway course - normally taken in sophomore spring; can be taken junior spring for students who enter the Education Studies Major late.
- #
Taken in the fall of senior year.
Foundations Course
Students must take one foundational course in Education Studies that broadly covers the field.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Foundations Course | ||
EDST230 | Schools in Society | 1 |
PSYC/EDST253 | Educational Psychology | 1 |
SOC/FGSS244 | Feminist and Queer Theories of Social Reproduction | 1 |
Breadth Courses
Students must take one course in each of three core areas of Education Studies. There are multiple options across the curriculum for each category.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Category 1: Cognition, Development, & Science of Learning (1+ credits) | Minimum of 1 | |
NS&B/BIOL/PSYC356 | Neurodevelopmental Disorders * | 1 |
PSYC206 | Research Methods in Cognitive Development and Education * | 1 |
PSYC/NS&B220 | Cognitive Psychology * | 1 |
PSYC/NS&B222 | Sensation and Perception * | 1 |
PSYC/NS&B225 | Cognitive Neuroscience * | 1 |
PSYC230 | Developmental Psychology * | 1 |
PSYC245 | Psychological Measurement | 1 |
PSYC248 | Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood * | 1 |
PSYC253 | Educational Psychology | 1 |
PSYC328 | Current Research in Early Childhood | 1 |
PSYC/NS&B341 | Psychology of Human Memory | 1 |
PSYC355 | Psychology of Reading | 1 |
PSYC388 | Advanced Research in Measurement * | 1 |
WRCT/EDST140L/ENGL143L | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 1 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Category 2: Social and Structural Analyses of Education (1+ credits) | Minimum of 1 | |
AMST241/ENGL235 | Childhood in America | 1 |
DANC341 | Dance Teaching Workshop: The Embodied Practice of Knowing | 1 |
ECON213/AMST274 | Economics of Wealth and Poverty * | 1 |
EDST110F | Writing about Teaching: An Exploration of American Educational Ideals through Writing and Film (FYS) | 1 |
EDST221 | Decolonizing Education | 1 |
EDST230 | Schools in Society | 1 |
EDST341 | Case Studies in Educational Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 1 |
EDST358 | Fugitive Perspectives on Education and Civil Society | 1 |
GOVT/EDST342 | Questioning Authority: On the Politics of the Teacher-Student Relationship | 1 |
PSYC253 | Educational Psychology | 1 |
RELI/EDST/SISP373 | Religion, Science, and Empire: Crucible of a Globalized World | 1 |
SISP/EDST/SOC350 | Sociology of Knowledge | 1 |
SOC399M | Abolitionist University Studies | 1 |
WRCT/EDST114F | Why You Can't Write (FYS) | 1 |
WRCT205/AMST227/EDST205 | English Language Learners and US Language Policy | 1 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Category 3: Research Methods & Data Analysis (1 credit) | Minimum of 1 | |
The field of education research is replete with quantitative data that can inform theory and practice. Furthermore, there is a push to make educational decisions “data-driven.” To participate in these central conversations, students need to have a grasp of basic statistical principles. | ||
ECON300 | Introductory Econometrics * | 1.25 |
ECON385 | Advanced Econometrics * | 1 |
MATH132 | Elementary Statistics | 1 |
PSYC200 | Statistics: An Activity-Based Approach * | 1 |
PSYC202 | Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology * | 1 |
PSYC206 | Research Methods in Cognitive Development and Education * | 1 |
PSYC207 | Research Methods in Developmental Psychology * | 1 |
PSYC/NS&B210 | Research Methods in Cognition * | 1 |
PSYC213 | Research Methods in Social Psychology * | 1 |
PSYC388 | Advanced Research in Measurement * | 1 |
QAC/GOVT201/NS&B280/PSYC280 | Applied Data Analysis | 1 |
RELI/ANTH395 | The Anthropology of Religion | 1 |
Elective Courses
Students round out their Education Studies coursework with electives, in any combination of courses in the Foundation or Breadth categories.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Elective: Other courses in Foundations, Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3 | 3 |
Broader Contexts Course
Students take one course that addresses broad theoretical influences on how systems of knowledge or schooling are understood, constructed, transmitted, and changed. This course should sharpen students’ ideas about what is taught, why it is taught, and how it is taught in the current U.S. or other contexts.
