Education Studies (EDST)

* EDST 065a / HUMS 065a, Education and the Life Worth LivingMatthew Croasmun

Consideration of education and what it has to do with real life—not just any life, but a life worth living. Engagement with three visions of different traditions of imagining the good life and of imagining education: Confucianism, Christianity, and Modernism. Students will be asked to challenge the fundamental question of the good life and to put that question at the heart of their college education. Enrollment limited to first-year students. Preregistration required; see under First-Year Seminar Program.  HU
MW 9am-10:15am

* EDST 107b / MB&B 107b / PHYS 107b, Being Human in STEMRona Ramos

A collaboratively-designed, project-oriented course that seeks to examine, understand, and disseminate how diversity of gender, race, religion, sexuality, economic circumstances, etc. shape the STEM experience at Yale and nationally, and that seeks to formulate and implement solutions to issues that are identified. Study of relevant peer-reviewed literature and popular-press articles. Implementation of a questionnaire and interviews of STEM participants at Yale. Creation of role-play scenarios for provoking discussions and raising awareness. Design and implementation of group interventions.  SO
MW 1pm-2:15pm

EDST 110a / AMST 115a / SOCY 112a, Foundations in Education StudiesStaff

Introduction to key issues and debates in the U.S. public education system. Focus on the nexus of education practice, policy, and research. Social, scientific, economic, and political forces that shape approaches to schooling and education reform. Theoretical and practical perspectives from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.  SO0 Course cr
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* EDST 115a, Children and BooksJill Campbell

as cross listing with ENGL 115, Children and Books as cross listing with ENGL 115, Children and Books  WR
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

* EDST 125a / CHLD 125a / PSYC 125a, Child DevelopmentAnn Close and Carla Horwitz

This course is first in a sequence including Theory and Practice of Early Childhood Education (CHLD127/PSYCH 127/EDST 127) and Language Literacy and Play (CHLD 128/PSYCH 128/EDST 128). This course provides students a theoretical base in child development and behavior and tools to sensitively and carefully observer infants and young children. The seminar will consider aspects of cognitive, social, and emotional development. An assumption of this course is that it is not possible to understand children – their behavior and development—without understanding their families and culture and the relationships between children and parents. The course will give an overview of the major theories in the field, focusing on the complex interaction between the developing self and the environment, exploring current research and theory as well as practice. Students will have the opportunity to see how programs for young children use psychodynamic and interactional theories to inform the development of their philosophy and curriculum. Weekly Observations:-Total Time Commitment 3 hours per week. Students will do two separate weekly observations over the course of the semester. They will observe in a group setting for 2 hours each each week at a Yale affiliated child care center.  Students will also arrange to do a weekly 1 hour observation (either in person or virtually) of a child under the age of 6. Students must make their own arrangements for these individual observations. If it is not possible to arrange a child to observe, please do not apply to take this course. For a portion of class meetings, the class will divide into small supervisory discussion groups. Priority given to juniors, seniors, Ed Study students.  WR, SO
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EDST 140a / PSYC 140a, Developmental PsychologyFrank Keil

An introduction to research and theory on the development of perception, action, emotion, personality, language, and cognition from a cognitive science perspective. Focus on birth to adolescence in humans and other species. Prerequisite: PSYC 110.  SO
MW 9am-10:15am

EDST 144a / ER&M 211a / EVST 144a / SOCY 144a, Race, Ethnicity, and ImmigrationStaff

Exploration of sociological studies and theoretical and empirical analyses of race, ethnicity, and immigration, with focus on race relations and racial and ethnic differences in outcomes in contemporary U.S. society (post-1960s). Study of the patterns of educational and labor market outcomes, incarceration, and family formation of whites, blacks (African Americans), Hispanics, and Asian Americans in the United States, as well as immigration patterns and how they affect race and ethnic relations.  SO0 Course cr
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EDST 160a / PSYC 150a, Social PsychologyMaria Gendron

Theories, methodology, and applications of social psychology. Core topics include the self, social cognition/social perception, attitudes and persuasion, group processes, conformity, human conflict and aggression, prejudice, prosocial behavior, and emotion.  SO
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* EDST 162a / SOCY 162a, Methods in Quantitative SociologyDaniel Karell

