American University - School of Education, Teaching, and Health
Diversity Curriculum Components and Experiences
Course Number and Title
Course Description
Course Assessments
Program
UG/G?
Required?
EDU-205
Schools and Society
A multidimensional view of schools, teachers, and students. This social and intellectual foundation course serves
as a basis for studying contemporary education and the issues of racism, sexism, finance, governance,
innovations, and the social context of American education. The course includes lectures, discussion groups,
cooperative learning, Internet activities, and independent projects. Usually offered every term.
Community Resource Inventory/Analysis: In groups of 5 or 6, participants will conduct a cultural tour
of the neighborhood and commercial area surrounding a school in NE, SE, or SW in the District of
Columbia. You will then compare this inventory/analysis and the school with a neighborhood and
school in the NW part of DC. You may research the basic demographics of the areas, but this is a
“walk about” (although you can do it virtually, if you feel more comfortable) assessment. Identify the
various cultural and community resources and services that are available in the areas. Write a
detailed description, comparison, and reaction to what you observe and/or find.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
UG
Yes
EDU-212
Introduction to Sign Language
An introduction to American Sign Language (ASL) with a particular focus on deaf culture, history, folklore,
anthropology, and sociology. Usually offered every fall.
Video Journals: The video journals will be announced in class. Students are expected to videotape
themselves, respond to the instructor’s handout and express in sign language.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
UG
No
EDU-285
Education for International
Development
The conserving role of education as a socializing agent and the liberating role of education as an engine of
change. Special attention is given to the multiple roles of education in social, economic, political, and human
development in the developing world. Usually offered every term.
Group Challenges: Each week during class you will meet with a team of your peers to discuss how
you might overcome certain obstacles to schooling and education given a various development
challenge related to either economic growth, health promotion, peace and conflict, civil society,
or environmental sustainability.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
UG
No
EDU-321
Field Experience: Observation and
Analysis
Observation and analysis of diverse school settings, examining philosophies, curriculum, and teacher and
administrator roles, using informal and formal means of data collection with particular emphasis on classroom
interactions. Usually offered every term.
Observation forms focusing on diversity at school visits.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
UG
Yes
EDU-419
Children's Literature: A Critical
Literacy Perspective
Critical exploration of picture books and adolescent literature with a focus on using children's literature to
explore issues of social justice and equity. Meets with EDU-619. Usually offered every term.
Personal Inquiry: For this assignment you are to propose a project that focuses on children’s literature
that is useful in the real world and that brings some awareness to a social issue. Possible projects
could be creating an annotated text set to contribute to a school library, a unit of study, trying out
strategies for teaching and learning using children’s books in a classroom setting, or doing a social
action project in the community. Design a project that is useful for you in your setting. Your assignment
will be evaluated based on the following criteria: usefulness in real-world setting (10), thoughtfully
researched and presented and focused on a social issue (10), creativity (5).
Elementary
UG
Yes
EDU-492
Service Learning in Teacher
Education
Students participate in school and community organizations and agencies. Exploration of the principles of
service learning and application of classroom theory in the community. Special attention is paid to providing
equitable learning environments. Students must complete a minimum of 40 hours in the community placement
and attend three on-campus seminars. Usually offered every term. May be taken pass/fail only.
Service Learning Vision Board and Final Project and Reflection that focuses on five objectives and
questions. One of these objectives/questions must focus on diversity and issues of equity.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
UG
Yes
EDU-499/699
Student Teaching Seminar in
Professional Practice
Enrollment in this seminar is required in the semester students are completing their student teaching
requirement. The class meets weekly for students to discuss their teaching experiences and to assist them in
developing ideas and strategies to improve their classroom effectiveness. Preparation of a reflective case
study and completion of a professional portfolio and an on-line journal are required. Usually offered every term.
May be taken A-F only. Prerequisite: successful completion of relevant methods courses and practicum,
satisfactory academic and professional performance as defined by the Teacher Education Committee and
permission of the director of teacher education.
On-line reflection journals focusing on diversity.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
UG
Yes
EDU-502
Methods of Managing Students with
Behavior Disorders
Psycho-educational methods of understanding and managing inappropriate classroom behavior. Techniques
such as groups, problem solving, role playing, and videotape analysis of behavior. Usually offered every fall
and summer.
