Nicholas C. Burbules
Gutgsell Professor of Education, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Key Professional Appointments
- Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor Emeritus, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership , University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Awards
- Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (2024).
- David Zola Distinguished Teaching Career Award, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (2021).
- Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (2015).
- Fellow, International Academy of Education (2011).
- Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professorship, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (2009-present).
- James and Helen Merritt Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Philosophy of Education (2004).
- Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professorship, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (2002-2007).
- Distinguished Senior College Scholar, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (2001).
- University Scholar, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (1998).
- Selected as a “Young Leader of the Academy,” Change magazine (1998).
- Distinguished College Scholar, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign (1992).
Research & Service
My primary research areas are philosophy of education; the ethics of communication; teaching through dialogue; and technology and education.
Publications
- Burbules, N. C. (2025). The Communicative Dimensions of Social Epistemologies. Educational Theory, 75(2), 192-207.
- Hand, M., & Burbules, N. C. (2025). Symposium Introduction: Educating Responsible Believers. Educational Theory, 75(2), 188-191.
- Burbules, N. C. (2023). Critical Thinking and the Conditions of Democracy. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31, Article 104.
- Jackson, L., Davids, N., Thompson, W. C., Lussier, J., Burbules, N. C., Alston, K., Chatelier, S., Taganas, K. M. B., Mendoza, O. S., Cong, J. L., Frattura, A., & Webb, A. A. P. T. (2023). Feeling like a philosopher of education: A collective response to Jackson’s ‘The smiling philosopher’. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 55(9), 994-1005.
- Johnston, J. S., & Burbules, N. (2023). Interview - Meta-Education: The Attempt to Get Beyond a Politicized Conceptual Framework in Philosophy of Education. Encounters in Theory and History of Education, 24.
- Burbules, N. C. (2022). A Dialogue About Dialogue. Philosophy of Education, 78(3), 48-52.
- Burbules, N. C. (2022). Promoting Critical Thinking in Anti-Critical Thinking Times: Lessons from COVID Discourse. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, 29(1), 5-10.
- Burbules, N. (2022). Review: A. Pagès's A History of Western Philosophy of Education in the Contemporary Landscape. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, 29(2), 155-157.
- Farley, I. A., & Burbules, N. C. (2022). Online education viewed through an equity lens: Promoting engagement and success for all learners. Review of Education, 10(3), Article e3367.
- Jackson, L., Alston, K., Bialystok, L., Blum, L., Burbules, N. C., Chinnery, A., Hansen, D. T., Hytten, K., Mayo, C., Norris, T., Stitzlein, S. M., Thompson, W. C., Waks, L., Peters, M. A., & Tesar, M. (2022). Philosophy of education in a new key: Snapshot 2020 from the United States and Canada. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 54(8), 1130-1146.
- Peters, M. A., Rizvi, F., McCulloch, G., Gibbs, P., Gorur, R., Hong, M., Hwang, Y., Zipin, L., Brennan, M., Robertson, S., Quay, J., Malbon, J., Taglietti, D., Barnett, R., Chengbing, W., McLaren, P., Apple, R. D., Papastephanou, M., Burbules, N., ... Misiaszek, L. (2022). Reimagining the new pedagogical possibilities for universities post-Covid-19: An EPAT Collective Project. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 54(6), 717-760.
- Bostad, I., Burbules, N. C., Harford, J., Hutt, E., Ideland, M., Proctor, H., Ricken, N., & Simons, M. (2021). Coroziehung oder Erzierona? Wie bitte?!? Bildungsgeschichte (IJHE), 11(1), 55-81.
- Burbules, N. C. (2021). Meritocracy. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education Oxford University Press.
- Burbules, N. C., Fan, G., & Repp, P. (2020). Five trends of education and technology in a sustainable future. Geography and Sustainability, 1(2), 93-97.
- Burbules, N. C. (2020). Phronesis y complejidad. Teoria de la Educacion, 32(1), 11-22.
