Education Sophomore
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Swarthmore College Education —> The Program —> The Sophomore Paper
The goals of the Education Program at Swarthmore are to enable students to investigate educational theory, policy, research and practice from a variety of disciplinary perspectives as well as to prepare students to enter the teaching profession, to work in the areas of educational research or policy and/or to do graduate study in Education or a related field. The Program encourages undergraduates to think critically and creatively about the processes of teaching and learning and about the place of education in society. The Program also is committed to preparing undergraduates to equitably and responsibly meet the needs of all students in an era of rapidly increasing racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity and technological change and to develop students' abilities to fully participate in the civic, cultural and economic arenas To this end, both its introductory and upper level courses necessarily draw on the distinctive approaches of Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Economics and History. Students interested in Education at Swarthmore may complete the requirements for teacher certification and/or design a Special Major in Education and another discipline in either the Course or Honors Program.
There is no major in Education but Special Majors with Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology-Anthropology are regularly approved and Special Majors with other fields such as Biology, Art, English, and Computer Science can be developed. Special Majors involving Education usually include ten to twelve credits and can take two forms:
- Six credits in the discipline outside of Education and at least four credits in Education
- At least five credits in Education and five credits in the discipline outside Education.
In the case of all Special Majors involving Education, both departments collaborate in advising the student, and a thesis or a comprehensive examination integrating work in the two fields is required. The prerequisite for all students doing Special Majors involving Education is Education 14, Introduction to Education. All Special Majors are individually designed in conjunction with an advisor in Education to address the student's field of interest. Normally the requirements of the major department are used in determining the nature of the senior comprehensive exercise.
Students designing Special Majors in conjunction with Psychology are expected to take four core courses in the Psychology department, courses in the 30's, and either a double credit thesis or a comprehensive exam. Students may also choose to do a "special topics" independent study, in which they pursue a topic in more depth. Those students who plan to do both student teaching and a double credit thesis need to begin thesis work during the spring of their junior year, complete the thesis in the fall, and student teach in the spring of their senior year. (Education 16 and 17 will not normally be counted as part of a Special Major in Psychology and Education.)
Students designing Special Majors in conjunction with Sociology-Anthropology are expected to do a double credit thesis. For students who will also complete the requirements for teacher certification, we recommend to students that they 1) do their thesis during the spring of their junior year and one semester of their senior year or 2) do a large part of the thesis during the summer between junior and senior years and finish the thesis during the semester they don't student teach.
Students designing Special Majors in conjunction with Linguistics are expected to do a senior paper or thesis (one or two credits) which integrates their study in Education and Linguistics.
Students designing Special Majors in conjunction with Political Science are expected to do either an oral thesis or a written thesis, normally one credit, which integrates their study in Education and Political Science.
The Program in Education will support two kinds of minors:
- Teaching and field-based minor. Students will complete at
least 5 education credits that focus on educational practice and
the integration of theory and practice in school placements. This
minor will normally be done in conjunction with teacher
certification. The credits that comprise this minor are
Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Methods seminar, Practice
Teaching (2 credits), and one of the following: Educating the
Young Learner, Adolescence or Child Psychology and Practice.
- Educational studies minor. Students will take at least 5 credits in discipline-based education courses. For this minor, students will identify a focus and describe how two or more of the courses or seminars they are proposing for the minor are related to this focus. Possible foci include but are not limited to educational policy, educational psychology, school and society, urban education, environmental education, literacy, gender and education, and special education. EDUC 016 and 017 will not count toward an educational studies minor.
Students requesting credit in Education for course or field work done abroad need to have taken one course in Education at Swarthmore. This course may be taken before or after study abroad. Please see Program Chair for tentative approval of credit before doing Foreign Study.
Specific courses in Education can be used to meet requirements in Women's Studies, Black Studies, and Public Policy. Please see the course listings for each concentration, or consult with the Concentration coordinator.
Education offers an Honors Program both as part of a Special Major and as a Minor. Education offers a Major Honors option for Special Majors in conjunction with English, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology/Anthropology (and other Departments with the approval of both Education and the second Department). It also offers students the option of doing Education as a Minor in Honors.
