Interdepartmental programs in Education

Last updated: May 25, 2016 at 2:08 p.m.

Objectives

The Education Program offers several different undergraduate and graduate programs. Undergraduate students are able to select a path to pursue either education studies (major or minor) or teacher education (minor in preschool, elementary, middle, or high school teaching). For students who have already earned an undergraduate degree, the Brandeis Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program offers concentrations in elementary teaching (public or Jewish day school) or secondary—middle or high school—teaching (biology, chemistry, Chinese, English, history, mathematics, physics, or Bible/Tanakh). For a more complete description of the education program, please consult the program's Web site, www.brandeis.edu/programs/education.

Any undergraduate at Brandeis may begin fulfilling requirements of the major or minor at any time, without formal admission. However, it is strongly recommended that students who are considering the education program meet with an education program advisor during their first year in order to plan for program requirements. Permission, which is required to enroll in the education studies major or minor and the teacher education minor, should be sought no later than when a student has completed two education courses.

Undergraduate Education Studies Major
The education studies major is designed for students interested in the social, historical, and cultural contexts of education and the role of education in shaping policy, practice, learning, and identity. This major encourages students to think critically about such questions as: How do various political, economic, historical, psychological, and social forces shape education and public expectations for school? What does school teach us about society? How do K-12 schooling and higher education shape individual and communal identities and life opportunities? How can we better understand and guide learning in and out of school? What kinds of learning, schools, and teachers do young people need and deserve?

A Brandeis graduate with an education studies major will be prepared to pursue:

  • education policy, legislative, or nonprofit work;
  • careers in education-related fields such as school psychology, higher education, informal education, museum education;
  • graduate study and a career in teaching; and/or
  • graduate study and a scholarly career in education.

In addition to developing skills and habits of inquiry, critical thinking, and analysis associated with a strong liberal arts education, education studies majors will acquire a historical and comparative understanding of schooling, a deeper understanding of teaching and learning, educational research skills, and an understanding of the ethical dimensions of education.

Because candidates for the education studies major must complete nine courses, including a senior seminar, students should consult with an education studies advisor no later than the beginning of the junior year about the program requirements. No course for the major may be taken on a pass/fail basis. Students must receive a grade of C or higher for any course to be counted as part of the education studies major.

Please note that the education studies major does not lead to a teaching license. Students interested in becoming licensed as teachers need to enroll in the teacher education program.

Undergraduate Education Studies Minor
This minor gives students a chance to explore the impact of political, historical, psychological, economic, and social forces that shape education and public expectations for schools. The minor's interdisciplinary approach is suitable both for students interested in the broad social and cultural contexts of education and for those interested in educational careers.  

Students must receive a grade of C or higher for any course to be counted as part of the education studies minor.  Please note that the education studies minor does not lead to a teaching license. Students interested in becoming teachers need to enroll in the teacher education program.

Undergraduate Teaching Minor
The Teacher Education minor is designed for students who want to become pre-school, elementary, middle, or high school teachers. It includes the study of learners and learning, school and society, and general and subject-specific pedagogy. Teachers need deep and flexible subject matter knowledge; thus, students who minor in Teacher Education choose a compatible liberal arts major. Coursework on campus is integrated with field experiences in area schools which culminate in a semester of supervised student teaching. Those interested in this minor should meet with an education program advisor during their first year to develop a plan for teacher education courses which begin in the sophomore year and other required courses. Please see the education program Web site for specific course requirements. This minor is also valuable for those planning careers in related fields, such as special education.

Four central themes define the Brandeis teacher education programs. These themes are woven throughout our courses:

Knowing Students as Learners
Teacher Education students understand their pupils as individuals and members of communities and know how to shape instruction that builds on their interests, strengths, and needs as thinkers and doers.

Teaching for understanding
Teacher Education students learn how to make academic content a resource for inquiry and a means of giving pupils wider access to the world. They explore ways to teach to ambitious standards for all children, and learn principles and practices of assessment aligned with those standards and purposes.

Inquiry
Teacher Education students learn to promote curiosity, and they make inquiry a central part of their professional practice as teachers.

Social Justice
Teacher Education students create classrooms in which pupils practice respect, fairness and decency and learn to contribute to the development of a just society.

Candidates for the elementary or secondary teaching license must achieve a grade of at least B- in all required undergraduate teacher education courses. Satisfactory grades and permission of the elementary education program advisor (preschool and elementary) or director (secondary) are required in order to proceed to the final semesters of the program (ED 101a and b, ED 105a, and ED 111e for elementary; or ED 102a, ED 104a, or 200-level pedagogy class, and ED 110e for secondary; or ED 112e for preschool).

Students who successfully complete the elementary, middle, or high school teacher education program, including the requirements set by the state of Massachusetts (including passing appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Teacher Licensure—MTEL), may be recommended by Brandeis for initial licensure to teach in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has reciprocal licensing arrangements with the other states and the District of Columbia. Information on licensure requirements may be found on the education program website www.brandeis.edu/programs/education

Of the students who completed the Brandeis teacher education program and took the MTEL tests between 2013-14, 97 percent passed the Communications and Literacy Skills test, and 90 percent passed the Subject Matter Knowledge tests.

Master of Arts in Teaching
In the MAT program, we conceive of teaching as practical intellectual work dedicated to enlargement of human capacity at the individual and societal level.  Successful completion of the program leads to the degree and (with the exception of the secondary Bible concentration) the initial license to teach in Massachusetts, which has reciprocity agreements with the other states and the District of Columbia. This is a four semester (summer, fall, spring, summer), 50-60 credit masters program.

The MAT in elementary education offers a choice of two concentrations: public elementary or Jewish day schools (the DeLeT program). The MAT in secondary education offers a choice of several concentrations: biology, chemistry, Chinese, English, history, mathematics, physics, or Bible/Tanakh. In all concentrations, a coherent one-year/four-semester course of study integrates sustained guided-teaching practice in area schools with challenging course work and analysis of educational problems and issues at macro and micro levels. In each concentration, a small cohort of students works closely with peers, mentors, and faculty in an atmosphere that is collegial and open to risk-taking. Inquiry is a theme across the year.  As the culminating project, students design, conduct, and report on a classroom-based, research project. All graduates are expected to demonstrate strong conceptual and practical command of the field; commitment to children as learners and thinkers; and habits of reliance on reason, evidence, and values in pedagogical decision making.

One exceptional feature of the MAT is the early career induction support provided to graduates who teach in the greater Boston area. Social support, reflection on teaching challenges, and individual advising are offered in monthly meetings and in one-on-one conferences.

