Education Studies

The goal of the Education Studies Program is to provide knowledge of the history of theory in the study of education as well as a methodological orientation to inquiries in education.

About the Minor

With the support of faculty mentors, Hamilton students tailor their own education coursework. Local schools become their classroom as students observe teachers, tutor and coach, study with administrators and policymakers, plan enrichment programs, work in resource rooms, and more. Education consistently ranks as one of the top fields in which Hamilton graduates begin their careers. Many teach in private schools or work in volunteer teaching corps; others advance to graduate study.

A Sampling of Courses

Urban Education

Shaped by social, political, and economic forces, urban schools reflect diverse societal issues and inequalities. In this course, students will first examine the historical foundation in which issues and inequalities in urban schools are rooted by exploring such topics as urban development and distribution of economic opportunity, migration, immigration, segregation, housing and rezoning. Next, students will explore how inequalities impact urban schools and then how experiences in urban schools reproduce inequalities of access and opportunity to education.

Explore these select courses:

What is education? How is education manifested in individuals, schools, and society? We’ll start the term by examining the nature of knowledge. Then, we’ll turn to how people learn, before proceeding to think about how we can teach others. Finally, we’ll look at schools, how they are and how they could be. We’ll focus on philosophical questions at the roots of education and learning. Readings will be both historical and contemporary and will include a diverse range of views.

Whose knowledge matters? How do students experience claims to knowledge? How does critical pedagogy disrupt traditional hierarchies in educational institutions and foster the inclusion and engagement of multiple voices, experiences and diverse knowledge? This course explores of the theories and praxis of critical pedagogy. Oppression, privilege, power and critical points of transformation will be examined in context of curriculum, instruction, and students' classroom experiences across education contexts (K-12 and higher education).

No longer an alternate methodology or supplemental approach for K-16 education, the dominant emergence of online learning now requires an accelerated set of decisions around equity, inclusion, the role of teacher, learner, and technology, academic rigor and the future of the American public education system. Online learning theories and models will be examined and experienced through interviews with practitioners, readings, and application of virtual instructional design, development and delivery practices.

While human communities have always been connected to one another in important ways, recent history has seen a quickening of transportation and communication, increasing the circulation of people, objects, and forms across significant distances. What are the effects of such circulation, for whom, and in what geographies? How does such circulation shaped education around the world? We will examine several "problem-spaces" relevant to the study of education, such as globalization and race, immigration, global testing and assessment regimes, education and human rights, etc. (Same as ANTHR 329).

Investigation of critical topics/issues/contexts of educational leadership using the pillars of engaged citizenship, social innovation, and transformational leadership. Some topics to be addressed are: Qualities of Leaders; Federal Policies and Leadership; State Leaders, Local Leadership; K-12 Administrators as Leaders; Teacher Leadership, and Parental Leadership (e.g. Opt Out, Advisory Boards, Classroom Volunteers, Parent-Teacher Associations. This seminar will draw on Hamilton’s network of education leaders at the Federal, State, and Local levels for in-class lectures and discussions.

All Courses Requirements

Meet Our Faculty

Chaise LaDousa

Chair, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Anthropology; Director of Education Studies

cladousa@hamilton.edu

language and culture, particularly the ways in which institutions serve as loci for cultural production

Chenyu Wang

Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology

cwang1@hamilton.edu

service-learning and volunteerism; international development and education; comparative education; critical pedagogy in global context; race and education in the American South; race theory

Tracy Facchini

Lecturer in Education Studies

tfacchin@hamilton.edu

Richard Hunt

Lecturer in Education Studies

rhunt@hamilton.edu

Explore Hamilton Stories

Taking a Path to Higher Ed Leadership

Ty Kunzman ’20 plans to celebrate his Hamilton graduation by heading right back to school. In June he’ll begin work on his Master of Education in Student Affairs Practice in Higher Education at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and Development.

Gordon ’22 to Teach at Shady Hill School, Pursue M.S. Education

Jeremy Gordon ’22 will participate in a one-year teacher preparation program, while simultaneously obtaining an accelerated master’s in education from Lesley University.

Diamond Jackson ’21 to Study Education Policy at Harvard

Jackson’s wide breadth of experience will be put to use at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she’ll study education policy. Jackson cites her Hamilton experiences and guidance from Lecturer in Sociology Meredith Madden as key factors in her decision to pursue a path in education policy.

Careers After Hamilton

Hamilton graduates who minored in education studies are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including:

Teacher, Temple Israel Hebrew School
School Social Worker, Bloomfield School District
Attorney
President/CEO, Planned Parenthood
Learning Disabilities Teacher, Lincoln-Sudbury High School

Explore Our Spaces

The Kirner-Johnson Building, also known as KJ, houses the offices for faculty members in education studies. The building features an atrium, team rooms for working on group projects, and five case-method classrooms with the latest technology to support teaching and learning.