Special Major Honors Program in Education
Major Honors programs will involve 11/2 to 3 two-credit preparations in Education. The following options are possible: two preparations in Education and two in the other discipline that is part of their Special Major; three preparations in Education and one in the other discipline; or two and a half preparations in Education and one and a half in the other discipline (or one and a half preparations in Education and two and a half in the other discipline) when students do a double credit thesis which integrates the two disciplines and the thesis receives one credit from each department. Students applying to do Honors work as part of a Special Major must have taken Introduction to Education and at least two other Education courses and have received an average grade of B+ in their Education courses before they will be accepted to the program.
Special Major Honors preparations in Education will consist of the following types:
- In every case the Major program will involve a two-credit thesis (This thesis may also serve as the integrative piece of the Special Major, in which case the thesis will be supervised/read by a faculty member outside of Education as well.)
- Two-credit Education seminars. In order to enroll in seminars as part of a Major Program, students will need to have taken Introduction to Education and at least one of a specified list of Education courses as prerequisites. Each seminar will have its own list of prerequisites.
- One-credit Education courses, plus one-credit attachments, which are designed by the student and supervising faculty member.
Minor Honors Program in Education
Students completing a Minor in Education will complete a total of five credits in Education, including Introduction to Education, two other Education courses and 1. or 2. below. They will also be expected to have a B+ average in their Education courses.
- A two-credit seminar. In the case of the Minor, students will be expected to do three courses in Education as prerequisites for taking a seminar, including Introduction to Education in all cases, and two elective courses, the nature of which will be specified for each seminar.
- A one-credit Education course and a one-credit attachment. Students choosing this option will have taken Introduction to Education and at least two other courses in Education in addition to the course and attachment.
Senior Honors Study for Majors and Minors
Senior Honors Study in Education, for both Special Majors and for Minors, consists of developing a portfolio. It is not credit bearing. In the spring of their senior year, Honors students in Education will prepare portfolio materials for examiners by 1) choosing a paper (or papers) from a preparation in Education (up to 4000 words for minors and 6000 words for Special Majors); and 2) writing a short (two to three page) intellectual autobiography or narrative that explains why they have chosen the paper(s) in their portfolio and how they fit into their overall program of study in Education.
External Exams
The External Exams will take one of two forms.
- Two-credit Thesis Oral Exam. The thesis will be sent to the examiner in April and students will participate in an hour-long oral exam in May. All examiners in the student's Special Major program will be invited to participate in the oral exam, if they desire.
- Analytic Essay. In April, after having received a copy of the syllabus for the two-credit preparations, examiners will prepare an essay exam based on the syllabus. As part of this process, they may send the students in the Education seminar or course/attachment a problem set, a case and/or additional readings relevant to the work they have undertaken in that preparation. In their written exam, students will then respond to the problem set or case materials in one or more of the essays.
All Education Honors essays will be written in the Educational Materials Center during two days of the exam period. Students will self-schedule a time to write their essay on those days and may have notes on the case or problem set with them while they are writing. An oral exam will follow in May in which all the examiners in the student's Special Major program will be invited to participate, if they desire.
Education anticipates that the following elective courses and Honors seminars will be offered during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 academic years. (Introduction to Education, Practice Teaching, and Curriculum and Methods will be offered every semester.)
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All students enrolling in Education seminars, whether as a Special Education Honors Major, an Education Honors Minor, or as a member of the Course Program must have completed Introduction to Education, plus an additional elective in Education from those listed for the specific seminar(s) in which they wish to enroll. The following courses fulfill the elective requirement for specific seminars.
** Social and Cultural Perspectives on Education (Adolescence or any Education course numbered in the 30's--60's.)
***Educational Policy (Any Education course numbered in the 30's--60's, but Urban Education highly preferred.)
Students wishing to do a course and attachment to fulfill one of their Honors preparations in Education will need to consult with the professor of the course regarding appropriate prerequisites, but in all cases they will be expected to have completed Introduction to Education and at least two other courses in Education as they complete their preparation in Honors.
If sufficient numbers of students in any one year want to do a one-credit attachment to a course, a one-credit seminar may be offered instead of individual attachments. Courses noted above with a # are those in which one-credit seminars are mostly likely to be arranged.
Secondary Certification
All students planning to complete requirements for teacher certification, which is offered in secondary Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Modern Languages and Social Studies, must take the following courses:
- Introduction to Education, Education 14
- Educational Psychology, Education/Psychology 21
- Adolescence, Education/Psychology 23
- Practice Teaching, Education 16 (2 credits); Curriculum and Methods, Education 17
- An additional elective course from the Education offerings numbered in the 20's -60's.