Brandeis Teacher Leadership Program

The Brandeis Teacher Leadership Program recognizes that the most important change agents in education are our classroom teachers. Teachers change lives day after day, and the influence of many extends beyond their classrooms, schools, and communities. This hybrid program brings together cohorts of like-minded gifted teachers to learn skills essential to becoming an effective Teacher Leader. Focusing on both instructional and institutional policy, the program will help teachers improve their teaching and the teaching of others; foster a collaborative culture to support educator development, improve student learning and strengthen their school; understand the school as an institution and organization; and use their voices to have an impact on education policy. Students have two options to pursue: Advanced Graduate Studies (AGS) or the Master in Education (EdM).

Graduates of the Brandeis Teacher Leadership Program will be qualified to assume roles such as mentor, team leader or instructional coach and may be eligible to apply for an endorsement in teacher leadership in states that offer them. If you are interested in becoming a department chair, you may need supplementary courses in your content area. Both options combine formal study and guided practice providing teachers with the opportunity to:

  • Strengthen their professional identity
  • Become part of a robust professional network
  • Acquire specific skills and understandings essential to promoting educator development and improving student learning in their schools.

Learning Goals

Critical Understandings: Students completing the Education Studies major will be able to:

  • Understand schools in various contexts (e.g. cultural, historical, economic, and political), and be able to articulate the ethical and civic dimensions of schooling;
  • Think critically about educational opportunity, equity, and achievement in relation to race/ethnicity, social class, gender, and disability;
  • Analyze teaching and learning, education and schooling, and student growth and development through various disciplinary lenses;
  • Use educational research skills to investigate educational issues and challenges.

Core Skills: The Education Studies major emphasizes core skills in analysis, critical thinking, research, and communication. Based on the critical understandings above, Education Studies majors will be prepared to:

  • Think critically and write persuasively about the various functions schools perform in a community, with special attention to issues of equality and access in our democracy;
  • Use research skills to assess the validity, paradigmatic claims and limits of empirical studies in education;
  • Critically evaluate educational research, policy and practice, and develop policy recommendations.

Social Justice: As a liberal arts university with a strong commitment to social justice, Brandeis has a responsibility to contribute to the improvement of education as a key building block of democracy. The Education Studies major examines the various functions schools perform in society, with special attention to the role of public schools in a democracy and the intended and unintended consequences of educational policies and practices on student access and achievement. The Education Studies major enables graduates to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, and perspectives to examine and act on the ethical and civic dimensions of schooling.

Upon Graduation: After graduation, a Brandeis Education Studies major will be well prepared to be a citizen in our democracy. S/he will also be prepared to pursue:

  • Education policy, legislative, or non-profit work;
  • Careers in education-related fields such as school psychology, higher education,informal education, museum education;
  • Graduate study in preparation for teaching or a scholarly career in education.

Please note: Education Studies is not a route towards teacher licensure.

Critical Understandings: Students who complete the teacher education minor will understand:

  • the diverse ways that children explore, learn, and develop their interests inside and outside of the classroom;
  • the importance of knowing the subject/s they teach in coherent and flexible ways;
  • the relationship between race, class, and gender and educational opportunity; and
  • the urgency of helping their pupils learn literacy and numeracy skills, effective communication, critical thinking, and working well with others in our democracy and inter-dependent world.

Core Skills: Student teachers who successfully complete the minor will be able to:

  • prepare curriculum and adapt curricular materials to engage and challenge the diverse learners they teach;
  • plan and employ a repertoire of instructional strategies and assessments so as to motivate and involve students in worthwhile learning;
  • create and maintain a safe and respectful learning community in the classroom;
  • promote equity in the classroom and school;
  • work productively with families and colleagues; and
  • reflect on their teaching and learn from experience.

These skills are aligned with the Massachusetts Professional Standards for Teachers (603 CMR 7.08) and are assessed using the Massachusetts Pre-service Performance Assessment (PPA). Students also video-tape and reflect on their practice, and develop an e-portfolio which contains a statement about their teaching stance, unit plan/s, and students’ work. Students must pass the relevant Massachusetts Teacher Educator License (MTEL) tests in order to qualify for the MA Initial teaching license.

Upon Graduation: Successful completion of the elementary or secondary minor, together with a passing grade on the MA Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL), leads to an initial license to teach in Massachusetts, which has reciprocal licensing arrangements with the other states and the District of Columbia. Successful completion of the preschool minor fulfills the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care requirements for lead teachers in infant-toddler programs and/or preschool.

Becoming an accomplished teacher happens over time. In fact, good teachers never stop learning. Our program provides a strong foundation for beginning teaching along with the tools and dispositions needed to continue learning in and from teaching.

How to Be Admitted to the Graduate Program

The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, given in an earlier section of this Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission to this program. Candidates for admission to the MAT program apply to either the elementary or the secondary MAT; in the application materials, they specify the concentrations of interest: public education (elementary) or Jewish day schools; or secondary biology, chemistry, Chinese, English, history, mathematics, physics, or Bible/Tanakh.

Strong liberal arts preparation with depth in an appropriate discipline and/or a record of professional accomplishment in an appropriate field is expected. Applicants to the Elementary MAT should be able to demonstrate possession of the knowledge necessary to teach the four subjects constituting the core of the elementary school curriculum: mathematics, literacy/English language arts, science, and the social studies. Applicants to the Secondary MAT must have an undergraduate major or other very strong academic background in the content area they wish to teach. Program faculty are available for consultation and transcript review prior to application with respect to this or other admissions criteria. Prospective applicants are urged to request transcript review, preferably in the summer or fall term prior to the desired term of entry.

Prior experience with children is strongly advised. Applications should include three letters of reference, the results of the GRE general exam, a transcript, a resume, and a statement of purpose explaining their reasons for pursuing this degree.

Further information about application processes and criteria, scholarship opportunities, and program requirements is available on the MAT website.

Brandeis Teacher Leadership Program
The teacher leadership program welcomes applications from experienced teachers (K-12) coming from traditional public schools, charter, independent, or Jewish day schools who are interested in strengthening their professional identity, developing new capacities for teacher leadership, and becoming part of a robust network. Ideal candidates must have demonstrated initiative, earned the respect and trust of their colleagues, and be considered a very good classroom teacher by their supervisor and peers. To learn more about the AGS and EdM Programs, please feel free to send an email to teacherleadership@brandeis.edu.

Faculty

Marya Levenson, Director
Teacher education. Education policy. Education studies.

Marcie Abramson
Mathematics.

