Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Social Foundations of Education (Online)

EDUC 6410-70I

Course: EDUC 6410-70I
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: TED
CRN: 10718

Course Description

History and philosophical foundations of curriculum and teaching in American schools emphasizing cultural influences and concepts shaping education in today’s society. (As Needed) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Semel, S.F., Makris, M.V., & Kronen, C. (2023). Foundations of Education: Essential Texts and New Directions. Routledge. ISBN: 978-1032374666

Learning Outcomes


By the end of this course, you will be able to:


Principle #1: The educator understands and can apply disciplinary knowledge from the humanities and social sciences to interpreting the meanings of education and schooling in diverse cultural contexts.

  • Knowledge: 
  • The educator has acquired a knowledge base of resources, theories, distinctions, and analytic techniques developed within the humanities, the social sciences, and the foundations of education. 
  • The educator understands the central concepts and tools of inquiry of foundational disciplines that bear on the educational process and can apply these to the formulation and review of instructional, administrative, and school leadership and governance procedures.
  • Dispositions: The educator has developed habits of using this knowledge base in evaluating and formulating educational practice.
  • Performances: The educator can examine and explain the practice, leadership, and governance of education in different societies in light of its origins, major influences, and consequences, utilizing critical understanding of educational thought and practice and of the decisions and events which have shaped them.

 


Principle #2: The educator understands and can apply normative perspectives on education and schooling.

  • Knowledge: The educator understands and employs value orientations and ethical perspectives in analyzing and interpreting educational ideas, practices, and events.
  • Dispositions: The educator has developed the habits of examining the normative and ethical assumptions of schooling practice and educational ideas.
  • Performances: 
    • The educator can recognize the inevitable presence of normative influences in educational thought and practice. 
    • The educator can appraise conceptions of truth, justice, caring, and rights as they are applied in educational practice.
    • The educator can assist the examination and development of democratic values that are based on critical study and reflection.

Principle #3: The educator understands and can apply critical perspectives on education and schooling.

  • Knowledge: The educator understands how the foundations of education knowledge base of resources, theories, distinctions, and analytic techniques provides instruments for the critical analysis of education in its various forms.
  • Dispositions: The educator has developed habits of critically examining educational practice in light of this knowledge base.
  • Performances: 
  • The educator can utilize theories and critiques of the overarching purposes of schooling as well as considerations of the intent, meaning, and effects of educational institutions.
  • The educator can identify and appraise educational assumptions and arrangements in a way that can lead to changes in conceptions and values.
  • The educator uses critical judgment to question educational assumptions and arrangements and to identify contradictions and inconsistencies among social and educational values, policies, and practices.

Principle #4: The educator understands how moral principles related to democratic institutions can inform and direct schooling practice, leadership, and governance.

  • Knowledge: The educator understands how the foundations of education knowledge base illuminates the conditions which support democracy, democratic citizenship, and education in a democratic society. The educator understands how various conceptions of the school foster or impede free inquiry, democratic collaboration, and supportive interaction in all aspects of school life.
  • Dispositions: The educator values democratic forms of association and supports the conditions essential to them. The educator recognizes that political participation constitutes the social basis of democracy.
  • Performances: 
    • The educator participates effectively in individual and organizational efforts that maintain and enhance American schools as institutions in a democratic society.
    • The educator can evaluate the moral, social, and political dimensions of classrooms, teaching, and schools as they relate to life in a democratic society.

Principle #5: The educator understands the full significance of diversity in a democratic society and how that bears on instruction, school leadership, and governance.

  • Knowledge: 
  • The educator understands how social and cultural differences originating outside the classroom and school affect student learning.
  • The educator has acquired an understanding of education that includes sensitivity to human potentials and differences.
  • Dispositions: 
    • The educator is accepting of individual differences that are consistent with democratic values and responsibilities.
    • The educator is disposed to the acceptance of human commonality within diversity.
  • Performances: 
    • The educator can adapt instruction to incorporate recognition of social and cultural differences to the extent that it does not interfere with basic democratic principles.
    • The educator can specify how issues such as justice, social inequality, concentrations of power, class differences, race and ethnic relations, or family and community organization affect teaching and schools.