Introduction to methods in quantitative sociological research. Topics include: data description; graphical approaches; elementary probability theory; bivariate and multivariate linear regression; regression diagnostics. Students use Stata for hands-on data analysis.  QR, SO0 Course cr
TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm

EDST 177b / AFAM 198b / CGSC 277b / EP&E 494b / PHIL 177b, Propaganda, Ideology, and DemocracyJason Stanley

Historical, philosophical, psychological, and linguistic introduction to the issues and challenges that propaganda raises for liberal democracy. How propaganda can work to undermine democracy; ways in which schools and the press are implicated; the use of propaganda by social movements to address democracy's deficiencies; the legitimacy of propaganda in cases of political crisis.  HU0 Course cr
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EDST 180a / PSYC 180a, Clinical PsychologyJutta Joormann

The major forms of psychopathology that appear in childhood and adult life. Topics include the symptomatology of mental disorders; their etiology from psychological, biological, and sociocultural perspectives; and issues pertaining to diagnosis and treatment.  SO
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

EDST 201b / ECON 210b, Economics of EducationDaniela Morar

Application of basic economic concepts and empirical methods to the analysis of education. Topics include the economic return to secondary and postsecondary education, the quality of elementary and secondary education, the market for teachers, inequality in education attainment, and school choice. Prerequisites: ECON 108, 110, or 115. A prior course in statistics or econometrics is helpful but not required.  SO
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* EDST 205b, Principles of Effective Teaching in the Secondary ClassroomMelissa Scheve

Children across America spend roughly 12,000 hours in school from kindergarten through grade 12. How those instructional hours are spent dramatically impacts students’ academic and personal well-being. Many studies have demonstrated that teacher quality matters to students’ long-term outcomes including graduation and job placement. In this course, we delve into the essential principles of being an effective teacher, focusing specifically on the U.S. secondary classroom. Building community, designing culturally sustaining curriculum, teaching inclusively, and assessing students authentically are a handful of the principles we explore together through articles about teacher practice, video examples of classroom practice, and students opportunity to enact some of these practices during class. Each student is paired with a current secondary public school teacher across America to engage in a case study of effective teaching throughout the seminar. By the end of this course, you learn some core principles of effective teaching, gain an understanding of the complexities of enacting effective teaching practices given educational inequities, conduct a case study about effective teaching, and practice some aspects of secondary teaching.  EDST 110 is recommended. Preference given to Education Studies Scholars and juniors and seniors interested in post-graduate careers in teaching.  SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 209a / AFAM 239a / AMST 461a / ER&M 292a / WGSS 202a, Identity, Diversity, and Policy in U.S. EducationCraig Canfield

Introduction to critical theory (feminism, queer theory, critical race theory, disability studies, trans studies, indigenous studies) as a fundamental tool for understanding and critiquing identity, diversity, and policy in U.S. education. Exploration of identity politics and theory, as they figure in education policy. Methods for applying theory and interventions to interrogate issues in education. Application of theory and interventions to policy creation and reform.  WR, HU
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 211b / ER&M 406b, Latinx Communities and Education in the United StatesDiana Cordova-Cobo

This course is an interdisciplinary and comparative study of Latinx communities and their experiences with K-12 education in the United States. The Latinx population in the United States continues to grow, with the Census Bureau projecting that the Latinx population will comprise 27.5 percent of the nation’s population by 2060.[1] In fact, in 2018, more than a quarter of the nation’s newborns were Latinx.[2] Yet, even as the Latinx population continues to grow, the education field has a relatively broad understanding of Latinx communities in the United States–frequently treating them as a monolith when designing everything from curriculum to education reform policies. To understand why such an approach to education studies may yield limited insight on Latinx communities, the course draws on research about the broader histories and experiences of Latinx communities in the United States before returning to the topic of K-12 education. EDST 110 Foundations in Education Studies recommended.  SO
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 223b / PLSC 223b, Learning Democracy: The Theory and Practice of Civic EducationAmir Fairdosi

This is a seminar on the theory and practice of civic education. We begin by investigating philosophies of civic education, asking such questions as: What is civic education and what is its purpose? What knowledge, skills, and values promote human flourishing and the cultivation of a democratic society? What roll can and should schools play in this cultivation? In the next part of the course we focus on civic education in practice, exploring various approaches to teaching civics and the empirical evidence in support of each method’s effectiveness. We also discuss variations in access to civic education opportunities across socioeconomic, demographic, and national contexts, and how societies might deal with these disparities.  SO
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* EDST 225b, Child Care, Society, and Public PolicyJessica Sager and Janna Wagner

