Education

Students examine the present U.S. educational system and the nature of its social impact using the lenses of history, sociology and philosophy. Designed to provide the foundation for further study, this course is recommended for first-year students.

This is a required course for students wishing to minor in Outdoor Education and lead outdoor education related trips and programs for the college. Focuses on the theory and practice of the field of Outdoor Education including an exploration of historical and intellectual contexts, lesson planning, team building and group facilitation, risk management, trip and lesson planning, and skill development.

This is a 7-week course that includes a weeklong, student-led field trip over Spring Break. OTL is required for students wishing to pursue the Outdoor Education Applied Minor or lead outdoor education trips such as August Wilderness or AWPE courses. Topics covered include trip planning and preparation, risk management, lesson facilitation, and outdoor skill acquisition. Course fee: $150.

The course reflects upon the central premise that prospective teachers need both to do some teaching while they also read about teaching and its circumstances, thus integrating doing and learning. Students focus on the role of teaching and curriculum theory, while also offering experience with a teaching practicum unit in cooperation with a local school. Prerequisites: Earlham Seminar and one previous course in Education, or consent of the instructor.

This course explores the growing field of disabilities studies. Students will examine the idea of “normality” and consider how power is exercised over people with disabilities in U.S. cultures and in other cultures of the world. A variety of theoretical perspectives will be employed including feminist and critical disabilities studies.

This seminar course explores the theory and practice of experiential education through several key educational philosophies (Existentialism, Romanticism, Progressivism and Critical Theory). Students will examine how those theoretical stances inform educational practice in both formal and informal learning contexts (schools, museums, community centers, etc.) while developing a richer and more complex understanding of what some call “learning by doing.” The course will also explore specific methodologies common in the field such as project-based learning, community-based learning, and active learning.