Julie Bernson
Arts and Education.

Jennifer Cleary
Theater Education.

Sharon Feiman-Nemser
Jewish education. Teacher education.

Danielle Igra, Director of Teacher Education
Secondary education. English pedagogy.

Aja Jackson
Elementary and secondary teacher education.

Jon Levisohn
Philosophy of education. Jewish education.

Deborah Moriarty
Reading and literacy.

Joseph Reimer
Education policy. Informal education.

Rebecca Stern
Teacher research.

Rachel Kramer Theodorou
Elementary education. Literacy education.

Derron Wallace
Urban education. Sociology of education.

Affiliated Faculty (contributing to the curriculum, advising and administration of the department or program)
Michael Coiner (Economics)
Joe Cunningham (Psychology)
Jonathan Krasner (American Studies)
James Morris (Biology)

Requirements for the Minors

Requirements for the Teacher Education minors

Education Programs Leading to Licensure:

Secondary
PSYC 36b (note that PSYC 1a is a prerequisite for PSYC 36b), ED 100b, and ED 102a are prerequisites for practice teaching. ED 104a, 268a, 269a or 270a and ED 110e are taken in the senior year. Students must consult the director of the program for other requirements, including recommended courses in their major. It is recommended that students take ED 100b in their sophomore year and ED 102a in their junior year. Students must pass the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test before enrolling in ED 110e (student teaching). 

Elementary
PSYC 33a (note that PSYC 10a is a prerequisite for PSYC 33a); ED 100a followed by ED 107a (sophomores who have taken ED 100a are advised to take ED 107a as juniors); ED 105a in the fall of junior year; ED 101a, always taken in the semester before student teaching; and ED 111e and ED 101b (student teaching); MATH 3a, unless waived upon education program and math department review. Students must consult the elementary education program faculty advisor regarding these and other program requirements. It is strongly recommended that, whenever possible, students consult the advisor during their first year. The education program Web site lists significant additional liberal arts courses required for licensure by the Massachusetts-specific Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) before enrolling in ED 111e (student teaching).

Preschool
Practice teaching at the Lemberg Children's Center is possible (ED 112e). Prerequisites are PSYC 33a, ED 100a and ED 107a. These courses, plus one other, will fulfill the Department of Early Education and Care requirements for lead teachers in infant/toddler and/or preschool. For further information, consult the director of the Lemberg Children's Center.


Education Studies

Education Studies minors must pass six courses with a grade of C or better. Pass/Fail courses will not earn credit for the minor.

A. Core course: ED 155b (Education and Social Policy).

B. A second core course to be selected from the following electives:

AMST 150a (History of Childhood and Youth in America)
COML 165a (Reading, Writing, and Teaching across Cultures)
ECON 59b (Economics of Education)
ED 158b (Looking with the Learner: Practice and Inquiry)
ED 159b (Philosophy of Education)
SOC 104a (The Sociology of Education)

C. At least four additional program electives, no more than two of which can be taken in the same department or interdepartmental program. Program electives are listed at the end of the education course listings.

Students may substitute successful completion of an essay, thesis, or internship, as described below, for the fourth elective course option:

  1. Essay: an approved research or honors essay, usually taken in the senior year. Students would receive credit for this essay through their department major, or ED 98a (Individual Readings and Research in Education), or an independent study or research course approved by the director of the education program.
  2. Honors Thesis: a senior thesis in the student's major that has an emphasis on some aspect of education.
  3. Internship: an internship (ED 92) approved by the director of the education program. (Students who are student teaching in the education program will also be eligible to receive internship credit if they are concurrently pursuing an education studies minor.) Students who choose this option will keep a journal about their experiences and produce a final paper.

D. Students may have only two cross-over courses that meet requirements for both the education (licensure) minor and the education studies minor.

Requirements for the Major

Education Studies Major

Education Studies majors must pass nine courses with a grade of C or better. Pass/Fail courses will not earn credit for the major.

A. ED 155b (Education and Social Policy)

B. ED 165a Reading (and Talking Back to) Research on Education
All education studies majors are required to enroll in this capstone seminar during fall semester of their senior year. In this capstone Senior Seminar, students analyze quantitative and qualitative studies and conduct a small scale empirical research project on an educational problem or question that interests them.

C. Beginning in academic year 2015-2016, the major requirements are as follows:

Three elective courses in one of the four clusters:
1. Education, Equality and Social Change
2. Teaching and Learning In and Outside of Schools
3. Human Creativity and Development
4. Jewish Formal and Informal Education

In addition, majors would enroll in two additional electives courses: one in each of two other clusters, and two additional elective courses from any of the four clusters. See courses listed in clusters below. Courses cannot be double counted to fulfill the three-course requirement in a cluster and the requirement to take a course in each of two other clusters.

Students who entered prior to fall 2015 should consult with the University Bulletin for the year they entered to review major requirements.

D. Students may substitute successful completion of an essay or internship, as described below, for one of the six elective courses.

Essay: An approved research or honors essay, usually taken in the senior year. Students would receive credit for this essay, or ED 98a (Individual Readings and Research in Education), or an independent study or research course approved by the director of the education program.

Internship: An internship (ED 92) approved by the director of the education program. Students who are student teaching in the education program will also be eligible to receive internship credit if they are concurrently pursuing an education studies major. Students who choose this option will keep a journal about their experiences and produce a final paper.

E. Students who wish to be considered for honors in education studies will be required to complete a senior thesis. Students intending to do an honors thesis must discuss their potential topic with an education studies faculty adviser in their junior year. Honors thesis students will have the opportunity to begin their research in ED 165a and will then enroll in ED 99b to complete their thesis.

Please note that majors who intend to do an honors thesis involving empirical research are required to have completed a research course before their senior year.

Combined BA/MAT or BS/MAT Program

Ten Semester Combined BA/MAT or BS/MAT Program in Elementary or Secondary Education

The Ten Semester BA/BS-MAT Program in Elementary or Secondary Education enables undergraduates to complete their undergraduate studies and graduate teacher education preparation in ten semesters. Students who are interested should apply in the fall of their junior year. For information about how to apply, please contact the Brandeis MAT Program.

Program of Study
After their junior year, undergraduates who are accepted to the Ten Semester BA/BS-MAT program join other MAT students in an intensive five-week summer program. During their fall semester, the Ten Semester students must complete all outstanding undergraduate requirements, including coursework and residency. The student's MAT pre-practicum will also begin in the fall.

