华盛顿大学

The Social and Cultural Foundations program addresses fundamental questions about the meaning, purpose, and significance of education in society. It explores education from the perspective of the humanities and liberal arts, as well as from the perspectives of different stakeholders in society, using tools of analysis based in history and philosophy.

Schools are the subject of frequent and passionate debate. Citizens, taxpayers, parents, teachers and administrators debate not only what should be taught, but whom and with what methods; but how schools should be organized and funded; who should be included in classrooms and decision-making; and on what principles and standards schools should be governed. In Social and Cultural Foundations students examine these debates and explore the significance of education in society.

The aim of the MEd program in Social and Cultural Foundations is to develop knowledge and clarify thinking about matters of value and value conflict in (and outside of) America schools. In pursuit of this aim we explore the meaning of social values such as equality, opportunity, pluralism and community and how they have been pursued through education.

An MEd student in Social and Cultural Foundations:

is able to identify and critically engage the public purposes of schooling

recognizes how the multiple and often competing purposes of schools in society show up in policy and practice

recognizes that schools are sites of social and historical struggle for many

is able to recognize what's at stake in an educational issue from more than one perspective

knows and understands how social values and public purposes are often in tension in education and with each other

does not expect to find easy resolutions of such tensions, but is inclined to wrestle with ways to balance or manage them in policy and practice

understands that he or she is implicated in ongoing struggles over education, equity and purposes of schools