Education Studies

The process of education is critical to a society still moving toward its democratic ideals.

The Education Studies Department supports and stands in solidarity with the mass movement for Black Lives and commits to continuing to work and learn--in our classrooms, with students, in our department, and in our communities--towards the demands of this movement.

The four-year non-licensure education studies program focuses on education as a discipline within the liberal arts. Students investigate topics such as the sociology of education, the political economy of education systems, and theories (critical and traditional) of learning and development as well as engage in cultural, historical and philosophical studies of education. The major culminates with students conducting authentic research via a two-semester capstone experience.

The Education Studies curriculum pursues a vision of the critical educator who investigates the highly contested meanings and processes of education; the transformative intellectual who is aware of personal agency and power to transform communities, guided by intellectual curiosity and whose response to the knowledge base is mediated by reflection, critical thinking and inquiry; and the public pedagogue, defined as an intellectual who demonstrates skill competence, communication and interpersonal skills, knowledge and understanding of human development and human diversity, and the ability to engage broad contradictory world views. (The full Education Studies mission can be found here.)

Education studies fulbright Winners

Kandyce Anderson

Kandyce Anderson

After completing a year of research in New Zealand on a project titled "Positive Affirming Spaces: Tools to Cultivate Sense of Self in Maori Youth," Kandyce went on to pursue a doctorate in education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kaela Goodwin

Kaela Goodwin

Kaela taught English in Thailand for a year through an English Teaching Assistantship. Kaela, who hopes one day to make efforts to reform American schools, showed special interest in learning more about Thailand's education system and policies.


Jackie Rueda

Jackie Rueda

With her U.S. Student Scholarship, Jackie conducted research in Brazil at the Universidade Federeal da Bahia (UFBA) in the department of gender and diversity. Her research examined identity intersections that involve race, class and sexuality and investigates bi/multi-valence.

Stephanie Ramos

Stephanie Ramos

Stephanie received an English Teaching Assistantship which she used to travel to Paraguay to teach English.