Education and Society Courses

This course focuses on raising awareness and sensitivity to equity and diversity issues facing teachers and students in diverse schools and cultural communities. It builds knowledge of how oppression works and how cultural resources and educational practices may be brought to bear on reducing oppression and improving equity. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor.

This course examines how children and adolescents develop and explores how best to facilitate their growth and learning in the area of education. Major topics include cognitive, emotional, social, moral, physical and language development. Themes addressed include interpersonal relationships such as pro-social and aggressive behaviour, as well as the influence of schooling, family life and culture. This course includes an experiential learning component whereby students will profile a child based on their cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor. 

This course will explore the foundations of teaching as a professional practice, mainly in the Ontario context. The course focuses on theory and research underlying policies and documents such as the Ontario College of Teachers’ Foundations of Professional Practice and Ministry curriculum.  Students will engage in reflexive inquiry about educational practice and policies through class discussions, small group work, case studies and/or independent study. The course will critically examine the relationship between the principles of teaching through moral, ethical and professional practices. Prerequisite: Enrolment in the Education and Society Minor. 

This course enables students to develop an understanding of historical and contemporary issues relating to social justice in education. The course builds an anti-oppressive praxis for working in diverse educational contexts, from classrooms and schools to state institutions and non-governmental organizations. The course approaches oppression as an outcome of interrelated structures co-constructed by race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, and age, focusing on the ways in which these intersect and influence one another. Students will develop and apply research skills in the design and implementation of a social action initiative relating to an equity, diversity, or social justice issue.

This course introduces students to a multiliteracies framework through the pedagogical lens of social justice and diversity. Class participants learn to integrate the multimodalities of literacy in their teaching practice and expand their understanding of 21st-century literacy. Themes include language development, print literacy, digital literacy, critical literacy, visual literacy and multicultural perspectives on literacy. 

This course provides a historical overview and contemporary analysis of perspectives and practices of international education with a focus on international development and policy. Factors that shape the global architecture of education will be explored; these may include theories of globalization, education reform, comparative education, peace education, international schooling and global citizenship education. Students will have the opportunity to analyze education reforms and to address issues related to access and quality of learning. Restricted to students enrolled in the Education and Society Minor.

The Residential School System in Canada greatly impacted the lives of many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples who were students but also the generations that followed. This course investigates how historical ideologies and beliefs of the dominant society, supported by governments and religious institutions, created an educational system intended to erase Indigenous people of their cultural and spiritual worldviews. Students will learn about experiences of those children through their stories told through multiple sources.  For those considering a career in education, students will engage with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Final Report, the Calls to Action, teaching strategies and resources . 

Historically, Western educational systems included religious education because they were founded by religious organizations. Over time, Canadian public schools eliminated religious instruction as part of standard curriculum, in keeping with the Canadian Charter’s guarantee of religious freedom. While the curriculum and teaching pedagogies have evolved into a more secular form, students and teachers do not think and behave independently of their faith or religious worldviews. Therefore, educators must be equipped to comprehend these diverse traditions while creating a community of respect, open-mindedness and understanding in the classroom.

Students will examine the role of “multi-religious” understandings or spirituality in education using story (e.g. personal experiences), literature and current events. Possible topics may include religious literacy, spirituality in the classroom, the evolving role of religion in public education, current issues of religion and faith in schools, multifaith/interreligious/intercultural dialogues, and exploring diversity among and within different faiths traditions.