It is the responsibility of the student to select those courses necessary for completion of the BA or BS requirements. The advisor in the Education Program will advise on the courses which satisfy MAT requirements. If the student succeeds in the stipulated courses, and if the requirements for the BA or BS are satisfied by the end of December (thus being eligible for the degree in February), the Ten Semester student will have satisfied the conditions of admission to the MAT program.

After completing the BA or BS in December, the Ten Semester student will become a full-time MAT student for the spring, which includes a full time internship, courses, and a teacher research project. Students complete the MAT requirements during the tenth final summer semester. The successful completion of the MAT program along with passing required state examinations enables graduates to apply for Initial MA certification in elementary or secondary teaching.

Student Status
A Ten Semester applicant will be accepted as a special student with a status of "undergraduate" during the first summer. Please note that a student must abide by GSAS rules with respect to grades; that is, he or she must earn a "B - " or better in any course to be counted towards the MAT degree.

Scholarship Assistance
In summer I, the student will be eligible for whatever undergraduate aid is currently in place. Undergraduate aid will be pro-rated for summer I during which the MAT tuition is charged. Full undergraduate aid and tuition for which the student is eligible will be applied in the fall semester. Ten Semester students are also eligible to apply for MAT scholarships for the spring and summer II semesters.

Special Notes Relating to Majors

Elective Courses by Cluster

Education, Equality, and Social Change
AAAS 156a The Civil Rights Movement
AMST 150a The History of Childhood and Youth in America
AMST 180b Topics in the History of American Education
ECON 59b The Economics of Education
ED 159b Philosophy of Education
ED 170a Critical Perspectives in Urban Education
ED 175a The Teaching of English Language Learners: Pre-K to 12
ENG 108b Second Language Writing Instruction: Theory and Practice
HSSP 192b Sociology of Disability
PSYC 131a Child Development Across Cultures
SOC 104a Sociology of Education
SOC 138a Sociology of Race, Gender, and Class
SOC 154a Community Structure and Youth Subcultures

Teaching and Learning In and Outside of Schools
ANTH 61b Language in American Life
ED 100a Exploring Teaching (Elementary and Preschool)
ED 100b Exploring Teaching (Secondary)
ED 107a Teaching and Learning Reading in Elementary and Preschools
ED 158b Looking with the Learner: Practice and Inquiry
ED 163b Creativity and Caring
ED 170a Critical Perspectives in Urban Education
ED 175a The Teaching of English Language Learners: Pre-K to 12
LING 110a Phonological Theory
LING 197a Language Acquisition and Development
MATH 3a Explorations in Math: A Course for Educators
PSYC 33a Developmental Psychology
PSYC 36b Adolescence and the Transition to Maturity
PSYC 169b Disorders of Childhood

Human Creativity and Development
ANTH 109a Children, Parenting, and Education in Cross-Cultural Perspective
COML/ENG 140b Children’s Literature and Constructions of Childhood
ED 158b Looking with the Learner: Practice and Inquiry
ED 163b Creativity and Caring
HSSP 192b Sociology of Disability
LING 197a Language Acquisition and Development
PSYC 33a Developmental Psychology
PSYC 36b Adolescence and the Transition to Maturity
PSYC 169b Disorders of Childhood
THA 138b The Real American Idols: Education through Creativity and Theatrical Pedagogy

Jewish Formal and Informal Education
HRNS 206b Informal Education in Jewish Settings
NEJS 169a Reading the Classroom as Text
NEJS 169b From Sunday Schools to Birthright: History of American Jewish Education
NEJS 170a Studying Sacred Texts
NEJS 170b Inside Jewish Education
NEJS 235b Philosophy of Jewish Education

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Teaching

The MAT is a full-time, in-residence, year-long, forty-eight-credit program running summer-fall-spring-summer consecutive terms.

Candidates for the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching – Elementary Education are admitted to one of two concentrations: public education or Jewish day schools (DeLeT).

Candidates for the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching – Middle or Secondary Education are admitted to one of the following concentrations: biology, chemistry, Chinese, English, history, mathematics, physics, or Bible/Tanakh.

Program of Study
Within a coherent, sequenced course of study, students examine theories and cases of human learning, study principles and practices of teaching specific subjects, and engage in some of the big questions and debates that characterize the field. Guided teaching practice begins in the summer and continues through a year-long internship in a nearby classroom. Working closely with an experienced mentor teacher, students gradually assume increasing instructional responsibility and begin functioning as junior colleagues in the school community. Over the course of the year, students learn principles and practices of inquiry-oriented pedagogy in the subject area(s). They study formal and informal methods of assessment, learn how to interpret and adapt curricular standards, and practice engaging families in meaningful conversation about children's educational accomplishments and needs.

Additional information about required courses, calendar, and other information about the program and the specific concentrations may be found on the MAT website, www.brandeis.edu/programs/education/MAT. Consult the department coordinator for section assignments.

Internship
Intensive internships are an integral part of the MAT program. Duration ranges from two to five days a week; students are responsible for their own transportation. The program arranges placements in public or Jewish day schools, in districts such as Belmont, Boston, Framingham, Newton, and Waltham. The field experience is supported by regular mentoring from school personnel, observations and advisement by an assigned field instructor, and a weekly reflective teaching seminar that examines such topics as building and maintaining classroom culture, instructional planning, curriculum development, assessment, and emergent problems of practice.

Teacher Research
As a culminating project, students design, conduct, and report on a classroom-based inquiry project, often a form of "action research." Successful completion of the project is a requirement for the degree. In the second summer semester, students present their findings to faculty, friends, and colleagues.

Induction Year
MAT graduates whose initial teaching positions are in the greater Boston area are provided ongoing professional development in their first year. Social support, reflection on teaching challenges, and individual advising are offered in regular meetings and in one-on-one conferences.

Requirements for the Program in Advanced Graduate Study

The Brandeis Teacher Leadership Program in Advanced Graduate Study (AGS) is designed for talented and experienced teachers interested in gaining leadership skills that will empower them to influence policy and practice in their own schools and beyond. This 13-month program prepares graduates to create change in their schools by improving pedagogical practices and fostering a collaborative culture that leads to greater student and educator learning.

Program of Study
The AGS program includes two intensive summer semesters of in-residence classes at Brandeis and two semesters of distance learning during the academic year. During the school year, AGS students participate in a practicum which allows them to practice new skills in their own classrooms with the support of a coach from the Brandeis Education Program.

Capstone
As a capstone project, AGS students will complete a portfolio documenting their use of these emerging leadership skills.