Case Study: Students will be presented with a case student of a child exhibiting disruptive behavior
for which will design a behavior modification program.
Special Education
G
Yes
American University - School of Education, Teaching, and Health
Diversity Curriculum Components and Experiences
Course Number and Title
Course Description
Course Assessments
Program
UG/G?
Required?
Elementary, K12, Secondary
G
Yes
EDU-521
Foundations of Education
Exploration of philosophical, sociological, and political foundations of American education and inquiry into the
role schools play in cultural production, maintenance, and transformation and what this means for diverse
learners of all ages. Includes an examination of law and policies that affect children and families. Usually
offered every term.
Major Term Project: To search the literature through the Internet, library and other sources to locate
within the first two weeks of class a public school, traditional or charter, at a level of your choosing,
that appears “successful” or “failing” relative to with economically poor and low-income children.
Such schools are variously described as “effective” or “failures.” Your job over the course of the
semester is to uncover and report on as much valid information and data about the school that you
can find in order to support of your assumptions claims about the success or failure of the school.
You are expected through 3 written and oral work-in-progress (WIP) reports and a final scholarly
paper or related product and oral report to teach us about the school in ways that help us
understand what might account for its success or failure.
EDU-541
Foundations of Special Education
for Exceptional Children
This survey course examines students with diverse learning needs and effective programs designed to provide
equitable education for all students. Exceptionalities of students with regard to cognitive, behavioral, and
psychological/social differences are the focus of study. Usually offered every term.
Critical Analysis/Book Talk: Writing two critical analysis papers on required books.
Game Project: Creating a game to support a student with exceptionalities.
Interview or Presentation: Interviewing a Special Educator and analyzing what this means to your
teaching or creating a presentation for the class.
Elementary, K12, Secondary
Both
Yes
EDU-545
Overview of All Exceptionalities: The
Arts in Special Education
This is an experiential course to expose students to a variety of exceptional conditions and to teach them about
the experiences of children and adults with exceptionalities. Students learn to program for success through a
panoply of art forms, by building on the abilities, strengths, and interests of students with exceptionalities,
systematically programming academic material into arts activities, and teaching socialization and life skills.
Usually offered every fall.
Speaker Reflection Papers: At most class sessions, very gifted speakers will share their experiences in
a dynamic way, where you will explore how to adapt teaching techniques to different conditions of
disability. They will give you personal accounts of what it is like to be a person with a disability or what
it is like to work with this population. The purpose of this assignment is to help students develop an
inquisitive learning style by asking questions and then seeking answers through collaboration and
discussion.
Specific Disabilities Papers (all 7) and Presentation (only 1 – you choose which): Write a short
reference page for each disability listed below.
1. Blindness and visual impairment
2. Deafness and hearing impairment (HI)
3. Developmental delays/intellectual disability (DD/ID)
4. Autism Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome) (ASD)
5. Learning disabilities (LD)
6. Emotional and behavioral disturbances (EBD)
7. Physical and motor impairments (e.g. cerebral palsy, spinal bifida, multiple sclerosis)
Critical Analysis Paper: This paper provides an opportunity for you to examine how creative problem
solving and imaginative thinking help persons with exceptionalities tackle their challenges.
Arts Integration Reflection Paper: This reflective paper requires you to read and comment on one of
the demonstrations of practice (film arts, drama, or dance) found in Part II of Arts integration and
special education: Voices from the field. Your paper will address connections to the theory of action
outlined in Part I of the book, and the current research in allied fields of special education
(psychology, linguistics, education, sociology).
Elementary, K12, Secondary
Both
Yes
EDU-605
Methods of Psychoeducational
Assessment for Learning Disabilities
and Emotional Disturbance
Develops the special educator's knowledge of critical issues and concepts in the use of standardized tests in
psychoeducational assessment, theoretical and operational definitions of cognitive abilities and "intelligence"
familiarity with a variety of achievement tests, and introductory practice in test administration and
interpretation. Usually offered every fall. Prerequisite: EDU-645.
Curriculum Based Measurement Proposal and Project: Based on a student’s particular academic
needs, informal assessments and an analysis of the curriculum, design a Curriculum Based
Measurement tool. Implement instruction over the course of the 2-3 weeks on a daily basis (if
possible) and use the CBM tool to measure progress and guide instruction. Include reflections on
each lesson. Collect and graph data regarding the student’s progress.
