The Educational Studies Program offers a dynamic minor that combines the best of a liberal arts education with real-world preparation. You’ll engage deeply with social issues and big intellectual questions while exploring diverse perspectives and learning to think critically about complex ideas. At the same time, the program helps students prepare for professional pathways in education, whether you’re drawn to teaching, advocacy, or other education-related careers.
The Educational Studies Minor gives you a structured yet flexible way to explore how education shapes individuals and society. Drawing on disciplines like anthropology, sociology, philosophy, psychology, and history, students study education from multiple perspectives. Many develop strong foundations in civic literacy and social justice, while also preparing for practical careers. Graduates often pursue teacher certification programs, or move into fields such as school counseling, educational psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, curriculum development, community organizations, or social work—equipping you to make a meaningful impact wherever education plays a role.
The Educational Studies Minor can be completed alongside any field of study or major. This non-certificate program will introduce you to our educational system and why it functions the way it does. You’ll explore education as a social and cultural phenomenon through historical, psychological, and philosophical lenses.
Requirements for the Educational Studies Minor
Category
Details
Requirements
Six courses are required for the minor.
Introductory Courses
One from EDUC 115, EDUC 201, or MUS_CLAS 149.
Two Approved Courses (300-level or Higher)
Two courses from any EDUC courses at the 300-level or higher, or AFS 366, ES 335, HIST 334,
MGT 370, MUS_CLAS 320, 410, 412, 440, PP 322 Topic: Urban Education, PSYCH 328.
Three Additional Electives
Three courses from any EDUC courses not satisfying a requirement above, or AFS 246, 264, 267, 290,
ARTH 214, ENG 242, FYS 102-3, 112-2, 143-2, 179, HIST 248, IDS 121/221, MATH 215, MGT 270,
PHIL 218, 219, 222, 224, 226, 228, POL 101, PP 221, PSYCH 210, 214, 215, 222, 225, 226, 229,
236, 238, SOC 101/2/3, 202, 209, 224.
Not all eligible courses are listed here. Please meet with your advisor and consult Student Center for the most up-to-date options.
Notes
No more than two courses may be taken at the 100-level.
At least four courses must be taken in the Education Department or carry an EDUC prefix.
No more than one course may be taken off campus.
Traditional Teacher Certification
Gettysburg College is an approved teacher education program by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and offers teacher certification in the following areas:
Students who secure the recommendation for certification by the college or university have met all requirements of the approved preparation program, the qualifying scores on the required tests, and other requirements established by Pennsylvania's State Board of Education.
Courses
This list is a sampling of the kinds of courses offered through the Education department curriculum. Not all courses shown here will be offered every semester. For a complete list of currently available courses, students may log into their account on Student Center.
Education shapes our lives in powerful ways—but access to high-quality learning experiences isn’t distributed equitably. This course explores how different educational systems—urban, rural, private, cyber, and magnet—reflect and reinforce broader social inequities. Through real-world case studies and interdisciplinary research, we’ll examine why gaps in opportunity and achievement persist and how factors like social class, race, gender, and identity shape students' experiences. By investigating the systems behind these disparities, students will develop a deeper understanding of how education impacts communities—and how they can play a role in making it more just.
Study of professional aspects of teaching, historical and philosophical development of American education, and the relationship of schools to society. Current issues affecting schools, such as organization, reforms, and national legislation, are examined. Prerequisite for other certification coursework.
The study of psychological principles related to learning and cognition, and the personal, moral, and social development of the school-aged child. The course also includes discussion of developmentally appropriate instructional practices, students with exceptionalities, and teacher reflection. Prerequisite for other certification coursework.
Interdisciplinary seminar with service-learning component examining urban education from multiple perspectives. The on-campus portion of the course explores historical foundations, issues of class and race, instructional approaches, policy initiatives, and popular images of urban schooling. This on-campus portion is paired with a service-learning component in which students prepare and implement an action research instructional project in a large urban school system. Emphasis is on linking theoretical foundations to practical experience in schools.
Explores the structures, practices, content, and outcomes of schooling in relation to the broader society in which schools are situated using a sociological perspective. Uses this perspective to challenge common assumptions about schools and try to understand why they are organized the way they are, how they sort people into their adult roles, and how current reforms are changing the structure of education in our society. EDUC 224 and SOC 224 are cross-listed.
How does creativity shape the way we learn, teach, and lead? This course explores traditional and contemporary models of intelligence and creativity, examining their impact on learning, leadership, and problem-solving. Drawing from educational, psychological, cultural, artistic, and neurological perspectives, students will investigate how creativity fuels engagement and motivation. Held in our very own Innovation, Creativity Lab, this hands-on course challenges students to design, implement, and assess a cross-disciplinary project that brings the creative process to life in real-world contexts.