- Burbules, N. C. (2020). Reflections on my work. In Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Education Institute of Humanities and Social Studies, Iran.
- Burbules, N. C. (2020). Slowness as a Virtue. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 54(5), 1443-1452.
- Burbules, N. C. (2020). Why Publish? Journal of Philosophy of Education, 54(3), 655-665.
- Blanken-Webb, J., Palmer, I., Campbell, R., Burbules, N. C., & Bashir, M. N. (2019). Cybersecurity Ethics. In J. T. F. Burgess, & E. J. M. Knox (Eds.), Foundations of Information Ethics ALA Neal-Schuman.
- Burbules, N. C. (2019). From The Editor. Educational Theory, 69(4), 375-376.
- Burbules, N. C. (2019). Living with Conflicting Ideals. Philosophy of Education, 75, 369-373.
- Burbules, N. C. (2019). Thoughts on phronesis. Ethics and Education, 14(2), 126-137.
- Blanken-Webb, J., Palmer, I., Deshaies, S. E., Burbules, N. C., Campbell, R. H., & Bashir, M. (2018). A case study-based cybersecurity ethics curriculum. Paper presented at 2018 USENIX Workshop on Advances in Security Education, ASE 2018, co-located with USENIX Security 2018, Baltimore.
- Burbules, N. C. (2018). Dialogue and Critical Pedagogy. In M. A. Peters (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory (pp. 553-557). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2018). Philosophy of Education. In P. Smeyers (Ed.), International Handbook of Philosophy of Education (pp. 1417-1427). (Springer International Handbooks of Education). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C., & Stone, L. (2018). Postscript Humanistic Study, Collaboration, and Interdisciplinarity: A Dialogue on the Leuven Research Community. In S. Ramaekers, & N. Hodgson (Eds.), Past, Present, and Future Possibilities for Philosophy and History of Education: Finding Space and Time for Research (pp. 131-139). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2018). “The limits of the ‘foundations’ metaphor in education.”. Educational Foundations, Vol. 31 (No. 3-4 ).
- Burbules, N. C. (2018). What educational psychology can contribute to educational philosophy. In Educational Psychologist (3 ed., Vol. 38, pp. 183-185). Taylor and Francis.
- Burbules, N. C. (2018). Wittgenstein’s Pedagogical Metaphors. In M. A. Peters (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory (pp. 2390-2394). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2017). Wittgenstein’s Metaphors and His Pedagogical Philosophy. In M. A. Peters, & J. Stickney (Eds.), A Companion to Wittgenstein on Education (pp. 123-133). Springer.
- García-Sánchez, S., & Burbules, N. C. (2017). A revision of activity theory to foster communicative twenty-first-century skills. International Journal of Learning, 24(1), 1-12.
- Burbules, N. C. (2016). How We Use and Are Used by Social Media in Education. Educational Theory, 66(4), 551-565.
- Burbules, N. C. (2016). Some Problems with the Neuroscience Research Program. In C. W. Joldersma (Ed.), Neuroscience and Education: A Philosophical Appraisal (pp. 194-207). (Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education). Routledge.
- Burbules, N. C. (2016). Technology, Education, and the Fetishization of the ‘New’. In P. Smeyers, & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational Research: Discourses of Change and Changes of Discourse (pp. 9-16). (Educational Research; Vol. 9). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2015). The changing functions of citation: from knowledge networking to academic cash-value. Paedagogica Historica, 51(6), 716-726.
- Burbules, N. C., Bridges, D., Griffiths, M., & Smeyers, P. (2015). Varieties of Interpretation in Educational Research: How We Frame the Project. In P. Smeyers, D. Bridges, N. C. Burbules, & M. Griffiths (Eds.), International Handbook of Interpretation in Educational Research (pp. 3-16). (Springer International Handbooks of Education). Springer.
- Smeyers, P., Bridges, D., Burbules, N. C., & Griffiths, M. (Eds.) (2015). International Handbook of Interpretation in Educational Research. (Springer International Handbooks of Education). Springer.
