Education

This course introduces international education and development through three lenses. The course first examines why education is seen as important for development, drawing upon economic, rights-based, and socio-cultural perspectives. It then examines the way education is measured and targets are set for development. The course provides grounding in education and international development, with a particular focus on the challenges facing resource-constrained and rapidly expanding educational systems. 

This class provides a forum for students to discuss issues of education, development, and globalization. Seminars will be held with various development organizations. The colloquium theme will vary and include such topics as globalization of Asian models of educational development, democratization and education, etc.

This course covers the concept and areas of education, the dimensions, contexts, and agents of education, and the purposes and values of education in today's world. 

This course covers various theoretical traditions of scholarship within the sociology of education, and explores questions about the role of education in society. It explores institutional based processes, such as institutional power dynamics, teacher labelling, the curriculum and "hidden curriculum," and the construct of ability. In doing so, the course explores the processes through which educational and social inequality are generated and how alternative forms of education might address inequality.

This course explores transitions that occur in children's and adolescents' lives, including "vertical transitions," described as "developmental and predictable" and including moving on from one setting to another at the appropriate stage in education/life and "horizontal transition," described as the movement between activities during the course of a normal day. The course explores transitions that result from migration, changes in the family structure, and bereavement.

This is a special studies course with projects arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific topics of study vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. The number of units varies with the student's project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student's special study project form.

The course covers the basic concepts of human biology, the genetic bases of human development and behavior, the morphophysiology of the neuroendocrine system, developmental neurobiology, the psychobiology of cognitive, perceptual, and motor processes, and educational neuropsychology.

This course introduces fundamental structures and principles of education with the aim of broadening students’ ideas and knowledge about education systems and policy. Students are shown a diversity of approaches by highlighting European and international developments which involve an emphasis on creative pedagogical thinking and they analyze how Ireland fits into this framework. There is also an examination of the socio-cultural aims and requirements of education focusing on pedagogy but also addressing key areas of policy and practice as they relate to social justice, for example, social inclusion, race and ethnicity, gender, and belief systems.

This course examines connections between the foundations of Didactics and innovative practices in the school setting through systematic curriculum planning and teaching, emphasizing the relationship between diverse forms of knowledge within educational activities. 

This is a 15 ECTS course focused on children with special needs in family, community, and educational contexts. The course delivery is through a blended mode of lectures, tutorials, and inquiry-based project work. Students explore holistic models of conceptualizing the diverse needs of children, as well as examining and reflecting upon practical support strategies for inclusive environments. Students explore and understand the Disability Act (2005) and the process of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).