Exploration of societal decisions about where children under the age of five spend their days. Topics include where young children belong; how to regulate, pay for, and support child care arrangements; consideration of gender, race, and family finances; and the profound impact of these decisions on the well-being of children, families, and the economy. Assignments draw heavily on student insights and reflections. Preference in enrollment will go to students who have taken EDST 110, with Education Studies Scholars receiving priority.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 228a / CHLD 228a / PSYC 305a, Contemporary Topics in Social and Emotional LearningChristina Cipriano

While our nation's youth are increasingly more anxious and disconnected than ever before, social and emotional learning, or SEL, is being politicized by arguments without empirical evidence. The reality is that due in part to its interdisciplinary origins, and in part to its quick uptake, what SEL is, why it matters, and who it benefits, has garnered significant attention since its inception. Key questions and discourse over the past three decades include if SEL skills are: another name for personality, soft skills, 21st century skills, or emotional intelligence, are SEL skills stand-alone or do they need to be taught together and in sequence, for how long does the intervention need to last to be effective, how do you assess SEL, are SEL skills culturally responsive and universally applicable, and can SEL promote the conditions for education equity? In this seminar, students unpack these key questions and challenge and evolve the current discourse through seminal and contemporary readings, writing, and artifact analyses. Students are provided with the opportunity to engage critically with the largest data set amassed to date of the contemporary evidence for SEL.  Prerequisite: CHLD 125, or PSYC 125, or EDST 125.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 230b, American Education and the LawWilliam Garfinkel

Interactions between American elementary and secondary school education and the American legal system, with a focus on historical and contemporary case law. The relationship between schooling and the state; constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law governing the rights and responsibilities of educators, students, and parents; equal educational opportunity. Recommended preparation: EDST 110. Preference to Education Studies Scholars.  SO
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 232a / PLSC 232a, US Federal Education PolicyMira Debs

Though education policy is typically viewed as a state and local issue, the federal government has taken a significant role in shaping policy since the end of World War II. The centralization of education policy has corresponded with changing views in society for what constitutes an equitable educational opportunity. This class is divided into three topics: 1) the federal role in education broadly (K-12) and the accountability movement in K-12: from the No Child Left Behind Act to the Common Core State Standards (and cross-national comparisons to US schools), 2) federal role in higher education, and 3) the education industry (teachers unions and think tanks). EDST 110 recommended.  SO
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

EDST 237a / LING 217a / PSYC 317a, Language and MindMaria Pinango

The structure of linguistic knowledge and how it is used during communication. The principles that guide the acquisition of this system by children learning their first language, by children learning language in unusual circumstances (heritage speakers, sign languages) and adults learning a second language, bilingual speakers. The processing of language in real-time. Psychological traits that impact language learning and language use.   SORP0 Course cr
TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm

* EDST 238a / PLSC 238a, The Politics of Public EducationJennifer Berkshire

Examination of the deep political divides, past and present, over public education in the United States. Fundamental questions, including who gets to determine where and how children are educated, who should pay for public education, and the role of education as a counter for poverty, remain politically contested. The course explores these conflicts from a variety of political perspectives. Students learn journalistic methods, including narrative, opinion and digital storytelling, developing the necessary skills to participate in the national conversation around education policy and politics.  WR, SO
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 241a, Disability Studies and Special Education: Science, Policy and PracticeKimberley Tsujimoto and Joan Bosson-Heenan

This course explores disabilities in the context of K-12 education, including historical and current models of disabilities as they relate to special education and disability discourse. Focuses include education policies and barriers to accessible and equitable education and a range of topics including diagnostic criteria, inclusive and segregated classrooms, access to resources and accommodations, and intersectionality between disabilities, mental health, and diversity (e.g., race, sex). The final section of the course examines the provision of evidence-based interventions and best supports for students with disabilities. EDST 110 recommended.  SO
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 255b / AFAM 259b / AMST 309b, Education and EmpireTalya Zemach-Bersin