Swarthmore College offers competency-based teacher certification programs, approved by the State of Pennsylvania, in Biology, Chemistry, English, French, German, Mathematics, Spanish, and Social Studies (Beginning with the class of 2005, however, students will not be able to be certified in Social Studies. History, Economics and Political Science majors will complete Citizenship Education certification and Psychology and Sociology/ Anthropology majors will complete Social Science certification.) In order to be certified, students take a total of seven course credits in Education, including Introduction to Education, Educational Psychology, Adolescence, Curriculum and Methods, an Education elective of their choice, and Practice Teaching (a double credit course). To be certified, they also complete a major in their area of certification. As part of the certification program, students teach for a minimum of twelve weeks and receive weekly supervision from the College. Placement during Practice Teaching is available in a range of public (urban and suburban) and private schools, including several Friends schools, in the Philadelphia area. Students who would like certification in Elementary Education can do so through a collaborative program with Eastern College, which is described below.
Students in Pennsylvania must have completed 48 credits (or 12 Swarthmore College credits) to be admitted to the teacher certification program. In most cases, application for admission to the certification program is completed at the same time as the Sophomore Paper. For admission, students must have the following grade point averages: If a student enters the program in 2001-2002, they must have a GPA of 2.6, if in 2002-2003, they must have a GPA of 2.8; those entering from 2003-2004 on must have a GPA of 3.0. As alternatives to the 3.0 grade point average, Swarthmore College is allowed by Pennsylvania to grant waivers for admission under the certain conditions that will allow most undergraduates at the College to be admitted to the certification program. (See Education Program Chair for further detail.) Applicants admitted to the certification program must also present evidence of having completed 6 credits, or the equivalent, in college level Math courses and 6 credits, or the equivalent, in college level English courses. In the case of the Math requirement, courses outside of Math that fulfill the Natural Science Division distribution requirements can be substituted. AP credit for scores of 4, or 5 in English Literature, English Composition, Calculus AB or AB/BC or Statistics will be accepted as the equivalent credit for one Swarthmore College course. Math Scores of 560 or better on the SAT II Math Level 1C or IIC exam and scores of 600 or better on the SAT II Writing exam will be accepted as the equivalent of three credits in the respective areas.
Introduction to Education, Education 14, should be taken by the end of sophomore year, if at all possible. We will not formally admit students to the teacher certification program until they have completed this course. Practice Teaching, Education 16, and the Curriculum and Methods Seminar, Education 17, are regularly taken first or second semester senior year, or in a ninth semester after graduation. Students preparing for certification must attain a grade point average of B or above; in order to do Practice Teaching, they must have at least a B- in Introduction to Education and the recommendation of all Education faculty who have taught them.
Elementary Certification
Certification in Elementary Education is not offered by Swarthmore College. However, if students complete the following courses at Swarthmore and also complete twelve weeks of practice teaching in an elementary school, they can receive certification through Eastern College, with which Swarthmore has a collaborative arrangement (Introduction to Education, Educational Psychology, Developmental Psychology or Child Psychology & Practice, Teaching the Young Learner, Curriculum and Methods and Elementary Methods Workshops in Math, Science and Social Studies). In order to be certified by Eastern College, students take two additional elementary methods courses in Language Arts and Reading at Eastern College Summer School (from mid May-late June) for a total cost of about $1800.
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the major, students who wish to be certified in Biology must take at least one Physics course and Evolution, Biology 34. They are also strongly encouraged to work as a Biology Clinic tutor or Lab Assistant for a semester, contingent on the needs of the department.
Biology
All students certified in Biology must complete the requirements of a Biology major. This includes a minimum of eight Biology courses (starting with Bio 1 and 2) and at least one course or seminar selected from each of the following groups: I. Cell and Molecular Biology; II. Organismal Biology; and III. Populational Biology. They must also take at least one advanced course or seminar in Biology and satisfy the general College requirement of a Senior comprehensive examination, Bio 97, or Senior Honors Study, Bio 199. In addition, all Biology majors must take Introductory Chemistry, at least one semester of Organic Chemistry, and two semesters of college Mathematics (not Math 1 or 3). One semester of Statistics is strongly recommended.
Chemistry
Each candidate for the Chemistry certification program will complete the regular Chemistry major, and include the following courses in their program.