This course provides future teachers and other students interested in education with an introduction to the methods, assumptions, and practical applications of educational research. Emphasis is placed on the implications educational research findings bring to classroom practice, especially assessment of student learning, with inductive and deductive reasoning skill development especially emphasized. Topics include quantitative and qualitative research approaches, effective assessment practice, interpretation of research, and general policy contexts in which educational research is conducted.
Study of a topic not normally covered in depth in the regular curriculum of Education. Topics vary and may include education policy, global education, special education, diversity in education, linguistics, or school law. Offered irregularly. Prerequisite: EDUC 115 or EDUC 201
This course explores current topics of teaching and learning as influenced by technology in the 21st century K-20 learning environments. We examine digital design and delivery of instruction with both a theoretical and in-practice lens. Socio-cultural issues, technological resource access, curriculum mandates, and pedagogical research as it relates to learning technologies are addressed as well.
Examination of changing notion of citizenship and the roles education play in constructing citizens in the era of globalization. The course will cover topics such as global market’s influence on educational policy, curriculum, and teaching practices, international educational competition, educational inequity, migration, and global youth’s creation of learning spaces. Case studies conducted in local contexts both in and outside of the U.S. will be used to explore these topics.
Prerequisite: MUS_CLAS 149 or EDUC 199 (must have passed the course with C or higher grade); or permission of the instructor.
Additional assignment is given to students who need to take this course as a 300 level.
This course explores how schooling has made us the people that we are today, and asks if formal education has prepared us for the challenges that we face in this age of globalization. The course assaults the status quo nature of education and challenges us to imagine a pedagogy that is central to social change. This interrogation of education is not meant to raze the entire historical edifice to the ground, but rather to lead us to critically reflect on the far too frequent manifestations of dull educational processes that produce conformists, rather than inspire us to creatively overturn structures of inequities. AFS 264 and EDUC 264 are cross-listed.
Introduction to theories and methods associated with teaching social studies for active democratic citizenship. Special attention is given to conceptualizing social studies as a school subject and to the integration of art, music, and film in the social studies classroom. Required of all students seeking secondary teacher certification in social studies, social science, or citizenship. Prerequisite: EDUC 201 with a C or better; or permission of the instructor.
Who owns history? Who decides what’s important to know in our past? What “version” of history should be taught in schools, and what do we know about effective history teaching? This course provides aspiring teachers of history with an introduction to the debates surrounding history teaching, the cultural context of those debates, and practical strategies for interpreting the history curriculum and teaching it to students at any level of educational development. Prerequisite: None; Education 201 recommended.
Introduction to theories and methods associated with teaching World Languages in school settings, with an emphasis on practical planning, teaching, and assessment of student work. Prerequisite: admission to Teacher Education Program or permission of instructor.
Principles of second language learning and teaching in a multicultural society. Students develop understandings of the impact of culture, cultural diversity, immigration, migration, colonialism, and power on language policy and on students currently learning English as a Second Language. They learn the difference between social and academic language, and develop and teach lesson plans to English Language Learners, with an emphasis on assessment that drives critical literacy. Prerequisite: EDUC 201 with a C or higher grade; MUS_CLAS 149 for Music Education; or permission of the instructor.
Study of a topic not normally covered in depth in the regular curriculum of Education. Topics vary and may include education policy, global education, special education, diversity in education, linguistics, or school law. Offered irregularly.
This course will allow students to explore a variety of approaches and perspectives in teaching literacy and literature in the secondary classroom. We will investigate methodologies and issues surrounding the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, viewing, thinking, and listening in today’s digital world. Students will have an opportunity to develop better literacy skills and strategies as they learn effective instructional methods to use in various secondary classrooms. Students will have an opportunity to work with secondary students at local schools. Offered annually, fulfills English Teacher Certification requirement. Prerequisite: EDUC 201 with C or higher grade; or permission of the instructor.
Why do some Young Adult (YA) books and media resonate deeply with audiences—while others are banned? This course explores how YA literature, film, and digital media reflect and shape young people’s experiences. We’ll examine issues of identity, gender, race, and society, as well as the cultural and developmental factors that influence YA storytelling. A key focus will be the impact of book bans and censorship, revealing how access to literature shapes the way young adults understand the world.
