Courses
LRS 100/F. Liberal Studies Freshman Seminar and Field Study (1/1)
Prerequisite: ITEP Freshman option students only. Recommended Corequisite: LRS 100F. Introduces first-time freshman students to university culture and expectations and to fieldwork methodology in elementary education. Students focus primarily on themselves as learners with a secondary focus on children as learners. Topics: how students learn; time management; diversity; information competence; introduction to technology; university literacy; campus-specific resources and services; and an introduction to fieldwork methodology. 1 hour of lecture and 2 hours of guided field experience in elementary school classrooms per week.
LRS 150/F. Liberal Studies and Anthropology and Field Study (2/1)
Prerequisite: ITEP Freshman option students only. Recommended Corequisite: LRS 150F. Preparatory: LRS 100/F. Introduction to the study of cultural anthropology, with a focus on cultural issues that influence learning and education of multicultural populations. Students apply cultural concepts to understand themselves as learners and to children in elementary-school settings. Topics include gender, ethnicity and people who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Foundations of ethnographic observation and development of a case study of an elementary-school student. Includes 15 hours of guided field experience in elementary classrooms.
LRS 196A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses (3)
Experimental Topics
LRS 200/L. Liberal Studies Seminar and Lab: Learning, Thinking, and Doing Physical Science (3/1)
Prerequisite: ITEP-Freshman Option students only. Corequisite: LRS 200L. This course provides aspiring elementary school teachers with an understanding of how young children construct and comprehend key facets of science including explanations, theories, models, and experiments. In tandem with learning and doing science, students think about the philosophical and cognitive underpinnings of these facets of science. The course will also look at the nature of some of students’ alternative conceptions in science and strategies for assessing children’s existing beliefs. The laboratory component, LRS 200L, involves practicing physical science core ideas as both learners and teachers. As learners, they conduct physical science investigations themselves. As teachers, they teach lessons to elementary children based on the concepts learned and conduct interviews with the elementary children. This lab meets for 3 hours per week. 15 hours of offsite laboratory work is required.
LRS 250/F. Integrating Reason, Belief and Education and Field Study (3/1)
Prerequisite: ITEP Freshman option students only. Recommended Corequisite: LRS 250F. Introduction to the concepts essential to the identification, analysis and evaluation of arguments for students in the Integrated Teacher Education Program. Students examine the variety of sources of justification, evidence and warrant, such as argumentation, problem solving and perception. Emphasizes the application of these and learning in K-12 classrooms. Includes 15 hours of guided field experience in elementary classrooms.
LRS 296A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses (3)
Experimental Topics
LRS 300/F. Interdisciplinary Approaches for Future Teachers and Field Study (2/1)
Prerequisites: Course is limited to Pre-Credential and ITEP-Junior Option students; Junior Standing. Corequisite: LRS 300F. This course focuses on developing skills for successfully integrating subject matter knowledge from multiple disciplines in preparation for a career in teaching. It introduces students to knowledge integration theory and tools for integrated teaching including: basic notions of literacy, knowledge production, and knowledge organization and reconfiguration across different settings (vocational disciplines and liberal arts) and different fields (the sciences and the humanities). Students develop an understanding of Subject Matter Areas among those within State Curriculum Frameworks for Grades K-8 (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, History/Social Science, Visual and Performing Arts, Health Education, and Physical Education) and practice effective ways to interconnect them in view of their future teaching practices. The course includes training in the research and technology skills required for integrated teaching, as well as specific assignments connected to the academic and professional requirements for a Liberal Studies pre-credential major. 15 hours of guided field experience in an elementary classroom is required.
LRS 333. Perspectives on Literacy (3)
Prerequisite: ENGL 301. Corequisites: LRS 433/F. This course examines topics related to the development of reading and writing—what people frequently refer to as literacy. These topics range from how the organization of the human brain integrates its design for language with the cognitive demands of representing language in print to understanding the roles of human interaction and culture in the development of early literacy.
LRS 396A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses (3)
Experimental Topics
LRS 425A-Z. Selected Topics in Childhood Studies (3)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Recommended Preparatory: ENGL 428 or ENGL 429. Intensive interdisciplinary study of a particular topic in childhood studies as seen from historical and critical perspectives, with emphasis on the application of cultural theory. Topics will change from semester to semester.
LRS 433/F. Practicum in Early Literacy (2/1)
Prerequisite: ENGL 301. Corequisite: LRS 333. This is a practicum designed to extend information and concepts presented in LRS 333. The focus of this course is on the application of research in language, development and early literacy. The role of early intervention in the prevention of learning difficulties and concepts related to individual differences in reading and writing are examined. Students are required to connect theory with practice; reflect upon young children’s and their own reading and writing; and design, implement and evaluate evidence-based instruction. 15 hours of supervised fieldwork is required.
LRS 491. Capstone Seminar (3-3)
Preparatory: FLIT 391 or HUM 391. Intensive interdisciplinary study of an age, movement, problem, or theme, with emphasis on the application of cultural theory in interdisciplinary study. The topic of the seminar varies. Students will complete a senior project, such as a research paper or a creative performance that demonstrates the integrated knowledge, understanding and skills they have gained in the course of studies in the major. Available for graduate credit. (Cross-listed with FLIT and HUM 491.)
LRS 496A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses (3)
Experimental Topics