Requirements for the Degree of Master in Education

Program of Study
The Teacher Leadership EdM Program includes two intensive summer semesters of in residence classes at Brandeis and two semesters of distance learning as well as two additional semesters of practitioner action research for a total time to completion of 2 years.

Teacher Research
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the AGS program, all EdM students will be required to design, implement, document and assess a teacher leadership initiative in their own school with the help of a professional, external coach. These action research projects will allow students to develop their practice as teacher leaders while contributing to worthwhile educational change. The project could focus on instructional, institutional, or policy leadership.

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

ED 92a Education Internship and Analysis
Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 98a Individual Readings and Research in Education
Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 98b Individual Readings and Research in Education
Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 99a Senior Thesis
Seniors who are candidates for degrees with honors in education studies must register for this course in their final semester and, under the direction of a faculty member, prepare an honors thesis on a suitable topic. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

ED 99b Senior Thesis
Prerequisite: ED 165a.
Seniors who are candidates for degrees with honors in education studies must register for this course in their final semester and, under the direction of a faculty member, prepare an honors thesis on a suitable topic. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

EL 60a Experiential Learning Practicum
Corequisite: ED 175a. Yields half-course credit.
Usually offered every year.
Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

ED 100a Exploring Teaching (Elementary and Preschool)
[ ss ]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. Three hours per week of field experience (participant observation in an elementary or preschool classroom), arranged by the education program, are required in addition to regular class time. A $10. fee is payable at the start of the semester to offset transportation costs.
Examines the relationship of teaching and learning, the purposes of elementary schooling, and the knowledge requirements for elementary and preschool teaching. Through readings, analysis of videotapes, and guided observations, students investigate classroom culture, student thinking, and curriculum standards. Usually offered every fall semester.
Ms. Theodorou

ED 100b Exploring Teaching (Secondary)
[ ss wi ]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. Not open to first-year students. Three hours per week of field experience (participant observation in a middle or high school classroom), arranged by the education program, are required in addition to regular class time. A $10. fee is payable at the start of the semester to offset transportation costs.
Examines the relationship of teaching and learning, the purposes of secondary schooling and the knowledge requirements for middle and high school teaching. Through readings, analysis of videotapes and guided observations, students investigate classroom culture, student thinking, and curriculum standards. Usually offered every spring semester.
Ms. Levenson

ED 101a Elementary School Curriculum and Teaching: Literacy, Social Studies, and Other Topics
[ ss ]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. Limited to students enrolling in ED 111e spring semester. Weekly field experience, arranged by the education program, is required in addition to regular class time. Contact the program for further information.
Focuses on principles and effective procedures for teaching literature and social studies in elementary classrooms. Emphasizes the cognitive, social, and cultural dimensions of literacy learning as well as strategies for reading and writing nonfiction and critical approaches to the teaching of social studies. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Moriarty and Staff

ED 101b Elementary School Curriculum and Teaching: Science, Arts and Other Topics
[ ss ]
Limited to students enrolling in ED 111e spring semester.
Focuses on principles and effective procedures for teaching elementary students. Examines how art, creative drama, multicultural education, special education, and physical education affect teaching and learning. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Moriarty and Staff

ED 102a Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
[ oc ss ]
Prerequisite: ED 100b. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. It is strongly recommended that juniors who are planning to student teach (ED 110e) in their senior year enroll in ED 102a in their junior year. ED 102a is a prerequisite for ED 110e. A $10 fee is payable at the start of the semester to offset transportation costs.
Principles of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in secondary schools. Two hours per week of participant observation in a middle or high school classroom are required. Usually offered every fall semester.
Staff

ED 104a Secondary School: Theory into Practice
[ ss ]
Limited to students enrolling in ED 110e spring semester.
Principles and methods of teaching in specific subject areas in middle and high schools. Usually offered every fall semester.
Staff

ED 105a Elementary School Curriculum and Teaching: Math
[ ss ]
Limited to students enrolling in ED 111e spring semester. Must be taken concurrently with ED 101a in the fall semester.
Principles and strategies of teaching mathematics and science in elementary classrooms. Emphasizes understanding mathematical and scientific concepts needed by elementary teachers, effective teaching procedures, and recommended materials. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Abramson and Mr. Heyman

ED 107a Teaching and Learning Reading in Elementary and Preschools
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: ED 100a. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. Summer session open only to MAT students. A $10. fee is payable at the start of the semester to offset transportation costs.
Examines theories and methods of teaching reading and language arts to children in elementary and pre-schools. Emphasizes competencies necessary for developmental reading. Explores strategies for literacy, including the interrelated aspects of writing and spelling. Requires a field experience of fifteen hours. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Moriarty

ED 110e Practice Teaching: Secondary School
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: ED 100b, ED 102a (must be taken the fall semester preceding ED 110e), and ED 104a (must be taken concurrently with ED 110e). Enrollment limited to students in the education program. Students must pass the Communication and Literacy Skills Test before enrolling in ED 110e.
Full-time student teaching under supervision of qualified teachers; regular conferences to discuss and evaluate the teaching experience. Includes at least one after-school meeting most weeks, covering such topics as multicultural education, special education, and reading. Usually offered every spring semester.
Ms. Kelly

ED 111e Practice Teaching: Elementary School
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: ED 100a, ED 101a, ED 101b, ED 105a, and ED 107a. Enrollment limited to students in the education program. Students must pass the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test before enrolling in ED 111e.
Full-time student teaching under supervision of qualified teachers; regular conferences to discuss and evaluate the teaching experience. Includes at least one after-school seminar per week. Usually offered every spring semester.
Ms. Theodorou

ED 112e Practice Teaching: Preschool
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: PSYC 33a and ED 100a or ED 103a. Enrollment limited to students in the education program. Signature of the education program director required.
Teaching under supervision of qualified head teachers at the Lemberg Children's Center with toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. Thirty-five hours per week includes thirty hours teaching, five hours planning and meeting time. Regular conferences to discuss and evaluate the teaching experience. Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 155b Education and Social Policy
[ ss wi ]
Examines the various functions that schools perform in a community, with special attention to the intended and unintended consequences of contemporary policies such as special education, desegregation, charter schools, and the standards/accountability movement. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Levenson

ED 157b The Psychology of Student Learning
[ ss wi ]
Open only to MAT students.
How do children learn? Topics in this survey course include models of learning, cognitive and social development, creativity, intelligence, character education, motivation, complex reasoning, and learning disabilities. Course methods include contemporary research analyses, case studies, group projects, short lectures, and class discussions.
Mr. Reimer

