FAQs
What are the Foundations of Education?
Foundations of Education is an interdisciplinary approach to the examination of educational phenomena drawing from the humanities and social sciences. Areas of study include:
- Historical Foundations of Education
- Philosophical Foundations of Education
- Social Foundations of Education
- Comparative and International Education
As first stated in 1996 by the Council of Learned Societies in Education and then reiterated in 2001 by the Council of Social Foundations of Education, the purpose of foundations study is to bring disciplinary resources and methodologies from history, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology to bear in developing interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives on education, both inside and outside of schools.
- Interpretive Studies: study the intent, meaning, and effects of education and educational institutions including schools, in diverse social contexts.
- Normative Studies: examine and explain education and educational patterns in light of value orientations; probe the inevitable normative assumptions underlying educational thought and practice; encourage students to develop their own value positions on the basis of study and reflection.
- Critical Studies: employ democratic values to assess educational beliefs, policies, and practices in light of origins, influences, and consequences; identify contradictions and inconsistencies among social and educational values, policies, practices.
What programs of study are available in the Foundations of Education?
- M.S.Ed. Foundations of Education
- Certificate of Graduate Study in the Foundations of Education
- Undergraduate Certificate of Study in Philosophy of Education
Who studies the Foundations of Education?
- Anyone interested in understanding how social, philosophical, and historical differences affect education.
