The Educational Studies Department, in collaboration with colleagues on campus and in the community, strives to fulfill a multifaceted mission focused on
* Providing opportunities for students to engage in the study of education as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and advocacy;
* Preparing teachers to provide social service and leadership within the contexts of culturally diverse, economically challenged, urban public educational systems;
* Developing both contributions within the context of Macalester's continuing commitments to academic excellence, internationalism, cultural pluralism, and civic engagement.
As a selective liberal arts college in a resource-rich urban setting, Macalester offers distinctive opportunities to fulfill this mission. The Educational Studies Department coordinates teacher education programs and provides courses and internships that contribute to and integrate liberal studies across the disciplines. Curricular offerings provide a vibrant and challenging environment for students, faculty and staff to pursue a wide range of interests including both public school teaching and teaching in contexts that do not require state licensing (e.g., teaching abroad, private school positions, artists-in-residence, youth development and other outreach programs, etc.).
democracy
Opportunities are also provided to pursue dimensions of educational studies addressing significant societal issues on local, national, and international levels (e.g., urban education, educational policy, multicultural and anti-bias education, environmental education, civic education, youth development, international education, and education-centered responses to social justice imperatives).
