* EDST 0165a / EDST 065 / HUMS 0650a, Education and the Life Worth Living  Matthew 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.   HU
MW 9am-10:15am

* EDST 1015a, Literature Seminars  Jill Campbell

Exploration of major themes in selected works of literature. Individual sections focus on topics such as war, justice, childhood, sex and gender, the supernatural, and the natural world. Emphasis on the development of writing skills and the analysis of fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction prose.  WR, HU
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

EDST 1110a / AMST 1110a / SOCY 1012a, Foundations in Education Studies  Staff

Introduction to key issues and debates in the U.S. public education system with a focus on the nexus of education theory and research, policy and pedagogy. The course emphasizes social, scientific, economic, and political forces that shape approaches to schooling and education reform, and it includes theoretical and practical perspectives from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.  SO  0 Course cr
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* EDST 1125a / CHLD 1250a / PSYC 125 / PSYC 1425a, Child Development  Ann 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
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

EDST 1144a / EDST 144 / ER&M 2511a / EVST 1144a / EVST 144 / SOCY 1700a, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration  Staff

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.  SO  0 Course cr
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EDST 1160b / PSYC 1500b, Social Psychology  Maria 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
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

EDST 1177a / AFAM 1398a / CGSC 2770a / PHIL 1177a, Propaganda, Ideology, and Democracy  Staff

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.  HU  0 Course cr
HTBA

EDST 1180a or b / EDST 180 / PSYC 1700a or b, Clinical Psychology  Staff

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  0 Course cr
HTBA

EDST 1201b / ECON 2210b, Economics of Education  Daniela 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 and ECON 117. A prior course in statistics or econometrics is helpful but not required.  SO
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* EDST 1235b / AMST 2239 / WGSS 2239b, Education and the Culture Wars  Talya Zemach-Bersin

Examination of the historical development and politics of the “culture wars” with a focus on how battles over the “soul of America” have focused on the American education system. Conflict over "American values” issues like abortion, gay marriage, and religion are compounded by legal battles over federal funding and school choice. Study of interdisciplinary readings from law, politics, history, and cultural studies. EDST 1110 recommended.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

EDST 1237a / LING 1179a / PSYC 3317a, Language and Mind  Maria 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.   SO  RP  0 Course cr
TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm

* EDST 1261b, Colloquium: Readings in Education Studies  Talya Zemach-Bersin

This colloquium, required for all newly admitted Scholar Intensive Certificate students, introduces a range of topics, methods and approaches to education studies, acquainting them with the expertise of faculty teaching in the Education Studies 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 prepare to undertake a capstone in Education Studies. EDST 1110 and acceptance into the Education Studies Scholar Intensive Certificate.
W 7pm-8:50pm

EDST 1271b / AFAM 1946b / ECON 2171b / EDST 271, Urban Inequalities and Educational Inequality  Gerald 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 1282a / PLSC 3411a, Comparative International Education  Mira 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 1110 recommended.  WR, SO
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 1350b / CHLD 3500b / EDST 350, Autism and Related Disorders  Mariana Torres-Viso, Kelly Powell, and James McPartland

Weekly seminar focusing on autism and related disorders of socialization. A series of lectures on topics in etiology, diagnosis and assessment, treatment and advocacy, and social neuroscience methods; topics cover infancy through adulthood. Supervised experience in the form of placement in a school, residence, or treatment setting for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Details about admission to the course are explained at the first course meeting. Prerequisite: an introductory psychology course.  SO
HTBA

* EDST 1372a / HUMS 3372a / PLSC 3372a, Idolizing Education  Mordechai Levy-Eichel

What is learning? What is education? And why is it so easy to ask, yet so damn hard to answer these questions? Is there something wrong with these queries, with the assumptions we have about them—and what assumptions are those, anyways? This course will be an examination of the history, sociology, politics, and philosophy of education, as well as a critical examination of the scholarly study of education. Although there has probably never been more research into learning and schools, our presuppositions about what education should be have, in fact, narrowed and hardened. This course aims both to break and to refresh them. Examples will range chronologically from ancient to modern times, and will be taken from a broad range of traditions and institutions. Particular attention will be paid to the origins and growth of the research university, and the costs and benefits involved in the modern institutionalization of learning. We will focus on—in the words of a noted, but now neglected Yale psychologist (Seymour Sarason)—how education has, especially in modern western societies like ours, become both “scapegoat and salvation.”
Th 10:30am-12:20pm