- Chemistry 10 - General
Chemistry
Chemistry 22 - Organic Chemistry I
Chemistry 32 - Organic Chemistry II
Chemistry 34 - Principles of Physical Chemistry
Chemistry 38 - Biological Chemistry
Chemistry 45A/B - Intermediate Physical Chemistry I and II
Chemistry 46 - Inorganic Chemistry
Chemistry 50 - Modern Instrumental Methods in Chemistry and Biochemistry
One single credit Chemistry seminar (Courses numbered 102-110.)
Chemistry l08 &endash; Topics in Biochemistry (for Biochemistry)
- Physics 3 and 4 (required for Chemistry 46
and 34)
- Mathematics 5 and 6, (required for
Chemistry 34)
- Senior comprehensive examination
In addition all students being certified in Chemistry are required to take Biology 1 and 2 and assist in the instruction of the laboratory of an introductory Chemistry course one afternoon per week for two semesters.
Citizenship Education (for students completing the certification program after September, 2004)
Students completing certification in Citizenship Education will complete a major in History, Political Science, or Economics. (Students majoring in Sociology/Anthropology or Psychology will complete Social Science certification.)
The History major consists of at least nine credits, including at least one course or seminar from each of the following categories: a) courses before 1750, including relevant courses in Classics, and b) courses in areas outside of Europe and the United States, specifically Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Near East. In addition majors will complete the Senior comprehensive exam, History 9l, the Senior Research Seminar. For additional information, see the College Catalogue.
The Political Science major consists of eight or more credits, including at least one course or seminar in each of the following three fields: 1) American politics, 2) comparative or international politics, and 3) political theory. In addition, majors will complete the Senior comprehensive exam, normally the Oral Thesis, but in cases where a student has an A- average in the department, they may elect to do a written thesis, Political Science 95. For additional information, see the College Catalogue.
The Economics major consists of at least eight credits, including, Economics 11 and 21, and 31 or 53. Math 5 and 6 are also highly recommended. In addition, students must complete the Senior comprehensive exam. For further information, see the College Catalogue.
As a part of their course work, all students seeking certification in Citizenship Education are required to include in their preparation:
- History 5a and either History 5b or 5c. (AP credit will not count toward this requirement in American History.)
- History 3
- Economics 1
- Political Science 2 and 4
- A History, Political Science, Economics or
Sociology/Anthropology course whose focus is on non-western or
non-Anglo subject matter
A History or Classics course whose focus is pre 1750 is also strongly recommended.
English
All students being certified in English will complete an English major. The English major consists of a minimum of eight units of credit in the department, beginning with one of the introductory English courses, numbered 5C-5T. Three units of credit must be in literature written before1830 and three in literature written after1830; one credit must be a course that includes critical theory. In addition, English majors must complete the departmental comprehensive examination, the Senior Essay or Senior Honors Study and Honors exams.
For certification in English, a student's program must also include one course in American literature and one course in Shakespeare among the eight units. In addition, students being certified must take Linguistics 1. A course in theater or film and a creative writing or journalism workshop are also highly recommended. (Admission to writing workshops is at the discretion of the course instructor.) Certification candidates are advised to choose a balanced program from a variety of different authors, genres, and periods.
Mathematics
All students seeking certification in Mathematics must complete a Mathematics major, which consists of 10 credits in mathematics or statistics. Every math major must complete or obtain credit for or place out of the following courses: Mathematics 5 or 5s, 6A-6B or 6C, 16 or 16 H,18 or 18h, 47 and 49. At most, five of the ten credits can be in courses numbered 25 or lower. They must also take the departmental comprehensive examination, Math 97, the Senior Conference.
Students seeking certification must include among their electives:
- one semester of computer science (Computer Science 10, 20, or 21),
- one semester of discrete mathematics course (Mathematics 9, 65, or 72)
- one semester of geometry (Mathematics 45)
- one semester of statistics or probability (Statistics 2, 27, 53, 111)
In addition, students seeking certification are strongly advised to take further mathematics courses emphasizing modeling and applications, and/or to take at least one course in the Natural or Social Sciences in which mathematics is significantly used. They are also highly encouraged to work as a tutor in the Math clinic or to do individual tutoring for a semester. With respect to the Mathematics' Department recommendation, we will not allow a student to be certified who has not received a grade of C or better in all mathematics courses.
