Curriculum for Honors Program

First Cohort - Class of 2012
Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2008-2009	Ideas & Inquiry in Education	Introduction to Applied Research Current Issues in Education	Issues in Rural Education

2009-2010		Diversity in Rural Schools	Undergraduate Research Project

2010-2011	English Language Learners - Principles & Practice

2011-2012	Capstone Project


Second Cohort - Class of 2013
Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2009-2010	Current Issues in Education	Ideas & Inquiry in Education	Undergraduate Research Project

2010-2011	English Language Learners - Principles & Practice	Introduction to Applied Research	Issues in Rural Education

2011-2012	Diversity in Rural Schools	Capstone Project
Year	Fall	Spring
2012-2013	Capstone Project


Third Cohort - Class of 2014
Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2010-2011	Current Issues in Education	Introduction to Applied Research	Issues in Rural Education

2011-2012	Diversity in Rural Schools	Ideas & Inquiry in Education	Undergraduate Research Project
Year	Fall	Spring
2012-2013	Capstone Project

2013-2014	Capstone Project


Fourth Cohort - Class of 2015
Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2011-2012	Current Issues in Education	Ideas & Inquiry in Education	Undergraduate Research Project

2012-2013	Intro to Applied Research	English Language Learners
Year	Fall	Spring
2013-2014	Diversity in Rural Schools	Capstone Project

2014-2015	Capstone Project	Capstone Project


Fifth Cohort - Class of 2016
Year	Fall	Winter
2012-2013	Intro to Applied Research	Ideas & Inquiry in Education

2013-2014	Current Issues in Education & Diversity in Rural Schools	Undergraduate Research Project
Year	Fall	Spring
2014-2015	Capstone	Capstone Project

2015-2016	Capstone Project


Sixth Cohort - Class of 2017
Year	Fall	Winter
2013-2014	Current Issues in Education	Undergraduate Research Project

2014-2015	Intro to Applied Research	Ideas & Inquiry in Education
Year	Fall	Spring
2015-2016	Diversity in Rural Schools	Capstone Project

2016-2017	Capstone Project

Description of Courses

LEADERSHIP COURSE

Current Issues in Education (EDTE 250)
This course is designed to introduce a range of current issues in public education. The course examines societal changes (e.g. demographic, political, social, economical, etc.) and conditions that influence schools and schooling in the United States. The course is designed to facilitate students’ ability to problem-solve, begin the process of becoming agents of change, and think critically about controversial issues in public education.

INQUIRY COURSES

Ideas & Inquiry in Education (EDCI 282H)
This course is designed to expose honors students to systematic empirical inquiry. It does so on an invitational basis--that is, through activities that emphasize a curiosity about the institution of schooling and natural doubts about the nature of learning and teaching. The overarching goal of the course is to cultivate the commitment of honors students to the project of educational research. Such a commitment will help to deepen students' experience of learning to be teachers and improve their contributions to their professional preparation classes.

Introduction to Applied Research (EDRE 201)
The purpose of this course is to equip students with the skills needed to employ applied research. Students will discuss, read about and analyze different kinds of applied research as well as complete their own applied research assignment on a topic of their choosing related to education and/or schooling. Ultimately, the primary goal of this course is for students to learn how to conceptualize, design, conduct and analyze applied educational research. Upon completion of the course, students will have a foundation for implementing applied research design, understanding sampling strategies, survey construction, descriptive statistics, and qualitative inquiry.

Honors Program Undergraduate Research Project (Educational Research and Technical Writing)
(EDCI 331)
This course involves the study and application of action research as applied to issues and problems encountered in the schooling arena (including both schools and other community-based institutions that serve educative purposes and/or otherwise contribute to the schooling endeavor). Candidates who will be responsible for assessing and improving their classroom instruction as professionals will gain greater insight into the nature of action research and how it can inform practice.

DIVERSITY COURSES

Issues in Rural Education (EDCI 353H)
This course offers an introduction to rural education focusing on the history of rural education and on the social, economic, and political influences on rural schools. Two current issues—consolidation and youth out-migration—will be considered in some depth. Key concepts include place, community, lifeworld, family, and cosmopolitanism. The course will involve students in a faculty-initiated rural education research or evaluation project.

Diversity in Rural Schools (EDCI 356)
Construing diversity broadly, this course explores the extent and character of diversity in schools in the rural United States. Starting with a history of the influence of immigration and slavery on rural schools and communities, the course moves to a consideration of contemporary circumstances. It provides an overview of current demographics and introduces educational strategies and methods that assist rural educators in working with the diverse students who attend their schools.

English Language Learners – Principles and Practice (EDCI 380)
This course is designed to help non-specialist future teachers become more effective in expanding English language learners' access to the core curriculum of the mainstream classroom. To educate English learners, teachers need to know both basic principles of language learning and also specific methods of instruction. Students will participate in discussions of current research and observe best practices in teaching English language learners in a diverse urban setting.