- Smeyers, P., Bridges, D., Griffiths, M., & Burbules, N. C. (2015). Preface: How the Handbook Came into Being. Springer International Handbooks of Education, Part F1613, xiii-xv.
- Burbules, N. C. (2014). Los significados de “aprendizaje ubicuo”. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 22(104), 1-10.
- Burbules, N. C. (2014). Philosophical reflections on editing. Educational Theory, 64(4), 317-331.
- Burbules, N. C. (2014). The Personal and the Philosophical. In L. J. Waks (Ed.), Leaders in Philosophy of Education: Intellectual Self-Portraits (Second Series) (pp. 49-57). (Leaders in Educational Studies). Sense Publishers.
- Burbules, N. C. (2014). Ubiquitous Learning and the Future of Teaching. In R. Bruno-Jofre, & J. S. Johnston (Eds.), Teacher Education in a Transnational World (pp. 177-187). University of Toronto Press.
- Burbules, N. C. (2013). Learning Is Not Education. In P. Smeyers, & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational Research: The Attraction of Psychology (pp. 159-166). (Educational Research; Vol. 6). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2013). Reasonable doubt: Toward a postmodern defense of reason as an educational aim. In Critical Conversations in Philosophy of Education (pp. 82-102). Taylor and Francis Inc..
- Burbules, N. C. (2013). Spaces and Places in the Virtual University. In P. Smeyers, M. Depaepe, & E. Keiner (Eds.), Educational Research: The Importance and Effects of Institutional Spaces (pp. 167-176). (Educational Research; Vol. 7). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2013). The Paradigmatic Differences Between Name/Date and Footnote Styles of Citation. In P. Smeyers, & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational Research: Material Culture and Its Representation (pp. 191-199). (Educational Research; Vol. 8). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C., & Warnick, B. R. (2012). Philosophical inquiry. In Handbook of Complementary Methods in Education Research (pp. 489-502). Taylor and Francis.
- Kohli, W., & Burbules, N. C. (2011). Feminisms and Educational Research. (Philosophy, Theory, and Educational Research Series). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
- Roth, K., & Burbules, N. C. (2011). Cosmopolitan Identity and Education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43(3), 205-208.
- Roth, K., & Burbules, N. C. (Eds.) (2011). Philosophical Perspectives on Cosmopolitanism and Education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43(3).
- Smeyers, P., & Burbules, N. C. (2011). How to Improve your Impact Factor: Questioning the Quantification of Academic Quality. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 45(1), 1-17.
- Burbules, N. C. (2010). Meanings of ″Ubiquitous Learning″. In B. Cope, & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), Ubiquitous Learning (pp. 15-20). University of Illinois Press.
- Burbules, N. C., & Rice, S. (2010). On pretending to listen. Teachers College Record, 112(11), 2874-2888.
- Burbules, N. C. (2010). Postmodernism and Education. In H. Siegel (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Education Oxford University Press.
- Rice, S., & Burbules, N. C. (2010). Listening: A virtue account. Teachers College Record, 112(11), 2728-2742.
- Burbules, N. C. (2009). Evidence and Argumentation in Educational Research. In P. Smeyers, & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational Research: Proofs, Arguments, and Other Reasonings (pp. 143-148). ( Educational Research; Vol. 4). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2009). The Democratic and Educational Potential of Political Blogs. In M. S. Katz, S. Verducci, & G. Biesta (Eds.), Education, Democracy, and the Moral Life (pp. 47-57). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2008). Tacit Teaching. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40(5), 666-677.
- Peters, M. A., Burbules, N. C., & Smeyers, P. (2008). Showing and Doing: Wittgenstein as a Pedagogical Philosopher. Routledge.
- Silberman-Keller, D., Bekerman, Z., Giroux, H. A., & Burbules, N. C. (Eds.) (2008). Mirror Images: Popular Culture and Education. (Counterpoints; Vol. 338). Peter Lang Publishing.
- Smeyers, P., & Burbules, N. C. (2008). Introduction. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40(5), 585-590.
