Undergraduate Course Information

 

Fall 2024 Undergraduate Course Planning Guide

The following are current courses in the department. Please note that all courses are not taught each semester.

101. Issues and Trends in Education.  (3h) Educational issues and trends with a focus on K-12 schools and teachers. Focus will vary by instructor.  Courses can be repeated if topic differs. (D)

102L. Field Lab I. Exploring School Communities. (2h) Field experience and seminar with a focus on K-12 schools in surrounding communities. Pass/Fail only.

103A. Preparing for Community Engagement. (1.5h) Prepares students to extend their education beyond the classroom setting. Includes a focus on community-engaged service, mentoring, tutoring, teaching, and learning. Pass/Fail only.

103B. Participating in Community Engagement. (1.5h) Allows students to learn more about and participate in community-engaged service as part of a tutoring/mentoring practicum experience. Course can be repeated if topic differs. Pass/Fail only. P-POI

120. Personal Framework for Career Exploration. (1.5h) First course in the College to Career series. Focuses on Student self-assessment including personal attributes such as values, interests, personality/temperament, strengths, and beliefs. Begins the process of connecting student attributes with the exploration of options in the world of work. Open to all students, but designed especially for first- and second-year students. Half semester.

201. Educational Policy and Practice. (3h) Philosophical, historical, and sociological foundations of education, including analysis of contemporary accountability systems. (CD, D)

202. Field Experience One. (2h) Practical experiences in classrooms. Weekly public school experience and seminar. Pass/Fail only.

203. Methodology and Management Lab. (2h) Elementary education students observe classroom pedagogy and gain teaching experience in a diverse elementary school classroom through weekly observations and WFU seminars. Pass/Fail only. P- EDU 102L or POI

204 Integrating Literacy, Technology and the Arts across the Elementary Curriculum. (2h) Practical strategies for integrating literacy, technology and the arts in all areas of the elementary curriculum, including math, science, social studies and health. C-EDU 250.

205a. Developing Literacy and Communication Skills in Elementary Schools, K-2. (2h) Implementing research-based strategies for teaching and assessing reading, writing, listening and speaking in grades K-2. P—POI.

205b. Developing Literacy and Communication Skills in Elementary Schools, Grades 3-6. (2h) Implementing research-based strategies for teaching and assessing reading, writing, listening and speaking in grades 3-6. P—POI.

206. Assessment for Positive Student Outcomes. (2h) An exploration of K-6 assessment models and strategies to support positive student outcomes. C-EDU 250.

220. Options in the World of Work. (1.5) Second course in the College to Career series. Explores structure of the world of work, job functions and roles. Focus on nature and expectations of the world of work, including exploration of opportunities aligned with interests of students, and correlation between careers and education, career trajectories, graduate school, employment trends and the unique role work plays in creating meaning in the life of the individual. Open to all students, but designed for first- and second-year students. Half semester.

221. Children’s Literature. (2h) Surveys the types and uses of literature appropriate for elementary grades, including multicultural literature.

222. Integrating the Arts and Movement into the Elementary Curriculum. (2h) Surveys the materials, methods, and techniques of integrating the arts and physical development into the elementary curriculum. P-POI.

223. Theatre in Education. (3h) Practical experience for theatre and education students to work together with children in the classroom using theatre to teach core curriculum. Emphasizes methods and techniques as well as the development and implementation of creative lesson plans. Weekly public school teaching experience and seminar. Also listed as THE 270.

231. Adolescent Literature. (3h) This course focuses on the reading and interpretation of classic and contemporary young adult literature across genres.

250. Student Teaching/Seminar: Elementary. (10h) Supervised teaching experience in grades K-6. Full-time. Includes a weekly reflective seminar. Service Learning. Pass/Fail only. P-POI.

293. Elementary School Curriculum. (3h) Seminar in which student teachers reflect on all aspects of the elementary school curriculum, including meeting the needs of diverse learners, lesson planning, best practices, classroom management and leadership. P-POI.

294. Teaching Elementary Language Arts. (3h) Methods and materials for teaching language arts, including adaptations for diverse and exceptional learners. P-POI.

295. Teaching Elementary Social Studies. (3h) Methods and materials for teaching social studies, including adaptations for diverse and exceptional learners. P-POI.

296. Elementary Mathematics Methods: Inquiry Teaching and Learning. (3h) Methods and materials for teaching elementary Mathematics content, including adaptations for diverse and exceptional learners. P-POI.

298. Elementary Science Methods: Inquiry Teaching and Learning. (3h) Methods and materials for teaching elementary Science content, including adaptations for diverse and exceptional learners. P-POI.

300. School Leadership. (1h) Development of leadership skills within the context of school and professional learning communities. P—EDU 250.

304. Social Justice Issues in Education. (3h) This course facilitates exploration of issues of social justice and schooling from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It includes a focus on multicultural education, global awareness, issues of equity in school funding, urban and rural education, poverty, and marginalized populations. (CD, D)

307. Instructional Design, Assessment, and Technology. (3h) Introduction to contemporary technologies and their applications for supporting instruction, assessment, and professional practice. P-EDU 311.

309L. Introduction to Secondary Education. (2h) Practical experiences in classrooms with focus on secondary classrooms and students. Public school experience and seminar. Pass/Fail only. P-EDU 102L, or POI.