Special Education
G
Yes
EDU-606
Theories & Methods in Diagnostic
and Prescriptive Math
Materials and methods for teaching mathematics to students with learning disabilities. Analysis of current reform
models in curriculum, assessment, and instruction, including techniques of error analysis and flexible
interviewing. Required tutorial experience. Usually offered every spring.
Accommodating the Learning Needs of Students who Struggle with Math and Error Analysis: You and
at least one partner will look at several students' educational plans and brainstorm different
strategies you can use to help each student. You and your partner will also complete an error
Special Education
G
Yes
American University - School of Education, Teaching, and Health
Diversity Curriculum Components and Experiences
Course Description
Course Assessments
Program
UG/G?
Required?
EDU-607
Research Seminar in Special
Education
A case study approach using interdisciplinary research with focus on a specific child with learning disabilities.
Includes interviews with professionals working with the child, review of confidential files, and research from
contemporary journals on remediation suggestions summarized in a comprehensive report. Usually offered
every spring. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
Research Paper: The main project in this course is an applied research project and is worth 50% of
your grade in the course. This project will be conducted in your student teaching placement
(internship), in a classroom where you have access, or in another independent instructional setting.
The research project will be an intervention study (single or multiple subjects) and his, her or their
specific educational needs.
Special Education
G
Yes
EDU-609
Effective Teaching for Diverse
Students
Through action research, students explore ways of organizing and managing classrooms to support diverse
learners. Students engage in curriculum design and implementation across the curriculum, including
instructional planning and using portfolios. The role that families, the community, and other professionals can
play in assessment and curriculum planning are explored. Usually offered every fall.
Instructional Strategy Presentations. You will be required to work independently to present a
dynamic, 30 minute lesson demonstrating a particular instructional strategy that has been described
in class readings or in class. You will also be required to include some type of assessment to measure
what your students have learned from your lesson. You are responsible for bringing any necessary
materials to class. The Form C rubric will be used to assess this project.
Elementary, K12
G
Yes
An inquiry into the meaning of educational equity, emphasizing equality of conditions and of outcomes and
implications for education in different nations. Research perspectives on the relationships between social
inequalities and educational opportunity relative to socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity, and the
functions of schools as agents of cultural transmission. Usually offered every spring.
Term Project: Through one’s individual project and editorial and substantive assistance in the
development of others’ we seek to learn about the critical place of fairness in educational
opportunity with respect to the development of human and cultural capital, social and economic
opportunity, and social betterment.
(1) To identify and describe a social problem of interest (e.g., child poverty, gender inequality,
HIV/AIDS, child labor, human trafficking, infant mortality) in a country or countries of choice.
(2) Through support found in research and related literature and through scholarly argumentation,
advance the claim that state-sponsored formal education and non-formal education can be
effective in helping to ameliorate or resolve the social problem at issue.
(3) To demonstrate through scholarly research and argumentation that if education is to be used as
proposed, a related educational equity/equality problem must be addressed as well.
K12, Secondary
G
No
EDU-619
Children's Literature: A Critical
Literacy Perspective
Critical exploration of picture books and adolescent literature with a focus on using children's literature to
explore issues of social justice and equity. Meets with EDU-419. Usually offered every term.
Personal Inquiry: For this assignment you are to propose a project that focuses on children’s literature
that is useful in the real world and that brings some awareness to a social issue. Possible projects
could be creating an annotated text set to contribute to a school library, a unit of study, trying out
strategies for teaching and learning using children’s books in a classroom setting, or doing a social
action project in the community. Design a project that is useful for you in your setting. Your assignment
will be evaluated based on the following criteria: usefulness in real-world setting (10), thoughtfully
researched and presented and focused on a social issue (10), creativity (5).
Elementary
G
Yes
EDU-644
Language Development and
Remediation
How does one learn to use language to express thoughts and feelings? How does one teach a learningdisabled child to communicate effectively? This course discusses the developmental sequence of language
learning, the nature of language disorders, diagnostic assessment of language disorders, and remedial
techniques. Usually offered every spring.