- Smeyers, P., & Burbules, N. C. (Eds.) (2008). Wittgenstein’s Legacy for Education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40(5).
- Burbules, N. C., Warnick, B., McDonough, T., & Johnston, S. (2007). Education. In The Blackwell Guide to American Philosophy (pp. 343-363). Wiley.
- Burbules, N. C. (2007). E-lessons learned. Teachers College Record, 109(14), 207-216.
- Burbules, N. C., Lawless, K., & Smolin, L. (Eds.) (2007). Information and Communication Technologies: Considerations of Current Practice for Teachers and Teacher Educators. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Burbules, N. C. (2007). Networks as Spaces and Places: Their Importance for Educational Research Collaboration. In P. Smeyers, & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational Research: Networks and Technologies (pp. 43-54). Springer.
- Gunsalus, C. K., Bruner, E. M., Burbules, N. C., Dash, L., Finkin, M., Goldberg, J. P., Greenough, W. T., Miller, G. A., Pratt, M. G., Iriye, M., & Aronson, D. (2007). The Illinois white paper: Improving the system for protecting human subjects: Counteracting IRB "mission creep". Qualitative Inquiry, 13(5), 617-649.
- Roth, K., & Burbules, N. C. (Eds.) (2007). Changing Notions of Citizenship Education in Contemporary Nation-states. (Educational Futures; Vol. 7). Brill | Sense.
- Roth, K., & Burbules, N. C. (2007). Introduction: Understanding the Meaning of Citizenship Education. In K. Roth, & N. C. Burbules (Eds.), Changing Notions of Citizenship Education in Contemporary Nation-states (pp. 1-9). (Educational Futures; Vol. 7). Brill | Sense.
- Warnick, B. R., & Burbules, N. C. (2007). Media comparison studies: Problems and possibilities. Teachers College Record, 109(11), 2483-2510.
- Bekerman, Z., Burbules, N. C., & Silberman-Keller, D. (Eds.) (2006). Learning in Places: The Informal Education Reader. (Counterpoints; Vol. 249). Peter Lang Publishing.
- Burbules, N. C., Callister, T. A., & Taaffe, C. (2006). Beyond the Digital Divide. Advances in Educational Administration, 8, 85-99.
- Burbules, N. C. (2006). Digital Libraries as Virtual Spaces. In C. Kapitzke, & B. C. Bruce (Eds.), Libr@ries: Changing Information Space and Practice (pp. 3-16). Taylor and Francis.
- Burbules, N. C. (2006). Rethinking dialogue in networked spaces. Cultural Studies - Critical Methodologies, 6(1), 107-122.
- Burbules, N. C. (2006). Rethinking the Virtual. In J. Weiss, J. Nolan, J. Hunsinger, & P. Trifonas (Eds.), The International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments (pp. 37-58). Springer.
- Burbules, N. C. (2006). Self-Educating Communities: Collaboration and Learning through the Internet. In Z. Bekerman, N. C. Burbules, & D. Silberman-Keller (Eds.), Learning in Places: The Informal Education Reader (Counterpoints). Peter Lang Publishing.
- Felten, D. L., Vogt, T. M., Gunsalus, C. K., Bruner, E. M., Burbules, N. C., Dash, L., Finkin, M., Goldberg, J. P., Greenough, W. T., Miller, G. A., & Pratt, M. G. (2006). IRBs: Going Too Far or Not Far Enough? Science, 313(5792), 1388-1389.
- Gunsalus, C. K., Bruner, E. M., Burbules, N. C., Dash, L., Finkin, M., Goldberg, J. P., Greenough, W. T., Miller, G. A., & Pratt, M. G. (2006). Mission creep in the IRB world. Science, 312(5779), 1441.
- Gunsalus, C. K., Bruner, E. M., Burbules, N. C., Dash, L., Finkin, M., Goldberg, J. P., Greenough, W. T., Miller, G. A., & Pratt, M. G. (2006). Response [3]. Science, 313(5792), 1388-1389.
