Mission

The Cultural Studies in Education (CSE) program prepares students in two broad areas:

First, CSE is committed to studying the range of educational processes, forms of cultural production and socialization that take place beyond the borders of public schooling. These are often comprised of the multiple contexts of families, peer groups, neighborhoods, and the international community. They may include the work of youth groups, labor unions, church groups, immigration and cultural centers, community and international organizations, and friends. Students engage cultural, social and critical theories along with ethnographic methods to examine how the learning and teaching that take place in these alternative sites play a critical role in cultural and social transformation. Our hope is to re-imagine the possibilities for public schooling.

Second, CSE is dedicated to examining the cultural, social, political and economic contexts of public schooling. Students study the relationship between schooling and democracy in the face of social inequality. They engage interdisciplinary conceptual frameworks for addressing how and why schools advantage some groups over others, and how schools are contested sites for policy formation and struggles over cultural, racial, ethnic, class, gender and other identities. Students will encounter questions that deal with the sociocultural, philosophical and historical foundations of education, the politics of education, urban schooling and school reform, critical pedagogy, and globalization.

Students can focus on any of the following specific areas of scholarship:

• Social Foundations of Education (anthropological, sociological, philosophical, and historical)
• Cultural/Social Theory and Ethnography
• Policy, Politics and Social Change
• Multicultural Education

Our vision for the CSE program is an inclusive one. We encourage students to not only explore interdisciplinary knowledge, but also to specialize in other areas, such as literacy, bilingual education, curriculum studies, mathematics and science education, and technology. We are passionate about pursuing the study of ethnic diversity and cultural pluralism that characterize education in the U.S. and elsewhere; and we are committed to honoring the histories, values, and practices of different and often overlapping social and cultural groups. We hope to attract mid-career educators and educational policy makers interested in transforming education as future leaders. This program is only recommended for individuals with several years of professional experience.