Language Sample and Analysis: Identify a student who has a speech and/or language disorder and
summarize your findings and make conclusions about the overall
integrity to the student’s language system (phonology, semantics, syntax/morphology, and
pragmatics. Make intervention recommendations that include referrals, classroom interventions
(specify areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing), supports, and accommodations.
Special Education
G
Yes
This course examines neurological and developmental aspects of learning disabilities, and gives an overview
of the field. The class examines emotional and social implications of learning disabilities, and how current brain
research impacts teaching and counseling this population. Emphasis is on seeking the strengths, fostering the
different intelligences, and addressing the weaknesses of children and adults with learning disabilities.
Prerequisite: EDU-541 or EDU-545, or permission of instructor.
Task Analysis: To teach students with LD you need to depend upon multiple resources and to
develop problem-solving ingenuity. If you do it right, your intellect is stretched continually. To be
extraordinarily organized is important, since you are working with students having
organizational difficulties. Systematic teaching with precise objectives is required, and within
those objectives you fold creativity. In order to accomplish this, you need the knowledge and
skills to analyze each task that you are asking a student to do. This is called analyzing a task or
Task Analysis. Thus, you have three assignments requiring you to develop the skill, to the point
that it becomes automatic. This training will equip you to use diagnostic-prescriptive teaching
that works best for students with LD. The task analysis assignments frame your perspective to
meet the needs of your future students who could require every task to be broken down into its
smallest components. This is critical knowledge and skill for you to develop in this course – a
way of approaching work with a student who has LD.
Special Education
G
Yes
Course Number and Title
EDU-612
Equity and Educational
Opportunity
EDU-645
Learning Disabilities I
American University - School of Education, Teaching, and Health
Diversity Curriculum Components and Experiences
Course Number and Title
Course Description
Course Assessments
Program
UG/G?
Required?
Special Education
G
Yes
EDU-646
Learning Disabilities II
This course develops diagnostic capabilities in order to select and design materials and programs for children
and youth with learning disabilities. It introduces diverse methods of teaching and studies in depth the special
problems of adolescents and adults with learning disabilities. Postsecondary education, career awareness, and
career development approaches and programs are represented. Counseling techniques for parents and
mainstream teachers are also addressed. Prerequisite: EDU-645.
Intervention Lesson Sequence: You will develop a sequence of 3 lessons using a ‘contextualized’
approach (e.g., multisensory, arts based, arts infused, etc.) for either an individual or small group (2)
of students with LD and present your intervention and its results to the class. You need to describe the
intervention context, the content area (reading, math, or written language) objective and skills, and
the results.
EDU-650
International Perspectives on
Bilingual Education Policy and
Practice
This course provides a survey of international bilingual educational policies and practices. It examines bilingual
education policies, models, and practices associated with successful and failed attempts at developing
bilingual learners. Special attention is paid to how international models of bilingual education can inform U.S.
policy and practice. Usually offered every spring and summer.
Bilingual Biography: This assignment asks you to reflect on your own experiences (both formal
and informal) with bilingualism. You may write about yourself, a family member, friends or
colleagues, your students, etc. The essay should describe how these experiences have influenced
your decision to study this topic.
Bilingual
G
Yes
EDU-651
Social Context of Bilingual Learners
Through this course student gain an understanding of how social factors and language policy influence the
educational success of bilingual learners, along with considering the role of multilingualism and linguistic
minorities in society. Students learn how schools can mitigate the impact of societal factors on the educational
success of bilingual learners. Usually offered every fall.
First offering in AY 2015 - 2016
Bilingual
G
Yes
TESL-527
Cultural Issues in the ESL/ELF
Classroom
Coverage of the principles of intercultural communication and discourse-oriented models for analyzing crosscultural interactions. Within this framework, the course considers approaches to enhancing the cultural
dimension of ESL/EFL instruction with an emphasis on using and developing various types of cultural training
techniques. Usually offered every spring and summer.
Cultural Issues in Your Classroom Project (SPA assessment)
TESOL / Bilingual
G
Yes
TESL-528
Foundations of Bilingual Education
Language acquisition, use, and competency in a bilingual setting, and the general goal of bilingual education.
Usually offered every third semester.
Weekly reflections and research paper on topics of bilingualism.
Bilingual
G
Yes