- Smeyers, P., & Burbules, N. C. (2006). Education as initiation into practices. Educational Theory, 56(4), 439-449.
- Smeyers, P., & Burbules, N. C. (2006). The changing practices and social relations of education. Educational Theory, 56(4), 363-369.
- Burbules, N. C. (2005). From the editor. Educational Theory, 55(1), 1-2.
- Burbules, N. C., & Smith, R. (2005). ‘What it makes sense to say’: Wittgenstein, rule‐following and the nature of education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 37(3), 425-430.
- Levin, J. A., Burbules, N. C., & Bruce, B. C. (2005). From Student Work to Exemplary Educational Resources: The Case of the CTER White Papers. E-Learning, 2(1), 39-49.
- Burbules, N. C., Warnick, B., Mcdonough, T., & Johnston, S. (2004). Education. In A. T. Marsoobian, & J. Ryder (Eds.), The Blackwell Guide to American Philosophy (pp. 343-363). Blackwell Publishing Ltd..
- Burbules, N. C. (2004). From the Editor. Educational Theory, 54(2), 117.
- Burbules, N. C. (2004). Navigating the Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Pedagogy. In C. Haythornthwaite, & M. M. Kazmer (Eds.), Learning, Culture and Community in Online Education: Research and Practice (Digital Formations). Peter Lang Publishing.
- Burbules, N. C. (2004). Ways of Thinking About Educational Quality. Educational Researcher, 33(6), 4-10.
- Callister, T. A., & Burbules, N. C. (2004). Just give it to me straight: A case against filtering the internet. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(9), 648-655.
- Peters, M., & Burbules, N. C. (2004). Poststructuralism and Educational Research. (Philosophy, Theory, and Educational Research Series). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
- Biesta, G. J. J., & Burbules, N. C. (2003). Pragmatism and Educational Research. (Philosophy, Theory, and Educational Research Series). Rowman & Littlefield.
- Burbules, N. C. (2003). From the editor. Educational Theory, 53(4), 365-366.
- Burbules, N. C. (2003). "Getting it" or getting together: The challenge of forging new alliances in education. Teaching Education, 14(2), 141-148.
- Burbules, N. C. (2003). Rhetorics of the web: Hyperreading and critical literacy. In I. Snyder (Ed.), Page to Screen: Taking Literacy into the Electronic Era (pp. 102-122). Routledge.
- Burbules, N. C., & Lambeir, B. (2003). The importance of new technologies in promoting collaborative educational research. In M. Depaepe, & P. Smeyers (Eds.), Beyond Empiricism: On Criteria for Educational Research (pp. 41-52). (Studia Paedagogica; Vol. 34). Leuven University Press.
- Burbules, N. C. (2003). What Educational Psychology Can Contribute to Educational Philosophy. Educational Psychologist, 38(3), 183-185.
- Burbules, N. C. (2002). From the editor. Educational Theory, 52(4), 379.
- Burbules, N. C. (2002). Like a version: Playing with online identities. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 34(4), 387-393.
- Burbules, N. C. (2002). The Dilemma of Philosophy of Education: "Relevance" or Critique? Part Two. Educational Theory, 52(3), 349-357.
- Burbules, N. C. (2002). The Dilemma of Philosophy of Education: "Relevance" or Critique? Part One. Educational Theory, 52(3), 257-261.