Foreign Languages
All students seeking certification in Foreign Languages (French, German and Spanish) will complete the major in Modern Languages and Literatures. This includes at least eight credits in advanced language, literature or culture courses (courses numbered 4 and above) and completion of the comprehensive examination requirement. Courses numbered ll or above emphasize the study of literature and culture, as well as competence in the spoken and written language. (See the College catalogue for specific requirements for majors in the specific languages). In addition, all majors are required to spend at least a semester abroad in a country that speaks the target language. The College sponsors a program in Grenoble, France, but information about a variety of other foreign study programs in French, German and Spanish speaking countries is available from the Foreign Study Advisor. The normal sequence of courses for a student preparing to teach a foreign language begins with courses in the language itself, including 4 or 4B, which prepares the student to express him or herself fluently in writing and speaking. The sequence culminates in advanced literature courses. Exceptions to the initial course requirements are made for those who show initial competence in the language of specialization.
Students who pursue certification in a foreign language must also take Linguistics 1, in order to develop the basic knowledge of language structures. Prospective teachers are also highly encouraged to supplement work in the department with work in other disciplines, such as History, Art History, Music, and Sociology/Anthropology, which enhance the candidate's knowledge of the culture, history and geography of countries where the target language is spoken. They also should make every effort teach for at least a semester in the after school language programs at the elementary school level in the local school district.
Physics
Students completing certification in Physics or Astrophysics must fulfill the requirements for the Physics major, which include:
- Physics 6 The Character of Physical Law
- Physics 7 Introductory Mechanics
- Physics 8 Electricity, Magnetism and Waves
(Physics 3 and 4 may substitute, with the permission of department chair) - Physics 14 Thermodynamics and Modern Physics
- Physics 50 (or Math 30 or Math 81) Mathematical Methods of Physics
- Physics 82 Advanced Laboratory
- Physics 111 Analytical Dynamics
- Physics 112 Electrodynamics
- Physics 113 Quantum Theory
- Physics 114 Statistical Physics
(For Astrophysics, also Astronomy 16, plus two seminars in Astronomy) - Senior Comprehensive Exam
In addition, they must obtain credit for, or place out of Math 5, 6, 16, and 18 and take Engineering 72A, Electronic Circuit Applications.
Students being certified in Physics must also include Physics 63, Chemistry 10 and Biology 1 or 2 in their programs. In addition they must serve as a lab assistant or demonstration coordinator in physics for at least one semester.
Social Science
(for students completing the certification program after September, 2004)
Students completing certification in Social Science will complete a major in Psychology or Sociology/Anthropology. (Students completing majors in Economics, History or Political Science will complete Citizenship Education certification.)
The Psychology major consists of at least eight credits, four of which must be courses numbered in the 30s. In addition, students must fulfill the Senior comprehensive examination. Students who have at least a B+ major in Psychology, may also choose to do a two credit thesis, Psychology 96-97 in lieu of the comprehensive exam. (For further information, see the College Catalogue.)
The Sociology/Anthropology major consists of at least eight credits. A Sociology/Anthropology course numbered 1-20 is the entry point for further work in the department. A two credit Senior thesis, S/A 96-97 is required. In addition, S/A 21B and Statistics 2 or 2c are highly recommended. ( For further information, see the College Catalogue.)
The programs of all students seeking Social Science certification must include Psychology 1 and at least one course in each of the following categories: For Anthropology, Sociology/Anthropology 22B, 23B or 29B; for Sociology, Sociology/Anthropology 2B, 7B, or 8D. All programs must include at least one course that focuses on non-western or non Anglo content and one course that addresses cross cultural issues.
In addition, in order to be employed to teach Social Studies in states other than Pennsylvania, students are strongly recommended to also complete:
- History 5a and either History 5b or 5c, History 3, Economics 1, Political Science 2
- Social Studies (for students completing the certification program before September, 2004)
For purposes of this program the Social Science departments are Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology-Anthropology. There are two routes to Social Studies certification.
- A student may major in one of the Social Sciences and take four to six courses in other Social Sciences. Students majoring in History, Political Science and Sociology-Anthropology are required to take at least four courses outside their major; students majoring in Economics and Psychology are required to take six.
- A student may take at least twelve semester courses in Social Sciences, of which six must normally be in one discipline and at least two more must be in a single other discipline.
As a part of their course work, all students seeking Social Studies certification are required to take:
- two courses in history, at least one of which is in American history and at least one of which is a course numbered 1-10. (AP credits will not count toward meeting the history requirement)
- one Social Science course focusing on non-western or non-Anglo subject matter,
- a course in comparative systems, and
- a course which addresses cross cultural issues.
