Foundations of Education

The foundations of education program has a long history of offering courses for general education credit. Students may elect to take the following courses to meet requirements in the humanities and the arts, social sciences and interdisciplinary categories of the university's general education program.

These courses are offered each semester. Please visit MyNIU to see specific course offerings, locations and times.

Humanities and the Arts

EPFE 321: History of Education (3 credits)

History is more than the study of the past; it also involves the study of change and continuity. This course is an ideal choice for anyone wanting to better understand the various factors that have shaped the development of education over time in the larger context of political, social and cultural debates.

EPFE 410: Philosophy of Education (3 credits)

Do you ever wonder about your own education, wishing you could ask deeper, more critical questions? This course invites you to do just that — seek your own answers to enduring questions: Who am I? What can I know? What should I do? If you share a love of wisdom and a desire to pursue the art of questioning, you can become part of an ongoing philosophical conversation about education that spans continents and centuries.

Social Sciences

EPFE 355: Sociology of Schooling (3 credits)

Schools exist within a larger society and, at the same time, are their own unique social spaces. In this course you will pay particular attention to the various ways that educational settings — and the complex social dynamics that shape them — affect individual school experiences and, more broadly, society.

Interdisciplinary

EPFE 201: Education as an Agent for Change (3 credits)

Individuals in every society are enmeshed in powerful political, social and economic systems that are resistant to change. Occasionally, however, people do band together and challenge these systems: they picket, they march, they strike, they sit-in, they form protest organizations and demand change. In this popular general education course you will examine the complex dynamics involved in stimulating and sustaining social change and the role of education in these endeavors.

EPFE 400: Foundations of Education (3 credits)

The course uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore the reforms that shape the nation's largest social institution — public education. Drawing on historical, philosophical and sociological lenses you will examine how and why education has become a social and civil rights issue, affecting individuals, communities and nations.

Certificates of Study