* EDST 1436b / EDST 436 / PSYC 4360b, Translating Developmental Science into Educational Practice  Julia 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
W 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 2209b / AFAM 2339b / AMST 4461b / ER&M 1692b / WGSS 2202b, Identity, Diversity, and Policy in U.S. Education  Craig 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. EDST 1110 recommended.  WR, HU
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 2225a, Child Care, Society, and Public Policy  Janna Wagner and Jessica Sager

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. EDST 1110 recommended.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 2230b, American Education and the Law  William 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. EDST 1110 recommended.  SO
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 2232a / PLSC 3251a, US Federal Education Policy  Eleanor Schiff

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 1110 recommended.  SO
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 2238a / EDST 238 / PLSC 3233a, The Politics of Public Education  Staff

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
T 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 2245b, Designing and Evaluating Educational Interventions in the Global South  Staff

This course explores how education systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which support the learning of tens of millions of children, can be strengthened through effective, context-responsive innovations and interventions. We will examine a variety of aspects of education systems - such as teacher training, curriculum, financing, and school leadership – through the lenses of policy reform and innovation. Throughout the course, students will develop policy analysis skills by researching and designing knowledge-based innovations and interventions implemented in local and global contexts. EDST 1110 recommended.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 2270b / AMST 4447b / ER&M 3567b, Contemporary Native American K-12 and Postsecondary Educational Policy  Matthew Makomenaw

This course explores Native American educational policy issues, programming, funding, and success. Native American representation in policy conversations is often incomplete, complicated, or relegated to an asterisk resulting in a lack of resources, awareness, and visibility in educational policy. This course examines the challenges and issues related to Native education; however, the impetus of this course centers on the resiliency, strength, and imagination of Native American students and communities to redefine and achieve success in a complex and often unfamiliar educational environment. EDST 1110 recommended.  SO
W 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 2274b, College in Prison  Zelda 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 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 1110 recommended.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* EDST 2285b, Educational Design: The Form and Function of Schooling and Learning  Richard 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. EDST 1110 recommended.  SO
W 7pm-8:50pm

* EDST 2290a, Leadership, Change, and Improvement in Education  Richard 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. EDST 1110 recommended.  SO
W 7pm-8:50pm

* EDST 3107b / EDST 107 / MB&B 1070b / PHYS 1070b, Being Human in STEM  Staff

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. OpEd writing project and design and implementation of an intervention project focusing on improving belonging in Yale STEM communities.  SO
MW 1pm-2:15pm

* EDST 3127b / CHLD 1270b / PSYC 1427b, Theory and Practice of Early Childhood Education  Carla Horwitz

The course deals with development and delivery of curricula for young children ages 3-6 and the current context of educational reform and debate. Goals are to deepen insights through critical analysis of educational programs for young children in light of current research and developmental theory and to understand how culture and political context contribute to the practice of education. Regularly scheduled seminar discussions and workshops that engage students with learning materials emphasize the ongoing dynamic process of developing emergent curriculum and focus on methods of creating a responsive, inclusive environment; planning and assessment; appreciating cultural and linguistic diversity; teachers’ roles; anti-bias education; working with families; conceptualizing the professional challenges of collaborating on a teaching team within the organization of the school; standards and accountability and the role of policy and advocacy in educational change. The course will use newspaper and magazine articles and other recent media as primary sources in addition to current research and other texts. Students must arrange to do a weekly one-hour observation (in-person or virtually) of a child under age 6 and an additional 2 hour in-person classroom observation at Calvin Hill Day Care Center or another Yale-affiliated child care center. Total observation time commitment is 3 hours per week. If you are unable to find a child to observe, please do not register for this class. CHLD 125 is recommended. Permission of instructor is required. Priority given to juniors, seniors, and Ed Study students.  WR, SO  RP
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* EDST 3128b / CHLD 1280b / PSYC 1428b, Language, Literacy, and Play  Ann Close and Carla Horwitz

