Master of Arts in Education - Educational Foundations (Thesis)

The foundations of education are three distinct scholarly traditions of practice - philosophy of education, history of education, and sociology of education - that inform education and conceptualize frameworks for education research. Sociologists of education study social phenomena such as racism and homophobia and how they exist in and are affected by formal and informal educational contexts. Historians of education research documents and artifacts of value to our understanding of past educational practices and their influence today. Philosophers of education analyze key educational concepts such as 'teaching' and 'authority' and make significant distinctions for educational policy-making and practice. Here are three suggested areas of study in Foundations, each built around core course offerings: • Philosophy, History, and Sociology of Education: study all the foundations or specialize in one; learn how to use a method of inquiry for individual or collective practice.

• Value, Bias, Social Justice: examine key themes, their socio-historical influence and value for decision-making in policy and practice. • Arts, Media, and Culture: study the arts as historical, sociological, and philosophical projects in teaching, learning and research.

Once admitted to the program, students will work with the Program Coordinator to design a program plan that will focus on one of these areas, or another area of study in the field of Educational Foundations. Note: This program is a limited enrolment program, therefore applications will be reviewed after February 15th for the September start date and after November 2nd for the January start date.