This course offers an introduction to the transnational history of education in relation to the historical development of the U.S. empire both at home and abroad. By bringing together topics often approached separately—immigration, education, race, colonialism, and the history of U.S. empire—we interrogate the ways that education has been mobilized to deploy power: controlling knowledge, categorizing and policing differences, administering unequal paths to citizenship/belonging, forcing assimilation, promoting socio-economic divides, and asserting discipline and control. EDST 110 recommended.  HU
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 261b, Colloquium: Readings in Education StudiesTalya Zemach-Bersin

This colloquium, required for all newly admitted YES Scholars, supplements the curriculum by introducing scholars to a range of topics, methods and approaches to education studies, acquainting them with the expertise and contributions of faculty teaching in the YES program and their fellow students, and providing them with opportunities for leadership, reflection, and collaboration. While building a cohort community, students will read key texts in the field of education studies and participate in research methods trainings. Assignments include weekly readings, an ongoing class blog, leading class convenings, research methods training, and collaborative final projects. Prerequisites: EDST 110 and acceptance into the Education Studies MAP.
W 7pm-8:50pm

* EDST 263a / AFAM 261a / AMST 263a, Place, Race, and Memory in SchoolsErrol Saunders

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and widespread, multiracial protests calling for racial justice across the United States, there is a renewed interest in the roles that schools play in perpetuating racial disparities in American society and the opportunities that education writ large might provide for remedying them. As places, schools both shape and are profoundly shaped by the built environment and the everyday experiences of the people that interact with them. Teachers, administrators, students, and parents are impacted by the racialized memories to explain the past, justify the present, and to move them to action for the future. These individual and collective memories of who and where they are, and the traumas, successes, failures, and accomplishments that they have with regard to school and education are essential to understanding how schools and school reforms work. Grounded in four different geographies, this course examines how the interrelationships of place, race, and memory are implicated in reforms of preK-12 schools in the United States. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach to study these phenomena, borrowing from commensurate frameworks in sociology, anthropology, political science, and memory studies with the goal of examining multiple angles and perspectives on a given issue. EDST 110 recommended.  SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

EDST 271b / AFAM 146b / ECON 171b, Urban Inequalities and Educational InequalityGerald Jaynes

Analysis of contemporary policy problems related to academic under performance in lower income urban schools and the concomitant achievement gaps among various racial and ethnic groups in United States K-12 education. Historical review of opportunity inequalities and policy solutions proposed to ameliorate differences in achievement and job readiness. Students benefit from practical experience and interdisciplinary methods, including a lab component with time spent in a New Haven high school.  Prerequisites: Any course offered by Education Studies, or one course in history or any social science, either: Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology.  EDST 110 is preferred, although not required.  SO
TTh 10:30am-11:20am

* EDST 274b, College in PrisonZelda Roland

The history, present, and future of higher education in prison seen through the perspective of practitioners, students, alumni, faculty, theorists, and higher ed policymakers. Topics include: prison education and abolition; liberal arts in prison; the history of higher education in the U.S.; the 1994 Pell grant ban for incarcerated students and the coming restoration of Pell access; citizenship and education; town-gown relationships, reparations, and higher education; the idea of criminality and the idea of studenthood; and the history of the Yale student body.  EDST 110 recommended.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 281a / HIST 404a / HUMS 303a / PLSC 281a, What is the University?Mordechai Levy-Eichel

The University is one of the most influential—and underexamined—kinds of corporations in the modern world. It is responsible both for mass higher education and for elite training. It aims to produce and disseminate knowledge, and to prepare graduates for work in all different kinds of fields. It functions both as a symbol and repository of learning, if not ideally wisdom, and functions as one of the most important sites of networking, patronage, and socialization today. It is, in short, one of the most alluring and abused institutions in our culture today, often idolized as a savior or a scapegoat. And while the first universities were not founded in the service of research, today’s most prestigious schools claim to be centrally dedicated to it. But what is research? Where does our notion of research and the supposed ability to routinely produce it come from? This seminar is a high-level historical and structural examination of the rise of the research university. We cover both the origins and the modern practices of the university, from the late medieval world to the modern day, with an eye toward critically examining the development of the customs, practices, culture, and work around us, and with a strong comparative perspective. Topics include: tenure, endowments, the committee system, the growth of degrees, the aims of research, peer-review, the nature of disciplinary divisions, as well as a host of other issues.  HU, SO
Th 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 282b / PLSC 417b, Comparative International EducationMira Debs

