Teacher Education: Holy Cross offers a Teacher Education Program in its Department of Education. In order to enter the program, students are required to take EDUC 167 and EDUC 169 (preferably in their first and/or second years). After taking these courses, students may apply to the Teacher Education Program.
Minor: Students interested in an Education minor must take an introductory course before declaring the minor. For those interested in teaching, learning, or school counseling we recommend EDUC 167; those interested in educational studies or policy we recommend EDUC 169. It is recommended that students begin courses for the minor no later than sophomore year.
EDUC 167
Educational Psychology
Common Area: Social Science
This course introduces students to major approaches in psychology and their relationship to education. We will examine the implications of psychological theories of learning, human development, and motivation for educational policies and practice. Students will be invited to explore their own beliefs regarding teaching and teachers, learning and learners. Students will be encouraged to reflect on how they fit into these relationships and to discover their own philosophies of teaching and learning. This course includes a community-based learning component.
EDUC 169
Schooling in the United States
Common Area: None
This course is an introduction to the problems and possibilities of public schooling in the United States. In it, students will consider big questions—questions about the purpose of school, about who should be educated, about what should be taught, and about the factors that constrain decision-making. In order to get a range of perspectives on those questions, the course will utilize a number of disciplinary lenses—history, sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, etc.