The focus of this course will be to demonstrate the complicated role that play has in the development of language and literacy skills. A major part of each topic presentation will be a discussion of the role that play has in the curriculum in enhancing these developmental areas. There is a widespread consensus that play is an essential component of a developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum. Research indicates that play enhances a child’s creativity, intellectual development and social emotional development. Because learning to play, learning language and learning literacy skills are all part of the process of thinking and communication, the course will provide a view which attempts to demonstrate the integration of language, literacy and play in an early childhood education curriculum. Theoretical aspects of each of these developmental areas will be examined first, and it will be that theoretical understanding which will be the basis upon which ideas about curriculum will be explored, experienced and discussed. Students must arrange to do a weekly one-hour observation (in-person or virtually) of a child under age 6 and an additional 2 hour in-person classroom observation at Calvin Hill Day Care Center or another Yale-affiliated child care center. Total observation time commitment is 3 hours per week. If you are unable to find a child to observe, please do not register for this class. Permission of instructor. Enrollment priority will be given to juniors, seniors, and Education Studies Certificate students.  WR, SO  RP
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* EDST 3205b, Effective Teaching in the Secondary Classroom, Humanities  Melissa 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 1110 recommended.  SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 3207b / EDST 207, Effective Secondary Teaching, STEM  Erica Watson

American students in grades Pre-K-12 spend about 12,000 hours in school, with studies highlighting the need for quality teaching that can ultimately guide learners towards graduation, job placement, and a broader view of the world at large. During this course we explore secondary STEM pedagogical practices by integrating anti-racist practices into community building, curriculum design, inclusive teaching, assessment, and more. Each student enrolled in this course is paired with a current secondary STEM school teacher (“Partner Teacher”) in New Haven Public Schools to engage in a semester-long case study of effective STEM teaching, and each Yale student teaches one lesson in the respective partner teacher’s class, all culminating in an understanding of the complexities of enacting anti-racist teaching within the STEM classroom and lab. EDST 1110 recommended.  SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

* EDST 3350a, Alternative Approaches to Pedagogy  Mira Debs

Alternative approaches to teaching and learning extend from preschool to university. These alternative approaches include student-centered learning through extended projects emphasizing student autonomy and choice, hands-on materials, and learning outdoors. Through readings and school observations in sites around New Haven, the course examines Freire’s critical pedagogy, Indigenous approaches to education both past and present, Dewey & Progressive Education, Montessori, place-based learning and forest schooling, home schooling, and alternative approaches to university pedagogy. Prerequisite: EDST 1110 recommended.  WR, SO
Th 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 3820a / MATH 4820a, Senior Seminar: Math Education Topics  Miki Havlickova

The goal of the seminar is to explore topics of mathematics education at the college level, and work on presentation and teaching skills that can be useful in the classroom and in other settings. Everyone has several opportunities to practice teaching in the seminar, with guidance about explaining new material, choosing examples, implementing active learning strategies, and other skills. In other lessons, we discuss papers on pedagogy and classroom case studies. We also have sessions on public speaking, belonging in math, grading, and other topics relevant to mathematics instruction. The course is open to students in any major. It cannot be used as a mathematics elective. Seniors majoring in Mathematics or Mathematics + Philosophy may use the seminar to fulfill the senior requirement. In the pilot year, enrollment will be limited to 12 students, selected through an application process during April registration. MATH 225 or MATH 226, and MATH 255 or MATH 256
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

* EDST 4400a or b, Senior Capstone I  Talya Zemach-Bersin

The first course in the yearlong sequence, followed by EDST 4410/EDST 4490 preparing students for a thesis-equivalent capstone project and overview of education studies methodologies and practical research design.  Enrollment is limited to Education Studies Scholar Intensive students in their senior year (fall 2025) and spring of their junior year (spring 2026 onwards).
HTBA

* EDST 4410b, Senior Capstone II  Eleanor Schiff

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 theory and research, policy, and/or pedagogy.  Enrollment is limited to Education Studies Scholar Intensive students in their senior year.
T 9:25am-11:15am

* EDST 4490b, Senior Essay Independent Study  Eleanor Schiff

Independent research under faculty direction resulting in a final capstone paper. This course is open to Scholar Intensive Certificate students in the second semester of their capstone, in lieu of taking EDST 4410. To register for this course, students must submit a written plan of study approved by their faculty advisers to the instructor no later than the end of registration period in the term in which the course is to be taken. Students will continue to meet regularly with their advisers and follow the assignment sequence established in EDST 4410.
HTBA