Courses
- EPOL 406: Professional Ethics in Education: An introduction to professional ethics for educators: helps students reflect on the values embedded in educational aims, the norms regulating educational practice, and the dispositions displayed by excellent practitioners. Same as EPS 410. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
- EPOL 407: Critical Thinking in Education: Examination of critical thinking dispositions and abilities as an approach to the foundations of knowledge and structure of thinking in subject-matter areas. Same as EPS 412. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
- EPOL 480: Technology and Educational Reform: Examines the normative and policy issues raised by the use of new information and communication technologies in education. The course is interdisciplinary, drawing from social and historical as well as philosophical perspectives on these issues. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
- EPOL 593: The Role of Theory in Educational Research: All research is guided by theory. Theory provides a vocabulary, a set of laws or generalizations, a background literature, and a conceptual framework for any effort to plan, design, and execute a research study. There is no theory-free inquiry. This is true in the social sciences as well as the natural sciences. All research seeks to explain phenomena: a theory provides an explanation for those explanations. However, these theoretical assumptions are often implicit and unreflective. Researchers may think they have no theory, or have a theory that is so taken for granted that they don’t recognize it as an assumed theory. Much of educational research suffers from this lack of theoretical self-awareness. Like any other aspect of research, theories are falsifiable. They must stand the test of evidence – which may go against them. The goal of the class is not to identify the "right" or "best" theory, but to make the identification and selection of a theory more critical and reflective. Any major theory has insights, and each has limitations. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
- EPS 410: Professional Ethics in Education: Philosophical examination of selected educational issues; conveys a grasp of the complexities of the issues and some philosophical methods for dealing with them. Same as EPOL 406. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
- EPS 411: School and Society: Analyzes normative and conceptual aspects of the interrelationship of school and society, and of reciprocal influences between schools and major social trends and forces. Same as EPOL 405. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
- EPS 412: Critical Thinking in Ed: Examination of critical thinking dispositions and abilities as an approach to the foundations of knowledge and structure of thinking in subject-matter areas. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
- EPS 415: Technology and Educational Reform: Same as EPOL 480. See EPOL 480.
- EPS 515: Philosophy and Ed Research: Examines some crucial assumptions and concepts of contemporary research in education from the point of view both of the consumer and the practitioner of educational research. Topics include paradigm conflicts, causal attributions in social science, assessment, ethical problems in the conduct of research, and the assumptions of quantitative research. Prerequisite: Coursework in philosophy or philosophy of education, or consent of instructor.
- EPS 590: Advanced Graduate Seminar: Seminar in educational policy studies; sections offered in the following fields: (a) history of education; (b) philosophy of education; (c) comparative education; (d) social foundations of education; (e) philosophy of educational research; and (f) historical methods in education. Same as EPOL 590. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated in the same and separate semesters to a maximum of 8 hours.
- ERAM 515: Social Theories and Education: Examines philosophical issues in social and political theory as they pertain to educational problems. The course includes topics such as autonomy, democratic education, educational reform, and social change. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
- ERAM 551: Philosophy and History of Educational Research: Addresses the historical context of educational research as well as philosophical issues in the foundations of research. Themes include: the efforts of educational research to be respected as a "science"; the rise of educational psychology as a dominant model of educational research; the checkered history of IQ testing; the role of theory in educational research, and how we choose a theory; the debate over quantitative vs qualitative research, and why that is the wrong debate. The readings for the course do not assume any previous background with philosophy. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
- ERAM 552: The Role of Theory in Educational Research: All research is guided by theory. Theory provides a vocabulary, a set of laws or generalizations, a background literature, and a conceptual framework for any effort to plan, design, and execute a research study. There is no theory-free inquiry. This is true in the social sciences as well as the natural sciences. All research seeks to explain phenomena: a theory provides an explanation for those explanations. However, these theoretical assumptions are often implicit and unreflective. Researchers may think they have no theory, or have a theory that is so taken for granted that they don’t recognize it as an assumed theory. Much of educational research suffers from this lack of theoretical self-awareness. Like any other aspect of research, theories are falsifiable. They must stand the test of evidence – which may go against them. The goal of the class is not to identify the "right" or "best" theory, but to make the identification and selection of a theory more critical and reflective. Any major theory has insights, and each has limitations. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
- ERAM 571: Traditions in Philosophy of Education: Analyzes major trends and primary sources in philosophy of education, drawing mainly from the 20th century. Movements covered will include pragmatism, concept analysis, phenomenology, feminism, and Marxism/Critical theory. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: An appropriate 300- and 400-level coursework in philosophy, philosophy of education, or consent of the instructor.