Education for Social Justice
Quick Facts
- Modality: In-person program
- Credits: 12
- Length of Program: Variable
- Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Overview
The graduate certificate in education for social justice affords students (and non-degree seeking community members) an opportunity to engage in thoughtful, rigorous, and sustained inquiry into social justice struggles in P-20 classrooms, schools, and educational systems. The certificate also affords participants an opportunity to inquire into the complex relationships between P-20 schooling and broader cultural, economic, political, and social structures, policies, and practices. The certificate offers a range of topical and methodological vantage points to study social justice and education.
This breadth of opportunities for inquiry is possible because SOE faculty who participate in the certificate work in a range of educational subfields, including educational administration, higher education, mathematics education, multicultural education, science education, social foundations, social studies education, and student affairs. Our work draws from an array of professional experiences, disciplinary tools, and intellectual and political traditions.
Although our backgrounds, perspectives, and interests are different, we are bound by a shared belief that socially and politically meaningful engagement in and with P-20 institutions, the communities they serve, and the broader social order requires sustained critical reflection and dialogue about the (contested) meanings of social justice, as both an idea and a practice. We view this critical reflection and dialogue as the guiding force of the certificate and something we aim to foster in all of our courses and field experiences.
Curriculum
The Education for Social Justice graduate certificate is a 12-credit certificate. All students seeking the certificate must take ELPS 6200: Education for Social Justice, which introduces students to various social justice topics in P-20 education (note: ELPS 6200 is not a prerequisite for other courses in the certificate). The course is offered annually in the Fall semesters. The additional 9 credits may be taken from a list of approved courses.
There is no required field experience, however, up to 3-credits of field experience credits may be taken to fulfill the 12-credit requirement for the ESJ certificate. All field experiences should be coordinated individually with an SOE faculty member. Field experiences may not be taken until after the completion of ELPS 6200.
EDUC 5200 – Bilingualism, Bilingual Education, and Latinx Youth*
EDUC 5220 – Teaching and Learning Iowa History
EDUC 5770 – Historical Perspectives on Technology Equity: Implications for Policy and Practice
EDUC 5780 – Pedagogy, Equality of Opportunity, and the Education of Blacks in the U.S.**
EDUC 5830X – Inequality & Education*
EDUC 5930F – Workshops: Social and Cultural Studies
EDUC 5900F – Special Topics: Social and Cultural Studies
EDUC 6900F – Advanced Special Topics: Social and Cultural Studies
ELPS 6200 – Education for Social Justice (core, required course)*
ELPS 6210 – Pedagogies of Dissent*
ELPS 6220 – Decolonizing Praxis*
ELPS 6240 – Critical Race Theory
ELPS 6250 – Gender and Sexuality in Education
ELPS 5910 – Social Justice Field Experiences*
EDADM 6510 – Ethics, Spirituality, & Social Justice in Administrative Practice
RESEV 6800 – Critical Issues in Qualitative Research**
HGED 5930 – Workshops
HGED 5730 – Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Student Affairs (limited to students in Student Affairs)*
HGED 6730X – Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education**
*Runs every year
**Runs every other year
If no asterisk, runs depending on faculty availability
For a full description of the courses, please review the Iowa State University course catalog.