Cultural Studies in Education is an interdisciplinary field that brings perspectives from the humanities and social sciences to bear on the study of education, both formal and informal. It recognizes that educational systems are situated in the contexts of culture, knowledge, and power. Cultural Studies in Education seeks to investigate and analyze the dynamic relationship between school and society with interpretive, normative, critical, and comparative theory and methods.

Both the master’s and doctoral specializations in Cultural Studies in Education are designed to meet the academic needs of individuals, and the faculty views the diversity of students in the program and the interdisciplinary nature of the program as important strengths.

Students in the master’s program take core courses in Cultural Studies in Education topics, prepare themselves in one method of inquiry, and, in collaboration with an advisor, develop a plan of study for an individualized concentration. At the end of their programs of study, students complete a master’s research project, paper, or thesis.

In the doctoral program, students develop programs of study that build upon coursework in Cultural Studies in Education focusing on history and philosophy of education, diversity issues, gender studies, democratic education, critical pedagogies, and international educational contexts. Elaborating an interdisciplinary perspective, the program enables students to construct programs of study that incorporate coursework from a variety of related disciplines such as Philosophy, Communications, Sociology, African Studies, and African-American Studies. Having also focused attention on several methods of systematic inquiry, doctoral students propose, conduct, and present culminating dissertation studies based on original research or creative scholarship.