In a world flooded with information, what does it truly mean to be literate? This course explores the power of literacy as a tool for civic engagement, social action, and democracy. We’ll examine how technological advances have shaped access to information, deepening both literacy and illiteracy, and analyze the policies and pedagogies that influence who gets to be heard. Through a critical lens, students will investigate literacy’s role in shaping informed, active citizens—and consider new possibilities for a more equitable future. Prerequisite: EDUC 115, EDUC 199, or EDUC 201; or permission of instructor.
This course examines picture books as cultural artifacts that reflect, reinforce, and resist dominant narratives of identity. Students will analyze the ways children’s literature constructs and communicates perspectives on race, class, gender, ability, and culture, both within the U.S. and globally. Through critical readings, comparative analysis, and intercultural engagement with librarians and children, students will evaluate how worldviews are shaped through storytelling.
Alongside scholarly inquiry, students will create their own picture book, informed by cultural research and audience feedback, bridging rigorous academic analysis with creative practice. Prerequisite: EDUC 115
This course enables the prospective teacher to learn how to coordinate the classroom learning environment to effectively address the diverse needs of students in general classroom settings. The course considers characteristics of students with special needs and the modifications in teaching methods necessary to meet their needs. Classroom management techniques for academic, social, emotional, and cognitive differences are addressed. Students will design activities and respective accommodations for both general education students and students with special
needs. Various assessment techniques will be discussed and developed to evaluate the activities. Specific topics to be addressed include: federal legislation, teaching strategies, team collaboration, special support services, and individual education plans (IEP). Prerequisite: EDUC 201 with a C or higher grade; and MUS_CLAS 149 for Music Education; or permission of the instructor
Study, research and field experience in science and mathematics education. Course enables students who are pre-service teachers to acquire the necessary theory, skills, concepts, attitudes, use of materials and resources, technology, and appropriate teaching techniques. The course design assists students in the understanding of how children learn science and mathematics. Students learn to effectively teach through curriculum integration. Prerequisite: EDUC 201 with C or higher grade; or permission of the instructor.
Examination of changing notion of citizenship and the roles education play in constructing citizens in the era of globalization. The course will cover topics such as global market’s influence on educational policy, curriculum, and teaching practices, international educational competition, educational inequity, migration, and global youth’s creation of learning spaces. Case studies conducted in local contexts both in and outside of the U.S. will be used to explore these topics. Prerequisite: MUS_CLAS 149 or EDUC 199 (must have passed the course with C or higher grade); or permission of the instructor. Additional assignment is given to students who need to take this course as a 300 level.
Motivation - a popular touchstone in successful classrooms, in the workplace, and in life. In this course, we explore concepts and theories of motivation through TED talks, best-selling popular psychology books, and peer-reviewed educational and psychological research articles. We examine motivation through multiple theoretical and cultural frameworks. Students develop and evaluate interventions to support motivation in settings ranging from the classroom to the workplace.
Charters. Choice. Testing. Standards. Equity. Over the past three decades public opinion has coalesced around the idea that our public schools are failing and desperately in need of reform. How much truth is there in these assertions? This course explores the implications of public school reform policy choices, focusing especially on the way reformers have framed the debate to their advantage. Special attention is paid to teacher quality, urban education, school choice, testing, and other issues raised by reform advocates. EDUC 377 and PP 377 are cross-listed.
This course introduces students to methods of qualitative research that are widely used in education and related fields. In addition to reading about various methods of qualitative research in juxtaposition with examples of research studies, the course will provide students with a series of hands-on experience of research including collecting and analyzing the data, as well as organizing and presenting their preliminary findings. This hands-on experience will accompany reflective exercises through which students examine their own identity and belief system. Prerequisite: Two 200 or 300 level education courses, or their equivalent.
Course utilizes teacher action research to develop informal and formal assessment techniques for teaching special needs students and English language learners within an interactive assessment-instruction framework. Offered in conjunction with EDUC 476 Student Teaching. Designed for all education students seeking professional licensure, this course addresses the processes for administering assessments through the development of a special needs or English Language Learner student case study. Students articulate an educational philosophy and create a reflective teaching portfolio including the action research case study. Limited to those students accepted and enrolled in the Education Semester. Prerequisite: MUS_CLAS 149 or EDUC 199, and EDUC 201; or permission of the instructor.
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized research counting toward minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office
Student observation, participation, and full-time teaching under supervision of an experienced certified teacher and a college supervisor. Group and individual conferences are held to discuss pedagogy issues, principles and problems. Students spend 12 to15 weeks in the classroom. Course carries 3 course units of credit. Limited to those students accepted and enrolled in the Education Semester.