Education
Overview
"Be the change, to see the change"
Not everyone aspires to be a teacher, but we are all 'educators' in one sense or another. The faculty in Education invites Occidental's best and brightest to "be the change" by complementing a major course of study with an Education minor. The minor in Education will prepare students to address the complex challenges and issues related to education in our nation's evolving urban school communities. Students will learn to think clearly and analytically about schooling, pedagogy, educational policy and practice in a variety of school- and community-based educational settings.
Viewing the urban school as situated in broader communities is an essential contextual perspective that our program emphasizes. As such, an understanding of the urban community and neighborhood is fundamental in developing the problem-solving skills necessary for effective agency in urban educational contexts. With this in mind, the Education Minor integrates foundational coursework with urban community engagement via internships and/or field experiences to provide a rich, collaborative and informative context for school reform, school improvement and educational activism.
Minor Requirements
COURSEWORK
A minor in Education requires 22 units of coursework.
Required Courses:
| EDUC 201 | Sociocultural Foundations of Education | 4 units |
| EDUC 207 | Conflict in Education | 4 units |
| EDUC 300 | Community Engagement in Education | 2 units |
Twelve units of EDUC electives
Students may select from any other courses offered in the department. At least four of the remaining twelve units must be completed in an Education course numbered 313 or higher.
The department occasionally accepts courses from other departments for credit. These decisions are made on an individual basis, in consultation with the department chair.
Transfer Credit Policies
The Education Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. At most four units will be accepted in transfer toward the minor (this includes all courses taken outside the department, including study abroad courses). Students should reference the
Transfer Credit section for more details.
Courses
Education Courses
Faculty
Regular Faculty
Ronald Solórzano, chair
Professor
B.A., M.Ed., Loyola Marymount University; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
La Mont Terry
Associate Professor
A.B., M.A.T., Occidental College; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
On Special Appointment
Anthony Tróchez
Non-Tenure Track Instructor
B.S., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., University of California, Los Angeles
Kenjus Watson
Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor
A.B., Occidental College; M.E., Pennsylvania State University; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Désirée Zamorano
Non-Tenure Track Associate Professor
Director of the Community Literacy Center
B.A., University of California, Irvine; M.A., California State University, Dominguez Hills