ED 158b Looking with the Learner: Practice and Inquiry
Does not satisfy a school distribution requirement--for education studies core course credit only. Lab fee: $40.
Links theory to practice in learning through the visual arts through three types of experiences: 1) looking at art; 2) museum-based interactions with students from Stanley Elementary School in Waltham; and 3) documenting our experiences as lookers, learners, and teachers. What can we learn about art, artists, ourselves, and young learners through the processes of looking at art? How can we best support students in their own encounters with art and learning? How can museums serve as a model for education in various settings? Usually offered every year.
Ms. Bernson

ED 159b Philosophy of Education
[ ss ]
Explores several major issues in philosophy of education through close examination and discussion of recent theoretical texts. Issues include the goals of education; the rights of the state to foster civic virtue; multiculturalism; moral education; the problem of indoctrination; education for autonomy, rationality, critical thinking, and open-mindedness. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Levisohn

ED 163b Creativity and Caring
[ ss ]
Explores "creativity" and "caring," significant human capacities, and their relationship. Drawing on developmental and social psychology, we ask: How do they develop? What affects our being creative and caring? How can educators promote these? Usually offered every year.
Mr. Reimer

ED 165a Reading (and Talking Back to) Research on Education
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: ED 155b. Open to education studies majors only.
In this required capstone course for education studies majors, students will review quantitative and qualitative research through disciplinary lenses. Students pursue some topic of inquiry by either reviewing and synthesizing educational research, or conducting some empirical research. Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 170a Critical Perspectives in Urban Education
[ ss wi ]
Examines the nature of urban schools, their links to the social and political context, and the perspectives of the people who inhabit them. Explores the historical development of urban schools; the social, economic, and personal hardships facing urban students; and challenges of urban school reform. Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 173b The Psychology of Love: Education for Close Relationships
[ ss ]
Students will be selected after the submission of a sample of writing on adult loving relationships.
What is love? How does it develop? How do psychologists study how people think, feel and behave in close relationships? These questions will guide our inquiry and inform our guiding question: how can we educate young people to better care for their friends, lovers and intimates? Usually offered every year.
Mr. Reimer

ED 175a The Teaching of English Language Learners: Pre-K to 12
[ ss ]
Corequisite: Students are required to do an Experiential Learning component for this class.
Examines the intersection of culture and language, including issues such as testing, family involvement, and different challenges facing English Language Learners. While this course will be of interest to anyone working with English learners, teachers are now required to be teachers of English in addition to content teachers. (Upon completion, participants will have acquired the skills and knowledge base for Category 1 and 2 as defined in the MA requirements for teachers.) Usually offered every year.
Ms. Theodorou

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

ED 221b Readings in Education
Staff

ED 251 Leadership, Authority, and School Change
Yields three semester-hour credits.
Focuses on a developmental model of teacher development, instructional and institutional leadership in schools, modeling and building of professional learning communities, and reflections on the challenges and opportunities of teacher leadership. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Levenson

ED 253 Improving Teaching and Learning in the Classroom Setting
Yields three semester-hour credits.
Focuses on the theory and practice of becoming a teacher leader. Participants will experience and then lead core practices which can support their work with individual teachers and with groups. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Raider-Roth

ED 256 Teacher Leadership Internship
Prerequisites: ED 253 and ED 258. Yields three semester-hour credits.
Enables students in the Teacher Leadership graduate program to learn key skills to support their work as leaders in their schools and to gain feedback on their teacher leadership initiatives. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Charner-Laird

ED 258 Understanding School Culture and Change
Yields three semester-hour credits. Enrollment limited to participants in the Teacher Leadership program.
Lays a conceptual and practical foundation for assuming responsibilities related to improving instruction as well as the overall functioning of the school as a learning environment for both teachers and students. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Reinhorn

ED 259 Leadership in Curriculum and Assessment
Yields three semester-hour credits.
Provides in-service teachers with necessary professional support and skill development to become teacher leaders within their respective schools. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Goldstein Katz

ED 260a Special Education: Teaching for Inclusion
Open only to MAT students.
Examines specific learner characteristics of students with disabilities as well as modifications (program, instructional, environmental) and strategies that facilitate a more successful learning experience for these students. Usually offered every summer.
Ms. Elion

ED 260b Special Education Module
Prerequisite: ED 267a. Yields half-course credit. Open only to MAT students.
Introduces MAT students to special education laws, Individual Education Plans, augmentative and assistive technology so that they will be prepared to teach students with moderate disabilities. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Phillips

ED 261a Inquiry-Based Science Teaching and Learning
Open only to MAT students.
Focuses on the learning and exploration of scientific concepts and strategies needed to teach inquiry-based science in elementary classrooms. Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 262a Teaching Mathematics in Elementary Classrooms
Open only to MAT students.
Focuses on the learning, discovery, and exploration of the skills and strategies needed to teach mathematical concepts and skills in elementary school classrooms. Usually offered every summer.
Ms. Ruopp

ED 263b Reflective Teaching
Open only to MAT students.
A weekly seminar closely coordinated with the Field Internship (ED 265b). Students explore and evaluate approaches to classroom organization and management, instructional planning, and assessment. They form habits of critical colleagueship and develop skills to study their teaching and their students' learning. Students also assemble a teaching portfolio that documents their learning in relation to program standards. Usually offered every spring.
Ms. Pearlmutter and Staff

ED 264a Foundations of Education
Open only to MAT students.
Explores philosophical, sociological, historical, and political contexts of schools in the United States, including legal issues and concerns, teaching concerns, and current issues and trends. Emphasizes curriculum theory and the link between the developing child and instruction. Usually offered every summer.
Ms. Levenson and Staff

ED 265a Field Internship
Open only to MAT students.
Supervised teaching internship designed to help connect theory and practice. Students gradually build proficiency in teaching, adding responsibilities and skills over time. Students have guided opportunities to observe, plan, and teach core subjects, to manage classrooms, to get to know students and families, and to participate fully in the life of the school. Interns receive regular mentoring from school and university personnel. Usually offered every fall.
Staff

ED 265b Field Internship
Open only to MAT students. Corequisite: ED 263b.
Supervised teaching internship designed to help connect theory and practice. Students gradually build proficiency in teaching, adding responsibilities and skills over time. Students have guided opportunities to observe, plan, and teach core subjects, to manage classrooms, to get to know students and families, and to participate fully in the life of the school. Interns receive regular mentoring from school and university personnel. Usually offered every spring.
Staff

