Program
Education, Schooling, and Society
The primary goal of ESS is to help students acquire different and diverse perspectives on important questions in education. Education is an interdisciplinary endeavor and cannot be adequately understood from any one perspective. Therefore, the program is designed to encourage students to view educational issues through the lenses of distinct liberal arts disciplines such as anthropology, English, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, and theology. The curriculum requires students to take courses both outside their major and in two additional disciplines, enabling students to recognize that a complex approach is more likely to reveal understanding of education and of education reform.
The program provides resources for students who may want to pursue careers in education after graduation. Such careers may include teaching, working for non-profits, university research and teaching, policy making, pastoral duties and others. Many ESS students see it as a way of acquiring foundational knowledge about education in preparation for applying to the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) or other teaching-as-service programs. Students interested in pursuing professional certification as teachers during their undergraduate studies may do so through our cooperative relationship with St. Mary’s College. Contact the Undergraduate Office of the College of Arts and Letters for more information.
Curriculum Requirements
The Minor in Education, Schooling and Society consists of 15 hours, including a capstone project.
Required Course (3 credits)
ESS 33600 Introduction to Education, Schooling, and Society (must be taken by the middle of junior year)
The aim of the introductory course is to introduce some basic questions about the nature and goals of education, its history, and theoretical explanations of influences on learning, teaching, and schooling. We will incorporate both classic and current texts. The core course will incorporate several disciplinary perspectives.
Elective Courses (9 credits)
Students may choose from the 3-credit elective courses approved for ESS. These will be listed in advance of course registration each semester on our web site.
- At least 2 of these 3 courses (6 hours) must be from the list labeled "Education-Focused" courses. These courses deal directly with educational issues.
- The third course (3 hours) may be selected from either "Education-Focused" or “Education-General” courses. Ed-General courses treat educational issues as part of a broader curriculum. In education-general courses, you should identify yourself to the professor as an ESS Minor and ask to do projects and papers on topics related to education.
- Three credits of ESS 47602 Research Lab may be counted as an Education-Focused elective.
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Additional requirements:
- One elective course may be in your major field, but may not be double-counted for the major.
- The other two elective courses must be from two other disciplines outside your major.
- It may be possible to double-count an ESS elective course with a University or College requirement. Please check with the Assistant Dean of your college.
Capstone Requirement (3 credits)
All ESS minors must complete a capstone project. Please see the Capstone Tab for a detailed description of Capstone options.
Enrolling in ESS
Students apply for admission to the minor late in their freshman year or early in their sophomore year. Students should be in good academic standing and demonstrate a strong interest in issues related to the causes and consequences of learning, schooling, and educational policy. The minor is capped at around 40 students per cohort. The first step to enrolling in the minor is to schedule an appointment with associate director, Julie Dallavis (jwernick@nd.edu).To register for ESS courses, you must enroll in the minor.