Around the world, education is one of the central institutions of society, developing the next generation of citizens, workers and individuals. How do countries balance these competing priorities? In which ways do countries converge on policies, or develop novel approaches to education? Through the course, students learn the a) impact of colonialism on contemporary education systems, b) the competing tensions of the demands of citizen and worker and c) how a variety of educational policies are impacted around the world and their impact on diverse populations of students. EDST 110 Foundations in Education Studies recommended.  WR, SO
Th 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 283a / AFST 285a, Children's Literature in AfricaStaff

This course introduces students to oral and written literature by/for and/or about children in Africa: from its oral origins in riddles, lullabies, playground verse, and folk narratives, to written texts in the form of drama, poetry, and prose. The course examines representative texts of the genre to address its historical background/development and explore its distinctive (literary) qualities. Major themes and social issues that are dealt with in African children’s literature (including cultural notions of childhood, gender, and power) as well as critical approaches to the genre are considered.  HU
T 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 285b, Educational Design: The Form and Function of Schooling and LearningRichard Lemons and Leslie Torres-Rodriguez

This course explores the physical, chronological, structural, and curricular design of schools and classrooms that impact the educational community and the development of students. Using organizational theory and design thinking, students learn how to help schools better align to the learning needs of students. This course is especially ideal for students interested in founding their own schools or educational organizations. Prerequisite: EDST 110 is recommended.  SO
W 7pm-8:50pm

* EDST 290a, Leadership, Change, and Improvement in EducationRichard Lemons

Analysis of the most significant challenges faced by the United States educational system, drawing upon research from a range of academic disciplines to understand how schools and districts operate and why certain educational challenges persist, sometimes over multiple generations of students. Students will study successful educational improvement efforts to better understand the political and organizational strategies necessary to improve student experiences and outcomes at scale, as well as the leadership practices necessary to successfully implement and sustain such strategies. Preference given to Education Studies Scholars or others who have taken EDST 110.  SO
W 7pm-8:50pm

* EDST 340a / AFAM 455a / ER&M 438a, Anti-Racist Curriculum and PedagogyDaniel HoSang

This seminar explores the pedagogical and conceptual tools, resources and frameworks used to teach about race and racism at the primary and secondary levels, across diverse disciplines and subject areas. Moving beyond the more limited paradigms of racial colorblindness and diversity, the seminar introduces curricular strategies for centering race and racism in ways that are accessible to students from a broad range of backgrounds, and that work to advance the overall goals of the curriculum.   SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 400a, Senior Capstone (Fall)Talya Zemach-Bersin

The first course in the yearlong sequence, followed by EDST 410/EDST 490 preparing students for a thesis-equivalent capstone project and overview of education studies methodologies and practical research design.  Prerequisites: EDST 110 and two Education Studies electives. Enrollment limited to senior Education Studies Scholars.
T 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 410b, Senior Capstone (Spring)Talya Zemach-Bersin

The second course in the yearlong Education Studies Scholars capstone sequence where students conduct a rigorous project on a topic of their choice in education research, policy, and/or practice.  Enrollment limited to senior Education Studies Scholars.
T 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 436a / PSYC 436a, Translating Developmental Science into Educational PracticeJulia Leonard

Recent insights from developmental psychology and neuroscience on synaptic plasticity, critical periods, metacognition, and enriched environments are ripe for application to improve children’s lives. Yet sometimes the translation of research into practice is a bridge too far. In this course, we discuss cutting-edge research in developmental cognitive and neural sciences and examine how these findings can inform policy and educational practice.  SO
T 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 490b, Senior Essay Independent StudyTalya Zemach-Bersin

Independent research under faculty direction, involving research, policy or practice resulting in a final capstone paper. This course is open to Education Studies Scholars who are completing their capstone, in lieu of taking EDST 400 or EDST 410. To register for this course, students must submit a written plan of study approved by a faculty mentor to the Director of Undergraduate Study no later than the end of registration period in the term in which the course is to be taken. The course meets biweekly (every two weeks), beginning in the first week of the term. Prerequisite: EDST 110.
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