Applied Child Development

This course will help teachers understand principles of learning and cognitive, linguistic, social, and affective development as they apply to classroom practices. Students will focus on the acquisition of strategies that enable them to assess and understand how they and the children they work with are constructors of meaning. This course is designed for individuals beginning their professional development in education who plan to work with children.

Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education

This course focuses on the development and learning of children from birth through age eight. The course emphasizes an in-depth understanding of children’s developmental stages and developmentally appropriate practices with a particular focus on research. Topics include: history and background of early childhood education, observation and assessment, models and programs in early childhood, language development, children with special needs, diversity, and the role of culture and family involvement in early childhood. 

Cultural Processes and Development

This course provides an in-depth study of select aspects of children’s social and emotional lives in communities around the world. We consider the interplay of cultural, ecological, and biological processes that contribute to children’s development by examining research from different theoretical and methodological traditions. As part of this, we look at the ideological underpinnings of the writings we explore and their implications for assumptions regarding normative developmental processes and conceptions of good care and competent children.

Sociocultural Contexts of Development

This course examines children’s development in context, considering transactional and complex connections between children and the proximal and more distal contexts in which they are embedded. These contexts include families, neighborhoods, peers, and schools, as well as the economic, social, and cultural milieu surrounding children and families. 

Human Development and Disabilities

This course addresses the reciprocal relationship between human development and disability. Prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal causes of disability will be presented. Students will learn about theoretical perspectives, research, and current disagreements related to causes, identification, and treatment of disabilities. 

Child and Adolescent Trauma

This course is an introduction to trauma theory and practice with children and adolescents. Theory is framed within a developmental perspective to understand neurobiology, brain development, and attachment, and their role in children’s response to trauma and stress. Treatments are also examined within developmental context. Special consideration is given to the impact of separation from caregivers for refugee children and children placed in foster care and congregate care settings. 

Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Children

This course provides an overview of key issues that arise in the development, implementation, evaluation, and scaling of prevention and intervention programs that seek to improve children’s quality of life and equity in opportunities to thrive. Key issues include the challenges and opportunities of research-practice partnerships, the critical role of theories of change, diverse perspectives on evidence, and unintended consequences of good intentions. 

Child and Family Social Policy

This seminar provides a foundation of knowledge concerning how social policies and programs shape the lives of children and families.  We consider how research, politics, and advocacy play a role in the initiation, implementation, and evaluation of policies and programs at the local, state, and federal level.  Next we evaluate key social, economic, and educational policies which seek to respond to the needs of children and families, delineating how such policies affect individual and societal well-being both in the U.S. and internationally. 

Educational Law and Policy

This course addresses the public policy and legal aspects of the role of public and private elementary, secondary and higher education institutions in our democratic society. As a result of participation in the course, you will develop a basic understanding of public policy issues and the laws governing the provision of public and private elementary, secondary, and higher education. 

Educational Policy in Practice

This course provides an overview of educational policy, and equips students with the theories, tools, and skills to engage in policymaking as future educational leaders. We define policy broadly, considering the influence of policy at various levels, from federal and state to local districts and schools. Students will learn to use a range of tools for policy analysis, and apply different theories of policy implementation. We will also explore the differences between formal and informal policy as it plays out in the everyday practice of educational leaders and teachers; and consider the role education leaders play in interpreting and adapting policy. 

Educational Policy Analysis

This course provides a foundation for engaging in analysis of educational policy by developing students' knowledge of and experience with tools, data sources, and frameworks that form the toolkit of policy analysts. The course engages with major theories and concepts that guide public policy analysis and provides opportunity to produce novel policy analysis and critique the framing, clarity, and concreteness of published policy analyses and proposed policy tools and solutions. Students will engage with current discourse and considerations in education policy throughout the course, with a particular focus on analyzing policy for equity. By the conclusion of the course, students will be able to engage in public policy analysis and communicate policy issues and analysis that draws on their professional expertise.

Policy Issues in Family and Children's Services

This course critically examines alternatives in formulating, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs in the area of family and children’s services. It begins with an overview of methods of policy analysis. Students will acquire basic professional skills in conducting a policy analysis, advocating for change in social policy, and conducting policy research. Students will be informed about specific policies impacting children and families in the U.S., critically analyze how policies impact child and family well-being, and explore methods of advocating for effective policy development. 

Policy Analysis Research for Social Reform

This seminar offers practical training in policy analysis and research that can be applied in a wide range of practice settings. In the real world, people are continually trying to answer the following question: “What is to be done?” The main purpose of this course is to provide students with general approaches for asking and answering such questions in the policy world. Students will critically examine different policy-making frameworks and models, including the ways social problems are defined and analyzed. 

Family and Community Engagement

This course introduces participants to theories, practices, and empirical research regarding family and community engagement in schools. The focus is on how school leaders--formal and informal--enact organizational models, educational programs, and political strategies that increase authentic relationships with parents and community members. 

Educational Leadership and Change

This course evaluates traditional and emerging theories of educational leadership and organizational change and how those theories are enacted in “real world” schools and organizations. This is an introductory course for educators who are interested in learning how leadership and school change has been conceived and studied in the educational research literature and in exploring their own views on these topics.

Leadership for Social Justice

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of leadership for social justice at the school and district level. In particular, students will learn about leadership which is culturally and linguistically responsive, strengthens parent-community-school relationships, and formulates diversity policies to promote educational equity for students from diverse groups.

School Leadership for Emergent Bilinguals

This course examines the ways in which school leadership can be leveraged to support the success of emergent bilingual students. It will provide leaders with an understanding of second language acquisition, explore models of support for students, and provide a critical look at the ways in which leaders can foster excellence in instruction through coaching, supervision and professional development. 

Leadership and Social Transformation

This course prepares students to recognize transformational leadership behaviors and constructs, and to apply them through informal leadership opportunities, and, eventually, through potential formal leadership roles in organizations. The course seeks to prepare students for leadership later in their careers, while helping them recognize leadership efficacy and practice some leadership skills now. (Prerequisite: SCWK 7721)

Management of Organizations Serving Children and Families

This course equips students with the knowledge and skills that are fundamental to the effective management of CYF-serving organizations, including executive leadership, resource management, strategic management, and community collaboration. This includes a focus on different theoretical approaches to effective management, tools for measuring performance and ensuring accountability, and aspects of fundraising. 

Community Organizing and Political Strategies

This course develops skills in bringing about social change through collective action. It focuses on methods by which social workers bring about planned change in communities and organizations and provides a grounding in the theory and practice of community organizing. Students will confront issues regarding community power, conflict versus cooperation, use of the political system, strategy and tactics, and various theories of social change, using examples ranging from local neighborhood improvement to international social movements.