Education Studies
Requirements
A) Methods Course:
Students must take one of two methods courses.
At least one of:
EDUC1100 - Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
Designed for sophomores or juniors concentrating in education studies, but also open to other undergraduates interested in qualitative research methods. Through individual research projects, readings, class exercises, discussions, and written assignments, issues related to the nature of qualitative research methods that are commonly used in education, psychology, anthropology and sociology are examined. Enrollment limited to 20. S/NC.-- OR --
EDUC1110 - Introductory Statistics for Education Research and Policy Analysis
Introduction to the key ideas underlying statistical and quantitative reasoning. A hands-on pedagogical approach utilizing examples from education research and public policy analysis. Topics include the fundamentals of probability, descriptive and summary statistics, statistical inference, bivariate and multivariate regression, correlation, and analysis of variance. Computer-based data analysis reinforces statistical concepts. Enrollment limited to 24. Written permission required.
In occasional years, one of these courses may not be available. Concentrators should plan ahead carefully with the aid of the Concentration Advisor. If the Education Department course is not available, Concentration Advisors will suggest the substitution of a comparable course in another department.
B) Area of emphasis:
Students must take no fewer than five courses in their chosen area of emphasis (Human Development or History/Policy).
Courses must be taken in the Education Department at Brown University. No substitutions, Independent Studies courses, or GISPs will count toward the emphasis requirement.
Please select area of emphasis:
C) Breadth:
At least two Education Department courses at Brown, outside the area of emphasis.
To meet this requirement, students may take courses in another area of emphasis (Human Development or History/Policy) or select from a number of additional courses, which are not in either area of emphasis. View Education Course List
D) Electives:
Up to two additional elective courses.
These ninth and tenth courses for the student’s concentration will be either Education Department courses or appropriate, previously approved, courses taken in other departments at Brown or at another institution. Only one Independent Study or GISP will count toward this requirement.
To meet this requirement, students may take any additional courses offered in the Brown Education Department or selected relevant courses (from the list below) offered in other Brown Departments. The list does not exhaust the possibilities; other courses offered by other Brown departments may be suitable for many Education concentration plans, or perhaps just for yours in particular. Be sure to discuss other possibilities with the Concentration Advisor, whose approval will be required. Also, with the approval of the Concentration Advisor, courses taken at other Universities, including Universities abroad, may be included in this section of one’s concentration, provided that these courses clearly relate to the student’s topical, methodological, or disciplinary approach to the study of education.
Brown University Courses outside the Education Department that are already approved to meet the elective component of the concentration.
- American Civilization 1610-6 The Century of the Child? Child Welfare in Twentieth-Century America
- American Civilization 1900, Section 02 (History 1980, Section 21) Researching the History of Children and Childhood in America
- Anthropology 0200 Culture and Human Behavior
- Anthropology 0250 Growing Up Ethnic & Multicultural
- Anthropology 1360 Cross Cultural Perspectives on Child Development (cannot be taken for concentration credit along with Education 1580)
- Cognitive Science 0630 Children’s Thinking: The Nature of Cognitive Development (cannot be taken for concentration credit along with Education 0800)
- Cognitive Science 1180 Topics in Cognitive Development
- Cognitive Science 1430 Child Language Acquisition
- Cognitive Science 1470 Language Learning Disorders
- Cognitive Science 1620 Cognitive Development: Cognition, Perception and Language in Infancy
- Cognitive Science 1860 Intentionality
- Computer Science 0920 Educational Software Seminar
- Portuguese & Brazilian Studies 2020-02 Problems and Current Issues in Bilingual/ESL Education: Cross-Cultural Growth and Development
- Political Science 1090 Children and Public Policy
- Psychology 0210 Social Psychology
- Psychology 0300 Personality
- Psychology 0810 Child Development (cannot be taken for concentration credit along with Education 0800)
- Psychology 1740 Relationships and Human Development
- Psychology 1900 Developmental Psychopathology
- Sociology 0020 Perspectives on Social Interaction: An Introduction to Social Psychology
- Sociology 0170 The Family
- Sociology 1410 Aging and the Quality of Life
- Sociology 1430 Social Structure and Personal Development
Honors:
Please see our Honors FAQ if the information below does not answer your questions!
Concentrators seeking to graduate with Honors must meet all requirements for the concentration. They must apply for admission to the honors program and submit a proposal for a senior honors thesis during their sixth semester, in a form and by a date established by the Department. They must also meet a minimum grade that includes more A's than B's. Candidates for honors must have completed one of the Department’s two methods courses (EDUC1100 or EDUC1110) by the end of their junior year. Students planning to spend all or part of their junior year abroad should consult with their advisor to determine whether they must take an Education Department methods course or whether they might instead substitute a comparable course available at the institution they will be attending. Finally, in addition to the ten courses otherwise required for the concentration, honors candidates must take Education 197 and Education 198 (Research and Writing in Education), in which they write a thesis under the guidance of a Thesis Advisor, and make an oral presentation of their work in progress during their last semester at Brown. (Past Honors Theses are available for reading at the Education Department upon request.)
Sample Thesis Titles (click selected titles to view abstract)
- Gender Practice and Theory in the Secondary Classroom
- Identity Development and Friendship Patterns of Adopted Korean-American Adolescents
- School Entrance, Spanish and English Language Use, and Parent-child Relationships in Kindergarten and First-Grade Language Minority Students of Mexican Descent
- The Preschool Teacher's Perception of Professionalism
- Helping To Engage: An Analysis of Helping and Help-Seeking Behaviors as they Relate to Motivation for School Involvement and Engagement
- Student Engagement in Urban School Reform: A Case Study of the Course "Reinventing Our School"
- Identity Development Within the Classroom: Latino Studies in Early Secondary Education
- Minority Female Adolescents in the Urban Landscape: Factors Associated with Delinquent Behavior
- Designing Effective Educational Media to Prepare Children for Minor Surgical Procedures: A Close Look at a Supplemental Web-Based Program Created for The Hasbro Children's Hospital
- 'To Fix a Broken City': Home Rule and the Origins of School Choice in Washington D.C.
- Does the Report Make the Grade? Analyzing Boston Globe Coverage of Boston Charter Schools, 1995-2001
- Can Charter Schools Improve Public Education? Dissemination from Boston's Laboratories of Innovation
- In Thirty Miles and Thirty Months: A Comparison of the 1968 Black Student Walkout at Brown University and the 1971 Administration Building Takeover at the University of Rhode Island
- Reframing the 'Does Money Matter' Debate: A Look at Spending on Professional Development and Non-Cognitive Outcomes
Double Concentration in Education Studies and Public Policy:
Click Here to View the Table of Requirements and Courses