Principle #6: The educator understands how philosophical and moral commitments affect the process of


evaluation at all levels of schooling practice, leadership, and governance.

  • Knowledge: 
  • The educator understands the tacit interests and moral commitments on which the technical processes of evaluation rest.
  • The educator understands that in choosing a measuring device, one necessarily makes moral and philosophical assumptions.
  • Dispositions: The educator is prepared to consider the ontological, epistemological, and ethical components of an evaluation method.
  • Performances: 
  • The educator can articulate moral and philosophical assumptions underlying an evaluation process.
  • The educator can identify what counts as evidence that a student has (or has not) learned or can (or cannot) learn.

Course Requirements




Discussions (15%)


This will be in a traditional discussion board format. You will be required to sign up to be a discussion leader one week out of the semester. Please view the rubric for the discussion, which specifies additional criteria you should follow.

Critical Analyses (20%)


Throughout the course, we will be reading a variety of texts that examine the Social Foundations of Education. In order to expand your understandings of these central concepts and theories, you need to critically examine what you have learned from these course materials. One way of doing this is to view the text using a critical framework. 

You will be tasked with choosing two readings to apply this critical framework to and respond in writing in two separate Critical Analyses throughout the semester. For these assignments, I would encourage you to engage with the readings that you are having trouble understanding or fitting into your ideas of teaching in order to help you come to some new conceptual knowledge as you analyze them. Ultimately, it is your decision on what readings to choose though. 

 Literature Review Assignments


You will complete two assignments focused on writing a theoretical literature review about your thesis topic using a social foundations of education framework. 

  • Assignment 1 (25%) will focus on creating a topic statement, research question(s), and an annotated bibliography. More detailed information is found in the assignment. 
  • Assignment 2 (30%) requires you to write a literature review, focusing on research you conducted about the historical, political, sociological, and philosophical foundations of education applied to your topic. More detailed information is found in the assignment. 

One item on the final rubric for Assignment 2 requires an individual meeting with me at some point over the semester. You can schedule this meeting at any time. We will discuss your ideas for the thesis and literature review, focusing on this course, other goals you may have for the program, and anything else you may have questions about or want to discuss. Please DO NOT wait to schedule this meeting with me during the last week of classes. 

Zoom Sessions (10%)


There will be three Zoom sessions this semester. The dates and times are posted in the Canvas syllabus. If you cannot attend the live session, there will be a reflection assignment for you to complete after viewing the recording. The recording will be posted in the Media Gallery within 24 hours of the session.

Course Outline

Module 1: Overview
Module 2: Historical Perspectives
Module 3: Political Perspectives 
Module 4: Sociological Perspectives
Module 5: Philosophical Perspectives
Module 6: Equity and Education
Module 7: Grounding in Social Justice Education

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work


Late Work: Late assignments have an automatic 20% deduction. You have one week from the due date to submit the late assignment. If you submit an assignment after this one-week deadline, it will not be graded, and you will receive a zero on that assignment. 
Discussion boards will not be accepted late since they are time-sensitive communications. The discussion boards will close for comments at the due date time. 

Extensions: Extension requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Any requests for an extension should be put into writing for me to consider. If requesting an extension, you must indicate the assignment you are requesting an extension for, the basic reason for the request, and the date that you will have the assignment completed, which I will need to approve. If an extension request is granted, you will be held to the date agreed upon from the written request and additional extensions WILL NOT be granted. 

Attendance Policy

Attendance:
Students are expected to put as much time and attention into an online course as they would a seated course. Students should be spending a minimum of three hours a week in the Canvas course completing the readings, watching videos, participating on the discussion boards, and completing other coursework. 

The instructor has access to a report that indicates the time each student spends in the Canvas platform and what online materials the students have accessed. 

Preparation and Follow-Through:
Preparation for Class
You should complete all items contained in the Weekly Overviews posted in each week’s module. All of our discussions and assignments are based on you completing the readings and watching the videos. We focus on larger understandings in class, so you might not be able to fully participate without being prepared for class.

Please make note of the days and times assignments are due. All major assignments must be submitted on Canvas. 

Course Fees


There are no course fees for this course.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.