ED 265g Moderate Disabilities Practicum Preparation
Noncredit. Additional course fee applies. Please consult the Education program for details.
Non-credit workshops required as preparation for MAT students pursuing an additional teaching license in Moderate Disabilities. MAT students have the option of completing a 150-hour practicum in the classroom of a special needs teacher from mid-May through mid-June in conjunction with their summer course either ED 260a Special Education: Teaching for Inclusion or ED 260b Special Education Module. Usually offered every spring.
Staff

ED 266a Teacher Research
Open only to MAT students.
Students design and carry out a systematic investigation addressing a question or problem arising in their practice. Students explore principles and methods of classroom-based research and review examples of published teacher research. Students present their inquiry projects to fellow students, mentor teachers, and faculty in a teacher research colloquium at the conclusion of their second summer session. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Feiman-Nemser or Ms. Mayer

ED 267a Fundamentals of Teaching
Open only to MAT students.
Central seminar taught in conjunction with the Field Internship (ED 265a). Explores and evaluates approaches to instructional planning, formative and summative assessment, classroom culture and management, and emergent issues. Also policy and regulatory issues at national, state, district, and building level as they impinge on daily practice. Reflective practice, inquiry, and critical colleagueship are themes. Portfolio requirement.
Ms. Featherstone, Ms. Pearlmutter, and Staff

ED 267b Fundamentals of Teaching
Open only to MAT students.
A continuation of ED 267a, the central seminar taught in conjunction with the Field Internship (ED 265b).
Ms. Pearlmutter and Staff

ED 268a Pedagogy of English
Prerequisite: ED 264a. Corequisite: ED 267a. Open only to MAT students in the secondary English concentration and seniors student teaching in secondary school English.
This course prepares teachers of secondary English language arts to effectively plan for and assess student learning in three primary areas of instruction: writing, reading, and speaking. The following are emphasized: methods of engagement with literature, content-specific assessment and discussion techniques, writing process instruction, reading strategy and vocabulary instruction, and methods for reaching a diverse group of learners. An underlying goal of this course is for teachers to approach their chosen profession with a spirit of reflection, continuous improvement, and collaboration. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Blais

ED 269a Pedagogy of History
Prerequisite: ED 264a. Corequisite: ED 267a. Open only to MAT students in the secondary history concentration and seniors student teaching in secondary school history.
This course supports the aspiring secondary school history teacher as he or she prepares for the student teaching experience. Emphasis is placed on building a content-specific personal resource library, planning for cohesive lessons and units, teaching a variety of history content to students of diverse personal backgrounds and academic abilities, and developing collegial relationships in the teaching profession. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dunne

ED 270a Pedagogy of Science
Prerequisite: ED 264a. Corequisite: ED 267a. Open only to MAT students in the secondary sciences concentrations and seniors student teaching in secondary school sciences.
Provides students with an overview of trends, issues, strategies, and resources specific to the teaching of secondary school science. Focuses on the following key concepts as they relate to teaching secondary science: inquiry, teaching for understanding, knowing students as learners, strategies and resources to support science teaching, successful laboratory activities, professionalism, and social justice. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Quinlan

ED 271a The Pedagogy of Tanakh
Prerequisite: ED 264a. Corequisite: ED 267a. Open only to MAT students in the secondary Bible concentration.
This course is designed to provide opportunities to develop the intellectual and pedagogical skills needed for teaching Tanakh. Usually offered every year.
Staff

ED 272a Pedagogy of Mathematics
Prerequisite: ED 264a.
Prepares teachers of secondary mathematics to plan for and assess student learning in the middle and high school math curriculum. This course focuses on methods of instruction; effective use of materials, including technology; preparation of coherent lessons and units; understanding the diversity of learners; the place of reflection and collaboration in teaching. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Wiczer

ED 291 Topics in Teacher Leadership
Prerequisites: ED 253, ED 258 and ED 259. Corequisite: ED 251. Yields three semester-hour credits. Enrollment limited to participants in the Teacher Leadership program.
Examines the central focus of teacher leadership-- working with colleagues to improve the quality of instruction in schools. This course will deepen your skills as an observer of teaching and learning, a mentor to novice teachers, a practitioner of action research and a leader of professional learning. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Feiman-Nemser

ED 294 Experiential Teacher Leadership Practicum
Prerequisites: ED 253 and ED 258. Corequisite: ED 256 or ED 259. Yields three semester-hour credits. Enrollment limited to participants in the Teacher Leadership program.
Enables teacher leaders, working with their coaches, to learn key skills and tools to support their work in schools and gain feedback on their teacher leadership initiatives. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

ED 298a Independent Study
Staff

Education Studies Electives

Courses cannot be double counted to fulfill the three-course requirement in a single cluster and the requirement to take a course in each of two other clusters.

AAAS 156a #BlackLivesMatter: The Struggle for Civil Rights from Reconstruction to the Present
[ ss ]
Explores the evolution of the modern African American civil rights movement through historical readings, primary documents, films and social media. Assesses the legacy and consequences of the movement for contemporary struggles for black equality. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Williams

AMST 150a The History of Childhood and Youth in America
[ ss ]
Examines cultural ideas and policies about childhood and youth, as well as child-rearing and parenting strategies, child-saving, socialization, delinquency, children's literature, television, and other media for children and youth. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Krasner

AMST 180b Topics in the History of American Education
[ ss ]
Examines major themes in the history of American education, including changing ideas about children, childrearing, and adolescence; development of schools; the politics of education; education and individual life history. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

ANTH 61b Language in American Life
[ ss ]
Examines the relations between language and some major dimensions of American social life: social groupings (the structures of ethnic, regional, class, and gender relations); social settings (such as courtrooms, workplaces, and homes); and social interaction. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. McIntosh

ANTH 109a Children, Parenting, and Education in Cross-Cultural Perspective
[ ss ]
Examines childcare techniques, beliefs about childhood and adolescence, and the objectives of school systems in different areas of the world, in order to illuminate cross-cultural similarities and differences in conceptions of personhood, identity, gender, class, race, nation, and the relationship between the individual and society. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Luis

ANTH 180b Playing Human: Persons, Objects, Imagination
[ ss ]
Examines how people interact with material artifacts that are decidedly not human and yet which, paradoxically, deepen and extend experiences of being human. Theories of fetishism; masking and ritual objects across cultures; play and childhood experience; and objects of imagination, memory and trauma. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Schattschneider

COML/ENG 140b Children's Literature and Constructions of Childhood
[ hum ]
Explores whether children's literature has sought to civilize or to subvert, to moralize or to enchant, forming a bedrock for adult sensibility. Childhood reading reflects the unresolved complexity of the experience of childhood itself as well as larger cultural shifts around the globe in values and beliefs. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Miller

