Topics

Assorted topics related to the field of education and education-related issues. May be repeated with different topics for credit. May not be taken pass/fail.

Current Semester Information

290A: Tps:Intro to Educ Policy

Tps:Introduction to Education Policy Analysis

In this course students will engage in the analysis and development of policy. In spite of the fact that the term 'policy' is contested, ambiguous, and multifaceted, a shared literature assumption is that policy statements reflect the 'voice' and 'gaze' of 'power', that they seek to resolve a perceived problem and that both the 'problem' and the policy solution emerge from an value-laden ideological matrix or world view.

The course is grounded in a critical theory perspective. It is believed that citizen-educators need 'the tools to think deeply and critically about education policy and that among these tools are knowledge about major research findings, analytic frameworks and important political theories'. (Fowler, v)

The course will focus on policy analysis as a method of inquiry and will examine the theoretical and ideological frameworks that underlie policy to reveal the character of social priorities. As an ethical artifact, policies reflect regulatory systems of 'power'. Statutes may be analyzed to reveal parallel constructions of crime and justice. Policies may also be investigated to determine the political response to such catalysts as economic change, demographic trends or ideological shifts.

Throughout the course students will engage in the policy writing process to develop practical experience in how policies are developed, implemented and assessed.