Program Theme
The Master of Arts in Social Foundations of Education program seeks students with a broad range of experience and goals both within and outside of professional education. SOFD students are eager to explore issues pertaining to quality of life: social and ecological justice, globalization, and the ethics of teaching in schools and society. The goal of the program is to strengthen and inform a commitment to education for participatory democracy in a pluralistic society. Graduate students in social foundations are expected to assess the complex forces—economic, historical, social and political—that shape the structure and control of education both nationally and internationally. Students also engage in a theoretical analysis of cultural diversity as it impacts the practices and processes of education and life in a democratic society.

This program is in compliance with the Standards for Academic and Professional Instruction in Foundations of Education, Education Studies and Education Policy as defined by the American Educational Studies Association.

Program Description
Students pursuing the M.A. degree in Social Foundations of Education may choose one of three concentrations:

• Cultural Studies, Education and Urban Contexts, which allows students to pursue individualized research interests, and provides an excellent preparation for advanced graduate study;

• EcoJustice and Education (Offered Online, Hybrid, and Face to Face), which emphasizes analysis of the increasing destruction of the world’s diverse ecosystems, languages and cultures by the globalizing and ethnocentric forces of Western consumer culture, and explores reforms within public schools and universities required to stem the tide of these problems; and

• Teaching for Diversity and Democracy, which explores issues such as gender, social class, and ethnicity as they relate to education by using theoretical frameworks and practical applications.

All concentrations equip students with the skills in qualitative or quantitative research so that they can analyze the social implications of educational policy, and can better understand the cultural, historical, political and ethical dimensions of education in a pluralistic society.

Model
Eastern Michigan University’s advanced professional education program promotes inquiry, advocacy and leadership in education for a diverse and democratic society.