Education

This course provides students with a critical grounding in the major psychological schools that shape the field and examines how these influence educational doctrine and practices in the ‘modern’ classroom. Throughout the course, students are introduced to different ways in which human thoughts, feelings and behaviour can be examined encouraged to consider how different perspective can be used in the context of education. With the introduction of multiple theories, critical thinking skills are developed comparing and contrasting different interpretations of the similar contexts. Potential biases and assumptions are questioned each session. The assignment is an applied case study scenario. The assignment requires students to examine a case study of an individual’s circumstances and to discuss to what extent one chosen perspective is able to explain the situation. Students can decide which perspective they want to apply and are encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of those chosen perspective, building on the introductory class

This advanced course bridges theoretical understanding of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) with practical applications in English language teaching, specifically focused on the Japanese educational context. The class explores the relationship between SLA research and effective pedagogical practices across second language skills.

While the primary language ofinstruction is English, this course is provided in a bilingual format, incorporating both English and Japanese. Some readings will be in Japanese, so students need to be comfortable reading academic Japanese to get the most out of the course.

Recommended course prerequisites: Applied Linguistics (intermediate course) and/or Intermediate seminar to build a basic foundation in SLA. 

In this course, students focus on how children learn to communicate in the real world, with a particular emphasis on the communicative skills needed for survival and success in educational settings. In the first half of the course, students consider how children learn to use the kinds of complex language needed in the classroom; to what extent language learning is impacted in atypical populations (e.g. autism, DLD); how language interventions can support children’s learning; how cross-linguistic differences might impact children’s use of the language of the classroom. In the second half of this course, students consider the challenges and benefits of bilingual language development; how children engage in mind-reading for successful communication; and how children reason with one another, collaboratively think and solve problems with other individuals such as peers.

In order to create a learning environment that promotes the wellbeing of all within it, there is a need for capacity building so that everyone has the skills, knowledge, and disposition to be able to make a positive contribution to the health promoting environment. This course seeks to serve that function, having the potential to enhance student wellbeing and student ability to thrive in university and achieve success in their studies, through increasing students' capacity to be well and so contribute positively to a healthy environment and ethos in which to study. 

This course examines controversial issues related to educational policies in multicultural societies. Students explore global case studies, engage with theories of equality and justice, and critically analyze how these issues intersect with multicultural education policy. Topics include religious symbols in public schools, affirmative action, language rights, and many other issues central to multicultural education. Students debate, reflect, and develop their own policy proposals to address real-world equity challenges.  

This course undertakes a critical examination of the historical trajectory of Korean education while engaging students in in-depth reflection on its prospective vision and directions for the future. It surveys the philosophical foundations, the colonial education system, and the policies of the U.S. military government, as well as the diverse economic, political, social, and cultural forces that have shaped Korean education from the pre-1900s to the present. Special attention will be given to major sectors of education—including higher education, curriculum, teacher education, and technical education—in order to analyze the ways in which educational development has contributed to the nation’s growth and modernization. Through this inquiry, students will not only gain a comprehensive understanding of the overall evolution of Korean education but also develop a nuanced appreciation of its distinctive characteristics, interpreted through the lens of development and progress. 

This course enables students to apply key areas of psychology in the understanding and practice of post-primary education and specifically provides a clear, reflective, and critical knowledge of areas such as adolescent development, identity development through adolescence, bully/victim problems, growth mindset, intelligence, and applied issues pertinent to bereavement, separation, and divorce.

This course covers a basic introduction to education. Students explore what education is and how it differs from lifelong education and learning at home, school, company, and society.  Students learn what kind of discipline pedagogy is and explore it in practical theory. By understanding the essential aspects and functional roles of education, a basic view of education is established.

This course explores the formation and development of educational thought throughout Western history. It analyzes the influence that the rise of modern democracy - and the social, philosophical, and political transformations it entailed - had on our vision of education. As the Church's authority gradually declined in the eighteenth century with the emergence of Enlightenment ideas, new ways of thinking about the role of the state and the purpose of education emerged. Education became increasingly tied to political life and was seen as a central element for the development and stability of modern democratic societies. A central theme throughout the course, therefore, concerns the political function of education: Who should control education? Why should the state intervene? For whom is it intended? The course studies the way various thinkers have thought about the purpose of education, whether it is to shape moral character, to prepare citizens for civic life, to train workers for economic productivity or to foster personal emancipation and freedom. By studying the long and complex history of educational thought in its political and social contexts, this course offers an invaluable training for thinking critically and flexibly about the political challenges of our own time.

This course studies the historical processes, trends, and key figures in Latin American education during the 20th and 21st centuries.