Educational Studies

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Professor: Gay
Associate Professor: Kelly (Chair)
Visiting Assistant Professor: Adnot
Affiliated Professors: Leyva (Psychology), Reimer (Center for Civic Engagement), Kim (Multicultural Affairs)

Educational Studies refers to the systematic study of schooling and education in societies. Its character and methods are derived from a number of academic disciplines, combinations of disciplines, and area studies, including: history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, religion, political science, economics, cultural studies, gender studies, LGBTQ studies, comparative and international education, educational policy studies, as well as transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. The department specializes in the study of formal and non-formal educational settings and challenges students to think deeply about complex social issues and strategies for lives of leadership and service.

Graduation Requirements

Cultural Diversity Requirement: Educational Studies 250, 260, 320, and 340
Historical Thought Requirement: Educational Studies 320
Liberal Studies Requirement: Educational Studies 121, 131
Philosophical & Religious Perspectives: Educational Studies 141, 270, 370
Social-Scientific Thought Requirement: Educational Studies 221, 241, 242, 243, 250, 260, 330, 340, 350, 360, 371

Goals of the Minor in Educational Studies

• Understand and apply disciplinary knowledge from the humanities and social sciences to interpret the meanings of education and schooling in diverse cultural contexts;

• Understand and apply multiple and conflicting perspectives on education and schooling;

• Understand how historical events, social forces, and moral principles related to democratic institutions can inform and direct schooling practice, leadership, and governance;

• Understand the full significance of diversity in a democratic society and how that bears on curriculum and instruction, school and community leadership, and state and national governance;

• Analyze critically both historical and current educational policies and practices at national, state, and local levels, and their impacts on teaching, learning, and the assessment of P-16 students.

• Prepare students who plan to enter graduate school in various education-related fields, such as school psychology, speech pathology, educational policy, education law, etc.

• Fulfill the needs of students who are interested in the academic study of educational history, sociology, psychology, theory, and policy.

Goals for the Minor in Educational Studies for students who desire to teach:

• Prepare students to enter teaching through MAT programs in which they earn a teaching license and a graduate degree.

• Prepare students to enter teaching through alternative entry programs such as Teach for America, Teach Charlotte, etc.

• Prepare students who plan to teach in private schools or to teach in other programs where licensure is not required, such as language programs abroad.

Teacher Education at Davidson College

The Department of Educational Studies has discontinued the teacher education program at Davidson College. Students who desire to teach should consult with Educational Studies faculty about the various routes available to them, including alternate route certification programs, graduate school programs, and independent school teaching opportunities.

Minor in Educational Studies

Students are required to apply a minimum of six courses toward the minor: two required and four elective.

Required (two courses)
• EDU 121: History of Educational Theory and Practice
• EDU 302: Directed Field Placement (Capstone Experience)

Elective Group 1 (one course from the following group)
• EDU/PSY 241: Child Development
• EDU/PSY 242: Educational Psychology
• EDU/PSY 243: Adolescent Development

For students entering 2014 and before, the following courses may be used to satisfy the Elective Group 1 requirement.
• PSY 232: Social Psychology
• PSY 234: Child Psychopathology
• PSY 276: Cognitive Psychology

Elective Group 2 (Three courses from the following group)
• EDU 131: Schools, Cinema, and American Culture
• EDU 141: Introduction to Philosophy of Education
• EDU 221/SOC 221: Schools and Society
• EDU 250: Multicultural Education
• EDU 260/SOC 261: Social Diversity & Inequality in Education
• EDU 270: Democracy & Education
• EDU 301: Independent Study in Education
• EDU 320: Growing Up Jim Crow
• EDU 330/SOC 330: Sociology of Education
• EDU 340/SOC 340: Education in African-American Society
• EDU 350: Latino/a Education in the United States
• EDU 370: War, Peace, & Education
• EDU 371/SOC 371/AFR 371: Critical Race Theory
• ENG 231: Young Adult Literature
• POL 305: Education and Politics

Only one course from a student’s major may be applied toward the Minor in Educational Studies. A grade of “C” or higher is required in all courses applied toward the minor.

Educational Studies Courses

At the 100-level, the single course serves as an historical and thematic introduction to the field of Educational Studies. Courses at the 200-level are substantive, focusing on schooling and society, social justice issues in education, contemporary educational thought and praxis, psychological aspects of educating children and adolescents, and critical engagements with multiculturalism and diversity in schools and society.