Students must take 1 credit in the Broader Context category. There are many courses that will satisfy this requirement.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Broader Contexts (1 credit) | Minimum of 1 | |
AFAM202/AMST275/ENGL240 | Introduction to African American Literature | 1 |
AMST174 | Popular Culture and Social Justice: An Introduction to American Studies | 1 |
AMST176 | Critical Race Theory: An Introduction to American Studies | 1 |
AMST/LAST200 | Colonialism and Its Consequences in the Americas | 1 |
AMST241/ENGL235 | Childhood in America | 1 |
ANTH101 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 1 |
ANTH290 | Style and Identity in Youth Cultures | 1 |
CEAS205/GOVT281 | Democracy and Social Movements in East Asia | 1 |
COL208/AMST268 | The Art and Science of Social Engagement | 1 |
COL/CHUM228/HIST140/PHIL112 | Virtue and Vice in History, Literature, and Philosophy | 1 |
COMP112 | Introduction to Programming | 1 |
DANC341 | Dance Teaching Workshop: The Embodied Practice of Knowing | 1 |
ECON366 | The Economics of Developing Countries * | 1 |
ENGL/AFAM/FGSS/THEA371 | Sister Acts: Black Feminist/Womanist Theater of the African Diaspora | 1 |
FGSS200 | Sex/Gender in Critical Perspective (FGSS Gateway) | 1 |
FGSS216 | Global America: Gender, Empire & Internationalism Since 1890 | 1 |
GOVT159 | The Moral Basis of Politics | 1 |
GOVT239 | Racial and Ethnic Politics | 1 |
GOVT250 | Civil Rights and Liberties | 1 |
GOVT/CEAS/LAST271 | Political Economy of Developing Countries | 1 |
GOVT/LAST302 | Latin American Politics | 1 |
HIST176/SISP276 | Introduction to History: Science in the Making: Thinking Historically About Science | 1 |
HIST215/MDST225 | European Intellectual History to the Renaissance | 1 |
HIST216/COL332 | European Intellectual History since the Renaissance | 1 |
HIST240 | The United States Since 1898 | 1 |
HIST/LAST322 | Exploration, Conquest, and Insurrection: The History of the Amazon 1542 to Present | 1 |
IDEA/CIS/COMP350/FILM250 | Computational Media: Videogame Development | 2 |
ITAL/EDST232 | Italy at School: Biography of a Nation * | 1 |
PHIL292 | Theory of Knowledge * | 1 |
PSYC343 | Sleep and Psychosocial Functioning in Youth * | 1 |
QAC381 | QAC Praxis Service Learning Lab * | 1.25 |
RELI205 | Dharma, Karma, and Living with the God/dess/es: Hindu Lives | 1 |
RELI221 | Islam and Muslim Cultures: Introduction with Case Studies | 1 |
RELI271/REES216 | Secularism: Godlessness from Luther to Lenin | 1 |
RELI280/AFAM282 | Mixed in America: Race, Religion, and Memoir | 1 |
RELI/EDST/SISP373 | Religion, Science, and Empire: Crucible of a Globalized World | 1 |
RELI391/AFAM280 | Religion and the Social Construction of Race | 1 |
SISP202/PHIL287 | Philosophy of Science | 1 |
SOC246/FGSS256 | Social Movements * | 1 |
SPAN275/LAST265 | Multilingual Aesthetics in Latin America | 1 |
SPAN/LAST280 | Screening Youth in Contemporary Latin American Cinema | 1 |
WRCT264/ENGL297 | 1 |
Pedagogy & Practicum
Students must complete two aspects of a practicum experience: pedagogy and practice.
-
Students must take a minimum .5 credit course focused on pedagogy; there are several .5 and 1 credit courses with this focus offered at Wesleyan. Pedagogy courses are listed below.
-
Students must also complete a teaching practicum/in-school experience with a minimum of 20 hours of student contact. The practicum experience does not need to be credit-bearing, as long as the 20 hour requirement is met.
-
Students can meet both the pedagogy and practicum portions of the requirement separately, or they can meet them with a single 1-credit course (i.e., a service learning course that provides 20 hours of student contact and covers elements of pedagogy). Apart from service-learning courses, many options exist to fulfill the practicum requirement through JCCP programs, summer programs, teaching apprenticeships, and internships while studying abroad. Some ideas are listed below.
