Bryn Mawr College

Area of Concentration (Haverford Majors)

Students majoring in chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology, or sociology at Haverford may declare an Area of Concentration in Educational Studies. For the concentration, students take four courses in the education program:

• Education H200 or B200 (Critical Issues in Education)
• An education elective (which must be a course offered by Education Program faculty)
• Education 310 (Defining Educational Practice) or Education 301 (Curriculum and Pedagogy), and
• Education 311 (Fieldwork Seminar)

In addition to these education courses, students take two courses in their major field of study. A unit of Independent Study within the major may be used to fulfill this requirement. Established AOCs in educational studies are offered in conjunction with the sociology, psychology, mathematics, physics, and chemistry departments. Students in other departments should consult with the education program coordinator and their major advisor about the possibility of an AOC in their department.

Chemistry Concentration

In the chemistry department a student is enrolled in two semesters of research in physical or organic chemistry (Chemistry 361 or 363), with primary emphasis on laboratory development for secondary school curricula. Importance is placed not only on the development of specific new experiments, but also on the process by which an instructor approaches the development of experiments, their testing, issues of safety, and finally the problem of keeping experiments current and of continuing interest not only to the students who perform them, but also to the instructors who direct them on a continuing basis. In addition, the student is a teaching assistant for the full year of general chemistry (Chemistry 100-101).

Mathematics Concentration: Students take the following courses:

• Math H460 (teaching assistantship) in two different semesters, one half-credit each.
  
• Math H480 (independent study), two half-credits, a project that combines senior research on a topic in mathematics with development of related courseware, teaching materials, and/or classroom modules. Details of the project must be approved jointly by the department chair as well as the chair of the AOC.

Physics Concentration: Students take the following courses:

• Physics H459b Teaching Laboratory Physics (typically in the second semester of the junior year); and
  
• Physics H460a Association in Teaching Basic Physics (typically in the first semester of the senior year).

All senior physics majors prepare and present to the department a talk and paper based on independent work. Education concentrators have the option of choosing a topic related to physics pedagogy for their research.

Psychology Concentration: Students take two of the following courses:

• Psychology B206 (Developmental Psychology)
• Psychology B203 (Educational Psychology)
  
• Psychology H238 (Psychology of Language)

Sociology Concentration: Students take Sociology H235 (Class, Race, and Education) and one of the following:

• Sociology B258 (Sociology of Education) or
  
• Sociology B266 (Schools in American Cities)

How to Enroll

Second-semester sophomores (or late starting juniors) should bring the following to Ann Brown, Education Program Adviser, to officially enroll in the program:

• A letter of intent that includes: an explanation of their interest in education; a discussion of the unique and/or appropriate qualities and strengths they would bring to the profession; and an explanation of their career plans; and
• A Declaration of Major Form.

Once they declare, students meet each semester with an Education Program adviser for an individual conference.