310. Race, Class, and Gender in a Color-blind Society. (3h) Examines issues surrounding race, class, and gender in the U.S. Topics include income and wealth, theories of discrimination, public education, gender bias, and patterns of occupational and industrial segregation. Also listed as AES 310.

311. Learning and Cognitive Science. (3h) Theories and principles of cognition applied to teaching and learning. (CD, D)

312. Teaching Exceptional Children. (3h) Examines the various types of learning differences in K-12 schools. Emphasis is on instructional planning, identification of interventions, and assessment techniques to support diverse learners.

315. Literacy Interventions. (3h). Strategies for assessing the literacy skills of students who struggle with reading and writing and providing them with appropriate interventions. Students attend seminars focused on diagnosis and remediation, provide remedial instruction for one student, and complete a research case study on that student. Service Learning.

316L. Elementary Literacy Interventions. (2) A field experience for elementary education candidates focused on early literacy, including diagnosis and remediation of reading and writing skills. Public school experience and seminar. Pass/Fail only. P-POI.

320. Strategic Job Search Processes. (1.5h) Third course in the College to Career series. Provides students with the fundamental knowledge, strategies, and skills required to conduct an effective job search including professional written and verbal communication; interviewing techniques, networking and other job search strategies; the branding and marketing of oneself; and evaluating offers and negotiation. Half semester. P – EDU 120 and 220 or POI.

330. Fathers and Daughters. (3h) Explores father-daughter relationships in contemporary American society through an interdisciplinary lens of film, literature, music, theater, media, and social science research. P-sophomore standing.

337. TESOL Linguistics. (3h) Introduces the theoretical and practical linguistics resources and skills for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) within the U.S. or abroad. Also listed as LIN 337. P—LIN/ANT 150 or ENG 304; knowledge of a second language is recommended.

353. Language in Education. (3h) This seminar explores the role of language in education contexts. Topics include the study of bilingual and bicultural education, second language education, cross-curtural education, and communication in the classroom. Service-learning component. Also listed as ANT 353. (CD)

354A. Teaching Secondary English. (3h) Methods and materials used in teaching secondary English. P-POI

354B. Teaching Secondary Mathematics. (3h) Methods and materials used in teaching secondary mathematics. P-POI.

354C. Teaching Secondary Social Studies. (3h) Methods and materials used in teaching secondary social studies. P-POI.

354D. Teaching Secondary Science. (3h) Methods and materials used in teaching secondary science. P-POI.

354E. Teaching World Languages. (3h) Methods and materials used in teaching world languages. P-POI.

354L. Field Lab III. (2h) Practical experiences in classrooms with focus on pedagogy and content. Weekly public school experience and seminar. Pass/Fail only. Service Learning. C-EDU 354.

360. Professional and Life Skills. (1.5h) Fourth course in the College to Career series. Transition to life and work after college. Discusses work ethics and etiquette, work relationships, and ongoing career management. Also covers personal skills such as budgeting and financial management, stress management, and avocations. Course applies liberal arts education to successful, meaningful like after college, including creation of an e-portfolio demonstrating professional competencies gained through the course of their Wake Forest experience. Senior standing only. Half semester.

364L. Field Lab IV. (9h) Supervised teaching internship in grades 9-12. Full-time, 15-week field experience. Pass/Fail only. Service Learning. C-EDU 365.

365. Professional Development Seminars. (3h) Analysis and discussion of problems and issues in secondary school teaching. Examination of research and practice-based strategies. Pass/Fail only. C-EDU 364L.

368. Professional Experiences in Education. (3h) This course offers students a placement in an educational setting under the supervision of a professional mentor. During this internship, students examine a critical topic in a local school, a community agency, a nonprofit organization, or other educational setting. P—POI.

373. Comparative & International Education. (3h) A study of various historical, political, economic, and social issues shaping education in selected countries throughout the world. The course aims to expand student understanding of differing educational and pedagogical structures and comparatively investigate educational issues around the globe. (CD)

374. Student Teaching Seminar. (1.5h) Analysis and discussion of problems and issues in the teaching of particular secondary subjects (English, mathematics, science, second languages, social studies). Emphasizes the application of effective instructional methods and materials.

377. Literacy in the 21st Century. (3h) This course examines the impact of emerging literacy trends on 21st century students in a digital, global world.

382. Teaching Elementary Reading. (3h) Methods and materials for teaching reading, including adaptations for diverse and exceptional learners. P-POI.

388. Writing Pedagogy. (3h) This course blends theory and practice, providing students from all content areas with a foundational understanding of writing-pedagogy methods and approaches. Topics of study will include writing across the curriculum, writing research, and assessment of writing.

390. Methods and Materials for Teaching Foreign Languages (K-6). (3h) Surveys basic materials, methods, and techniques of teaching foreign languages in the elementary and middle grades. Emphasizes issues and problems involved in planning and implementing effective second language programs in grades K-6.

395. Teaching Diverse Learners. (3h) This course addresses diversity in the classroom, particularly the needs of English Learners (EL) and exceptional children (EC). Examines differentiated instruction with appropriate instructional and behavioral strategies to meet the needs of all students.