EDUC 511 Critical Perspectives on Public Education
This seminar engages candidates in a deep examination of the historical, political, and cultural forces that shape public education in the United States. Drawing on traditions of critical theory and pedagogy, students analyze how power, policy, and ideology influence curriculum, access, and equity. Candidates will interrogate the myths, structures, and narratives that sustain educational inequality while exploring possibilities for democratic renewal. The course challenges educators to articulate informed, ethical, and transformative responses to the realities of schooling in a diverse society. The purpose of this course is to prepare graduate students to critically examine public education as a complex and contested system shaped by historical, political, and ideological forces. Candidates will analyze how power operates through policy, curriculum, and institutional structures, and how these forces influence educational opportunity and outcomes. Emphasis is placed on developing the capacity to question dominant narratives, engage with multiple perspectives, and articulate informed positions on key issues in education. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to approach educational practice with critical awareness, ethical responsibility, and a commitment to equity and democratic ideals. Offered in Spring.
Prerequisite
Matriculation in the Master of Education degree program.