Department of Educational Policy Studies and Research

The Department of Educational Policy Studies and Research (EPSR) studies the complex dynamic interplay between the individual, society and sociocultural processes that unfold in multiple educational contexts. It offers courses examining educational theories, institutions, practices, policies, and human development across the life span, and issues in education research. EPSR represents the foundational disciplines of history, philosophy, psychology, sociology and human development as they are related to the study of education. It also considers debates about investigative methodology in education, and the contribution of research to the understanding of educational and social problems Accordingly, its courses examine questions of disciplined inquiry, theoretical discourse, educational and social development, inequality, economic and political change, and cultural identity in relation to schools and related sites of learning. The study of these issues is informed by an ethical disposition that features the critical examination of the role of education in the quest for social justice. The Department provides disciplinary and research course work for students in other programs of the School, while also preparing students from EPSR for positions in, for example, government, service organizations, researchers for private foundations and institutes, adult education and training, cultural organizations as well as preparation for doctoral work in educational policy studies for a university teaching and research career. The Department is home to the School of Education's DePaul Institute for Teacher Development and Research.

Programs

Master's Program in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education

This program examines the interplay between the practices and policies that affect educational processes at the site of institutions and the systemic reproduction of inequality within society. It considers such issues as testing, measurement, tracking and labeling, curriculum development, funding, cultural policy, and community involvement. The program broadly defines education to include the study of cultural forces outside of schools such as the media, popular culture, cultural policy, museums, racial and ethnic communities, movements for social justice and more. Students in the program represent a wide diversity in backgrounds and interests, and utilize it to prepare for a variety of careers, or for doctoral study in education and related fields.

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