EBIO 33b Citizen Science: Bridging Science, Education and Advocacy
[ sn ss ]
Citizen science (the public generation of science knowledge) from both a practical (through direct participation in research) and theoretical application will be explored as the basis for examining how research, scientific literacy, education, and advocacy projects are complementary. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Hitchcock and Ms. Theodorou

ECON 59b The Economics of Education
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: ECON 2a or 10a.
An introduction to economic analysis of the education sector. Topics include the concept of human capital, private and social return on investment in education, cost-benefit analysis of special educational programs, and issues in the financing of education. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Coiner

ENG 108b Second Language Writing Instruction: Theory and Practice
[ hum ]
Yields six semester-hour credits.
Explores current theory and research in second language (L2) writing and tutoring pedagogy. All students will work with English language learners in the Waltham community, tutoring them in their various English writers needs. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Lederman

HRNS 206b Informal Education in Jewish Settings
Explores what we mean by ‘informal education’ and how serious Jewish educators have brought "informal education" and "experiential learning" to settings as diverse as summer camps, Israel trips, arts programs, and community service initiatives. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Reimer

HSSP 192b Sociology of Disability
[ ss ]
In the latter half of the twentieth century, disability has emerged as an important social-political-economic-medical issue, with its own distinct history, characterized as a shift from "good will to civil rights." Traces that history and the way people with disabilities are seen and unseen, and see themselves. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Gulley

LING 110a Phonological Theory
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a.
An introduction to generative phonology, the theory of natural language sound systems. Includes discussion of articulatory phonetics, distinctive feature theory, the concept of a "natural class," morphology and the nature of morphophonemics, and universal properties of the rules that relate morphophonemic and phonetic representations. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Plaster

LING 197a Language Acquisition and Development
[ oc ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a or permission of the instructor.
The central problem of language acquisition is to explain what makes this formidable task possible. Theories of language acquisition are studied, and conclusions are based on recent research in the development of syntax, semantics, and phonology. The overall goal is to arrive at a coherent picture of the language learning process. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Malamud or Mr. Plaster

MATH 3a Explorations in Math: A Course for Educators
[ sn ]
An in-depth exploration of the fundamental ideas underlying the mathematics taught in elementary and middle school. Emphasis is on problem solving, experimenting with mathematical ideas, and articulating mathematical reasoning. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Charney

NEJS 169a Reading the Classroom as Text
[ hum ]
Prerequisite: Student must have a teaching position in an area religious school which serves as a "lab" and "experience" site. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
In this experiential course, students analyze "records of practice" from their own and other's classrooms and situate their classroom experience in a broader conversation about the purposes, pedagogies and outcomes of religious education and the role of supplementary schools. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Feiman-Nemser

NEJS 169b From Sunday Schools to Birthright: History of American Jewish Education
[ hum ]
Empowers students to articulate a reality-based, transformative vision of Jewish education that is grounded in an appreciation for the history and sociology of American Jewish education. It will familiarize students with and contextualize the present Jewish educational landscape, through the use of historical case studies and current research, encouraging students to view the field from an evolutionary perspective. The seminar will address Jewish education in all its forms, including formal and informal settings (e.g., schools, camps, youth groups, educational tourism). Usually offered every third year
Mr. Krasner

NEJS 170a Studying Sacred Texts
[ hum ]
What does it mean to study a sacred text? What are the problems with doing so? What is sacred about a sacred text? How is studying a sacred text similar to and different from studying other texts? How do different religious traditions study texts differently? Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Levisohn

NEJS 170b Inside Jewish Education
[ hum ]
Combines autobiography, classroom videotapes, curriculum investigation and fieldwork to explore the purposes, practices and effects of contemporary Jewish education in its many forms and venues. Usually offered every other year.
Ms. Feiman-Nemser

NEJS 171a History Lessons: Teaching the Jewish Experience
[ hum ]
Using American Jewish History as a case study, this course examines why we teach history, what history means within a Jewish context, what we can learn from how history has been taught, and how history might be taught at various age levels and in different contexts. The course includes an oral history project component in cooperation with the Jewish Women's Archive. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Krasner

NEJS 235b Philosophy of Jewish Education
What should Jewish education be? What are its legitimate goals? What are the competing visions of an educated Jew, and how do these influence educational practice? How is Jewish education similar to and different from other kinds of religious education? Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Levisohn

PSYC 33a Developmental Psychology
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: PSYC 10a (formerly PSYC 1a).
An examination of normal child development from conception through adolescence. Course will focus on theoretical issues and processes of development with an emphasis on how biological and environmental influences interact. Usually offered every year.
Staff

PSYC 36b Adolescence and the Transition to Maturity
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: PSYC 10a (formerly PSYC 1a).
Examines the core issues (identity, intimacy, sexuality, spirituality, etc.) that define development during adolescence and the transition to young adulthood. Heavy emphasis is placed on integrating research and theory in understanding adolescence and young adulthood. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Wright

PSYC 169b Disorders of Childhood
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: PSYC 10a (formerly PSYC 1a), 33a, and permission of the instructor. Seniors and juniors have priority for admission.
Issues of theory, research, and practice in the areas of child and family psychopathology and treatment are reviewed in the context of normal developmental processes. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Cunningham

SOC 104a Sociology of Education
[ ss ]
Examines the role of education in society, including pedagogy, school systems, teacher organizations, parental involvement, community contexts, as well as issues of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Wallace

SOC 138a Sociology of Race, Gender, and Class
[ ss ]
Examines race, class and gender as critical dimensions of social difference that organize social systems. Uses a variety of media to analyze how race, class and gender as axes of identity and inequality (re)create forms of domination and subordination in schools, labor markets, families, and the criminal justice system. Usually offered every third year. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Wallace

SOC 154a Community Structure and Youth Subcultures
[ ss ]
Examines how the patterning of relations within communities generates predictable outcomes at the individual and small-group level. Deals with cities, suburbs, and small rural communities. Special focus is given to youth subcultures typically found in each community type. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Schor

THA 138b The Real American Idols: Education through Creativity and Theatrical Pedagogy
[ ca ]
Focuses on creativity in pedagogy from a theatrical lens and is meant for anyone who wishes to teach anyone just about anything! This course will focus on the building of community and confidence that takes place within any learning environment that utilizes creative and theatrical arts as a modality. We will discuss the foundation and theories behind teaching, learning, and creative expression, allowing students to ground their own work in what has and hasn't worked in the past, as well as to expand their own creative reach and risk-taking capabilities. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cleary