The five-unit minor in education studies consists of 350-full unit, 370 and three other approved courses, and culminates in a final exhibition and/or portfolio presentation completed during the spring semester of the student’s senior year and evaluated and assessed by the Education Studies Program Committee. As each student’s interests and needs are unique, specific course selection beyond the required 350 and 370 will be individually determined with guidance and approval from the director in consultation with members of the Education Studies Program Committee.
Other than education studies courses, no more than two courses from a single department may be applied toward the minor. Courses applied toward meeting concentration requirements may not be applied toward a minor in education studies. Credit gained in any section of Sophomore Seminar 260, Education in a Liberal Society, may be applied toward the minor. Placement for 370 is contingent upon the student achieving at least an 82 (B-) overall GPA and the approval of the director of the Education Studies Program.
100S Essential Instructional Models for Volunteer Tutors and Teachers.
Planning, preparing and delivering student-centered, active learning-based lessons and tutorials in cooperation with community-based volunteer teaching organizations. Appropriate educational adaptations to the challenges and opportunities of various educational environments, learner groups, socio-economic and cultural dynamics. Maximum enrollment, 18. (Oral Presentations.) Proof of existing teaching/tutoring placement prior to beginning course work. One-quarter course credit. Maximum enrollment, 18. Mason.
200F Issues in Education.
Exploration of the cultural foundations of the American Public Education system. Study of the impact of key education reform movements on today’s dynamic and often troubled pre-K through 12th grade classroom environments. Consideration of several contemporary educational issues from historical, philosophical, scientific, multicultural and pedagogical perspectives. Includes lecture, discussion, multi-media projects and small-group interaction. (Oral Presentations.) Mason.
201F Methods of Tutoring English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Prepares students to perform as ESOL tutors by providing discussion of the practical approaches, methods and techniques tutors use in classroom settings. Using a communicative curricula that emphasizes function over form, this course addresses language teaching methods, interactive strategies for integrated learning for non-native speakers or English language learners and limited English proficient students. Discussion of the concept of culture helps tutors recognize the influence of culture on patterns of thinking and behaving, and language acquisition. Course provides students with the Hamilton College ESOL Tutor Certificate of Completion. Fifteen lecture hours and 20 field study and/or service learning hours required. One-quarter course credit. Maximum enrollment, 18. Britt-Hysell.
205F Introduction to Disability Studies.
An exploration of the interdisciplinary field of disability studies, including the problem of defining disability, the history of attitudes toward and treatment of persons with disabilities and the complex social and philosophical questions surrounding justice for persons with disabilities and their place within American society. Special attention to the perspective of persons with disabilities to issues of race, class, gender and sexuality, and to the differences in impairment. A formal internship is required and is graded as part of the course. (Oral Presentations.) (Proseminar.) Not open to first-year students. Maximum enrollment, 16. Kanipe.
210S Curriculum and Pedagogy Decision-Making.
An investigation of the role and impact of academics, policy-makers, federal and state agencies, discipline-specific associations and professional educators on the curricular and pedagogical decision-making of the American public school administrator and teacher. Review of federal and state regulations, standards and mandates. Subject area professional organizations’ curricular recommendations, and professional development initiatives based on educational research and scholarship will also be studied. (Oral Presentations.) (Proseminar.) Not open to students who have taken College Seminar or Sophomore Seminar 260-02. Maximum enrollment, 16. Mason.
220F American Sign Language and Deaf Culture.
An introduction to the techniques and uses of American Sign Language (ASL). Study of deaf culture and the pedagogical role of ASL in the education of hearing-impaired and deaf learners. Maximum enrollment, 18. Allen.
230S American Sign Language and Deaf Culture: Intermediate.
Intermediate level study of the techniques and uses of American Sign Language (ASL). Investigation of the unique characteristics of the American deaf culture. Special attention to the instructional opportunities and challenges encountered in K-12 public inclusive classrooms and other specialized learning environments. Prerequisite, 220. Maximum enrollment, 18. Allen.
[250] Technology in Education: Issues and Opportunities.
Although technology has frequently been viewed as a panacea for addressing and solving many of the challenges facing the American public education system, has it yet delivered on its promise? What is the difference between learning from technology and learning with technology? This course explores the role of technology in learning and critically analyzes the cognitive, social, political, and logistical aspects of education technology in the K-12 public school setting. (Oral Presentations.) Prerequisite, one full-unit Education Studies course or permission of insturctors. Assignments in the MPC are required. Maximum enrollment, 20.
301S Seminar in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Addresses the general principles of language acquisition and pedagogy for teaching English to non-native speakers as a second or foreign language. Specific classroom application of principles and guidelines are emphasized through lesson and unit plan development. Themes are taught interactively, creating a collaborative learning environment that facilitates communicative language teaching focusing on student-to-student interaction and learning. Students finish course with an experiential and theoretical understanding of how to facilitate a quality ESOL classroom. Prerequisite, permission of instructor. Three lecture hours and three field study and/or service learning hours per week. Course provides students with the Hamilton College ESOL Teacher Certificate of Completion. Maximum enrollment, 18. Britt-Hysell.
310F,S Education Field Experience.
Systematic examination, analysis and evaluation of education within a specific public school system. Focus on the intersection of factors including classroom instruction, school structures, public policies and decision-making prerogatives. Self-directed off-campus field experience. Must arrange own transportation. Open to students who have declared an education studies minor or consent of instructor. One-quarter course credit. Maximum enrollment, 20. Mason.
330S The History of Public Schools in the United States and France.
This course will explore how the first two modern democratic republics created their public school systems. The two states began with the same questions and assumptions about how to create citizens who were capable of participating in a democracy and who shared a new national culture. The public school was the mechanism to these ends, but the two states took radically different paths and created very different systems to meet those goals. This course will require an internship in a local public school. (Writing-intensive.) Prerequisite, One course in either history or education, or consent of the instructor. Maximum enrollment, 20. Kanipe.
333S Principles of Instructional Communication.
Study of theoretical and practical elements of classroom communication. Strategic approaches to the design, development and assessment of learner-centered interactions. Topics include planning and organizing instructional messages, adapting to learner styles, Socratic discourse, integrating communication technologies and teacher prerogatives. Experiential sessions and videotaping. Three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory Maximum enrollment, 18. Mason.
350F,S Seminar in Ethnography of Learning Environments.
Systematic observation of a specific learning environment. Examination of classroom discourse and the development and analysis of curriculum. Assessment of the effect social context and relationships have on the enactment of teaching and learning. (Oral Presentations.) Prerequisite, consent of instructor. Maximum enrollment, 12. Wieczorek, Fall; Mason, Spring.
370S Education Practicum.
Applied field experience in a K-12 functional area, including classroom instruction, guidance counseling or school administration. Mentored activities with education professionals. Semester-long placements directed toward analysis and evaluation of educational theories in practice. (Oral Presentations.) Prerequisite, 350 or concurrent enrollment and consent of director. Maximum enrollment, 15. Wieczorek.
395N Clinical Teaching Intensive Special Needs.
Each student is assigned full-time teaching responsibilities, under supervision, in a setting with learners with intensive special needs. Includes extensive practicum experience with a focus on teaching and case management. Papers and attendance at weekly seminars required. Course available to students enrolled in the cooperative program at the New England Center for Children; earns two course credits with only one course credit counting toward requirements for the minor in education studies. Evaluated Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.