- If the practicum experience is something other than one of the approved listed courses listed below, students must submit a petition to get the experience approved in advance. Keep in mind that the experience must be fully documented with at least 20 hours of student contact.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Pedagogy (.5 credit) | ||
ASTR430 | Seminar on Astronomical Pedagogy * | .25 |
CSPL277 | Community Impact: Building Capacity to Support Educational Enrichment and Socioemotional Development | .5 |
DANC341 | Dance Teaching Workshop: The Embodied Practice of Knowing | 1 |
EDST210/IDEA209 | Educational Gaming Lab: Project-Based, Game-Based Pedagogy Approaches | .5 |
EDST310 | Practicum in Education Studies | 1 |
EDST311 | Community Impact Practicum: Building Capacity to Support Educational Enrichment | 1 |
ITAL220 | Italian Gaming Lab: Project-Based, Gameful Pedagogy for Language Learning (CLAC.50) * | .5 |
MUSC463 | Teaching Music Lessons to Children in Local Schools | 1 |
PSYC328 | Current Research in Early Childhood | 1 |
PSYC355 | Psychology of Reading | 1 |
QAC301 | Statistics Education Practicum | 1 |
RL&L221 | The Pedagogy of Second Language Teaching and Learning | .5 |
RL&L/EDST223 | Second Language Acquisition and Teaching | 1 |
WRCT/EDST140L/ENGL143L | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 1 |
WRCT/EDST201 | Writing Theory and Practice | 1 |
WRCT/EDST202 | Pedagogy for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Tutors | .5 |
WRCT/EDST400 | Ford Seminar | .5 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Practicum Courses or Experiences | 20 Hours | |
CHEM241 | Informal Science Education for Elementary School Students I | 1 |
CHEM/MB&B242 | Informal Science Education for Elementary School Students II | 1 |
DANC447 | Dance Teaching Practicum | .5 |
EDST223 | Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (RL&L223) | 1 |
EDST310 | Practicum in Education Studies | 1 |
EDST311 | Community Impact Practicum: Building Capacity to Support Educational Enrichment | 1 |
MUSC463 | Teaching Music Lessons to Children in Local Schools | 1 |
PSYC328 | Current Research in Early Childhood | 1 |
PSYC355 | Psychology of Reading | 1 |
QAC301 | Statistics Education Practicum | 1 |
RL&L/EDST223L | Second Language Acquisition & Pedagogy - Teaching Romance Languages | 1 |
WRCT/EDST140L/ENGL143L | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 1 |
WRCT/EDST202 | Pedagogy for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Tutors | .5 |
WRCT/EDST400 | Ford Seminar | .5 |
Examples of a practicum experience include: | ||
Tutoring in a school setting for 10h per week for a semester or 5h per week for two semesters, designing a tutorial on education with a service-learning component in a school, or developing an internship in a school. | ||
Serving as a Teaching Apprentice for an introductory course (e.g., first year foreign language or gateway science or social science course). | ||
Student teaching at the Bank Street School of Education (Urban Education Semester). | ||
Teaching in an intensive summer program (Breakthrough, Summerbridge, CTY) and providing a letter confirming completion from the program. |
Student Learning Goals
-
Understanding the foundations of Education Studies including history, theory, and philosophy of key movements and approaches (e.g., formal and informal education; experiential education; privatization movements; canon; relationship between schools and education)
-
Understanding of, and ability to apply, critiques of educational systems, policies, and practices from the lens of equity, opportunity, power, and transformative justice (e.g., civil rights; global education; gender; race; class; and disability )
-
Understanding the science and psychology of learning as a framework for examining education
-
Understanding of the relationship between culture and education, and between different cultures and their education systems (e.g., multiculturalism and multilingualism; globalization; goals of education within a culture or country; comparative studies of education systems, immigrants’ experiences in unfamiliar systems)
-
Understanding education as an art as well as a science or system (developing a practical art of teaching, imagining critical generative interventions and experimental approaches to education including embodied arts practices or relationship making)
-
Practice applying one or more methodological approaches to research questions in education (e.g., quantitative and experimental methods; qualitative data collection; archival research; data science and ‘big data’ approaches; historiography; pedagogical research)
-
Practice working in and connecting theory to real-world educational settings (e.g., educational practice, advocacy, critique).
Study Abroad
Many study abroad programs are appropriate for Education Studies majors and offer courses that could be used in the service of the major.
The Education Studies homepage maintains a list of study abroad programs that are relevant to Education Studies and that offer courses students could use to fulfill major requirements. Students are encouraged to study abroad if that makes sense for their educational goals, but are not required to do so. Education Studies faculty are supportive of study abroad experience for many reasons, particularly the broad cultural perspective that it affords.
Prizes
Four Education Studies fellowships will be awarded to students each year for faculty-supervised research.
Transfer Credit
Foundation, Gateway, and Senior Seminar courses have to be taken at Wesleyan. All other course requirements can be fulfilled with transfer credits. Courses that fit logically into one of the Category 1, 2, or 3 courses will count toward those requirements. Courses that do not fit logically into Category 1, 2, or 3 but cover content relevant to Education Studies will count toward electives. There are no restrictions on how many transfer credits can count toward the major.
The College of Education Studies is pleased to sponsor credit transfer requests for students who have taken Education Studies courses elsewhere. Students who wish to transfer credit in Education Studies courses at other institutions should email the chairs with their request, a completed transfer credit form from the registrar, and a syllabus of the course.
Honors
Following Wesleyan’s guidelines for Departmental Honors, students in Education Studies must meet two requirements to be eligible for Departmental Honors in Education Studies.
- Either a minimum GPA of 85.0 in Education Studies OR endorsement of two Core faculty in Education Studies; and
- Completion of a Thesis that is determined by the thesis advisor and the second reader to meet the standards for honors or high honors.
Students should submit a declaration of interest to the department chair(s) in the spring of their junior year.
Capstone Experience
Students have many opportunities for capstone experiences within the Major: (1) senior Honors Theses; (2) individual and group tutorials supervised by Education Studies faculty; (3) annual fellowships to conduct mentored research in Education Studies; (4) a capstone Senior Seminar to weave together the threads of the interdisciplinary program of study; and (5) internships, fellowships, and practica to try out academic theories in real world settings.