Education

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.

This ccourse is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course enables students to: be familiar with the structure of education systems in the developed world; recognize the goals of knowledge transmission, socialization, and selection typically pursued by education systems; be knowledgeable about sociological theories dealing with education; understand selection mechanisms enacted via education systems; identify the interests of the various stake-holders involved in educational activities; grasp the key features of the comparative approach to the study of teaching and learning processes; apply a set of tools for analyzing educational policies (as, for example social inequality) and thus interpret them, convey their principal characteristics and assess their outcomes.

This course explores issues of diversity and multiculturalism as part of the civic education process. Students first read theoretical writings that highlight the importance of dealing with different types of diversity as part of education in a democratic state. Students then examine the Israeli educational system as a case study that deals (for better or for worse) with such issues, examining the following topics: national diversity, religious diversity, racial diversity, gender diversity, and linguistic diversity. Finally, the course discusses several pedagogical approaches that enable teachers and practitioners to address such topics in the classrooms. Throughout the course, students reflect on their personal stances and roles in this regard.

In this course, students develop an understanding of what is involved in acquiring and using language as discourse skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). 

This course studies English morphology, focusing on basic concepts, internal structure of English words, and the nature of word-formation processes. It also examines strategies for and issues surrounding teaching vocabulary. Topics include vocabulary and speaking, vocabulary frequency and size, incidental vocabulary learning, and various learner strategies. The course also helps students develop some creative ideas on how to teach vocabulary based on cooperative learning-based teaching methods. 

This course provides a theoretical and practical introduction to the field of peace education. It examines philosophical, psychological, cultural, pedagogical, and curricular elements of peace education as well as program evaluation issues in peace education, and as such, students will develop an understanding of the theories and practices of effective peace education in schools, workplaces, communities, or other relevant contexts. At ICU, peace education can be placed within the larger interdisciplinary framework of international education, i.e., multicultural studies, development education, environmental education, peace studies, international service learning, community and social psychology, gender studies, and international relations. Peace education has emerged over the last sixty years as a platform to achieve the goals set out in the mandate of the United Nations to create a global culture of peace. Cultures of peace aim to promote respect for life and non-violent methods of resolving conflict using education (broadly defined) with a focus on teaching the values of tolerance and human rights. Education as a form of cultural violence is being increasingly examined by many national and international organizations. 

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1) Understand, analyze, and compare basic principles and theories of peace education;
2) Apply the knowledge of the above principles and theories to specific peace education problems, questions, and/or issues, and
3) Understand the basic mechanics of evaluating peace education’s pedagogical or instructional strategies using empowerment evaluation methods.