Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Studies
Meredith Madden
Meredith Madden's research focuses on decolonial studies in education and social inequalities in education.
Education Studies
You will tailor your own education coursework with the support of faculty, and your studies will be fully integrated with Hamilton's innovative liberal arts curriculum. Local schools will become your classroom because you will put in at least 75 hours of fieldwork there.
About the Minor
One of the most revealing indicators of a college’s educational quality is the number of educators it produces: It's no coincidence that 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 in education.
The education minor designation provides an opportunity for us to specialize in another field, too, far better than my friends who went to teaching schools. Ultimately, I feel far more prepared to meet my goal of a career in education rather than simply a career in a classroom.
Carter Dorsett ’17 — public policy major, education studies minor
A member of Hamilton’s Education Studies Program Committee will help each education minor determine a course of study that fits his or her interests. When they’re in the field, students will observe teachers, tutor and coach, study with administrators and policymakers, plan enrichment programs, work in resource rooms and more.
Careers After Hamilton
- Teacher, Temple Israel Hebrew School
- School Social Worker, Bloomfield School District
- Attorney
- President/CEO, Planned Parenthood
- Learning Disabilities Teacher, Lincoln-Sudbury High School
Meet Our Faculty
Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Arjun Shankar
Arjun Shankar studies theories in globalization and development, literary and visual ethnography, affect theory, and curiosity studies.
A Sampling of Courses
Methods of Tutoring English to Speakers of Other Languages 201F
Prepares students to perform as ESOL tutors by providing discussion of the practical approaches, methods and techniques tutors use in classroom settings. Using a communicative curricula that emphasizes function over form, this course addresses language teaching methods, interactive strategies for integrated learning for non-native speakers or English language learners and limited English proficient students. Discussion of the concept of culture helps tutors recognize the influence of culture on patterns of thinking and behaving, and language acquisition.
View All CoursesTechnology in Education: Issues and Opportunities 250
What is the difference between learning from technology and learning with technology? This course explores the role of technology in learning and critically analyzes the cognitive, social, political, and logistical aspects of education technology in the K-12 public school setting. Students will research and develop a learning model incorporating technology in a proposal for a specific grade range in a public school system of the future. Hands-on experiences critically assessing technology in constructivist based learning are required. Oral Presentations.
View All CoursesExperiencing Empathy 297S
Explores the education landscape in New Orleans, Louisiana during the years since Hurricane Katrina through on-site interviews and filmmaking. Course involves travel to the city for one week during spring recess. Students engage in approximately 14 pre- and post-travel training and discussion sessions as well as one week of interviewing and filmmaking in New Orleans. Focus on developing empathy through contact with and representations of subjects.
View All CoursesCuriosity: An Ethnographic Approach 308S
Examines education as a site to analyze shifting cultural, political, and economic processes. The course will use the concept of curiosity as a fulcrum by which to dig into these debates: who can be curious, about what, when, and why? What are the economic, political, and social processes that enable or constrain curiosity for different populations? Students will create podcasts based on fieldwork across Hamilton’s campus. They will use ethnographic techniques to identify the manifestations of curiosity while learning the tenants of rapport building, ethics, and research-based narrative.
View All CoursesDesign, Development, and Delivery of Instruction 333
Study of theoretical and practical approaches to the design, development, delivery, and assessment of learner-centered instruction. Topics include planning and organizing instructional messages, adapting to learner styles, using Socratic discourse, integrating instructional technologies, and identifying classroom teacher prerogatives. Experiential sessions and videotaping. Oral Presentations.
View All CoursesEducation Practicum 370S
Applied field experience in a K-12 functional area, including classroom instruction, guidance counseling or school administration. Mentored activities with education professionals. Semester-long placements directed toward analysis and evaluation of educational theories in practice. Oral Presentations.
View All CoursesToday and Tomorrow
