Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a Concentration in Foundations of Education
 

The Foundations of Education Concentration The Foundations of Education Concentration is one of four specializations open to PPE majors. It consists of five courses that focus on aspects of education. This concentration is intended for students who may wish to pursue careers in teaching, school administration, or educational policy. It is not, however, a teacher-training program. Students who take the Foundations of Education Concentration do not receive teacher certification. Instead, they receive intensive preparation in important ideas and skills that most teacher training in the United States neglects. The students who take this concentration acquire the intellectual foundation they need to become the next generation of leaders in American education. The King’s College recognizes that the vocation of teaching requires years of preparation. In most states, public school teachers must earn a master’s degree to receive permanent certification. While many colleges and universities offer full-scale undergraduate degree programs in education leading to temporary teacher certification, King’s has chosen a different approach. We believe the best undergraduate preparation for teaching is a solid grasp of the politics, philosophy, and economics of education, as seen through the lens of historical analysis. The core curriculum and the general PPE program introduce students to the way schools shape values and foster citizenship. State-based educational systems carry out public policies that reflect political and economic realities. For most of our history in the United States, education was almost exclusively a local and state concern, but in the past half-century, the federal government has assumed a much larger role. The Foundations of Education Concentration equips students to analyze government policies at all levels and to assess the practical constraints as well as the philosophical ideals of the educational enterprise.
Course		Year	Term	Title	Credits
YEAR 1					CREDITS
POL	110	1	Fall	Introduction to Politics*	3
ENG	110	1	Fall	College Writing I	3
HIS	111	1	Fall	History of the West I	3
REL	112	1	Fall	Introduction to Old Testament	3
URB	110	1	Fall	Introduction to the City*	3
				Fall Total	15
ECO	110	1	Spring	Introduction to Economics*	3
ENG	120	1	Spring	College Writing II   (ENG 110)	3
HIS	112	1	Spring	History of the West II	3
REL	111	1	Spring	Introduction to New Testament Literature	3
PHL	110	1	Spring	Logic*	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 1 CREDITS	30
YEAR 2					CREDITS
POL	215	2	Fall	American Political Thought and Practice I   (POL 110)	3
ECO	210	2	Fall	Macroeconomics*   (ECO 110)	3
REL	212	2	Fall	Foundations of Judeo-Christian Thought*   (REL 111)	3
ENG	253	2	Fall	Persuasive Writing*   (ENG 120)	3
ELEC		2	Fall	Open Elective	3
				Fall Total	15
POL	216	2	Spring	American Political Thought and Practice II   (POL 110)	3
ECO	211	2	Spring	Microeconomics*   (ECO 110)	3
MAT	274	2	Spring	Statistics	3
EDU	251	2	Spring	History of American Education	3
ELEC		2	Spring	Open Elective	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 2 CREDITS	30
YEAR 3					CREDITS
PHL	313	3	Fall	Classical and Medieval Philosophy    (POL 110)	3
POL	315	3	Fall	American Political Thought and Practice III   (POL 110)	3
ECO	311	3	Fall	History of Economic Thought	3
POL	351	3	Fall	Constitutional Law   (POL 216)	3
EDU	351	3	Fall	History and Philosophy of Education I	3
				Fall Total	15
PHL	314	3	Spring	Modern Philosophy   (PHL 313)	3
SCI	312	3	Spring	Scientific Reasoning   (PHL 110)	3
POL	312	3	Spring	Enlightenment and Liberal Democracy   (PHL 313, HIS 112)	3
POL	452	3	Spring	Political Economy   (ECO 211)	3
EDU	352	3	Spring	History and Philosophy of Education II	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 3 CREDITS	30
YEAR 4					CREDITS
PHL	361	4	Fall	Ethics	3
PHL ELEC		4	Fall	PHL 412: Theories of Human Nature or PHL 351: Culture and Aesthetics	3
POL ELEC		4	Fall	POL 352: Public Policy, POL 451: Civil Rights, POL 452: Statesmanship, or POL 454: American Foreign Policy	3
EDU	451	4	Fall	Education Policy   (ENG 253, POL 312)	3
ELEC		4	Fall	PPE Elective of Choice	3
				Fall Total	15
PHL	312	4	Spring	Philosophical Apologetics   (PHL 110, REL 212)	3
ECO ELEC		4	Spring	ECO 453: The Global Economy or ECO 451: Public Choice	3
PPE	451	4	Spring	Senior Thesis or PPE Elective of choice	3
EDU	452	4	Spring	The Teaching Career   (EDU 251, EDU 351, EDU 352, EDU 451)	3
ELEC		4	Spring	Open Elective	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 4 CREDITS	30
				TOTAL FOR DEGREE	120

The first course in the Foundations of Education Concentration focuses on our national experience, identifying distinctive features of a nearly 400-year history of American education—from the Mayflower Compact to No Child Left Behind. The next two courses examine the history and philosophy of education, surveying the longstanding tradition of classical education—from which we derive the Western concept of “the liberal arts.” It begins in ancient Greece; travels through the Augustan age of Roman oratory; dwells on the formation of Christian education in the medieval period; surveys the work of Renaissance and Reformation thinkers; considers the influence of Enlightenment attitudes; and brings students up-to-date in the modern, even postmodern world. The fourth course surveys education policy. The fifth course explores the challenges of the teaching career. Those who aspire to become teachers must develop both intellectual and psychological strategies to deal with unmotivated and distracted students, administrative straight-jackets, union politics, and numerous other obstacles. The teacher trained in foundations of education knows how to navigate this iceberg-laden sea.

Other non-concentration students are also welcomed (and strongly encouraged) to register for any of the history, philosophy, or policy courses in education (all but the final course, The Teaching Career), since each of these courses offers valuable insights into the honorable yet troubled institution of American schools. Anyone who wishes to be an informed citizen (and someday parent) would benefit from taking The History of American Education, to understand our present circumstance—and what we can do about it. The History & Philosophy sequence (I: Ancient & Medieval and II: Modern) are stand-alone courses, for those interested in the distinctive features of those respective educational epochs. And, finally, the Education Policy course offers an in-depth analysis of policy matters focused on American education over the past century.

* These courses are offered in both the Fall and the Spring, students may take them in either semester.
** Courses in bold (POL 110 and ENG 120) must be taken at King's. No transfer credit accepted.

While the Bachelor of Arts program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a Concentration in Foundations of Education may be started at the beginning of any semester, students should be aware that not all courses will be offered each semester.

While completing this course of study, the following requirements must be met:

1. No fewer than 60 of the semester hours of course work must be earned at The King’s College, and these 60 hours of credit must include at least 48 semester hours which apply to this degree.
2. The successful candidate for this degree must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all work completed at The King’s College. In addition, all students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA in the courses that are a part of the Common Core.
3. A student must obtain a grade of C or higher in both ENG 110, College Writing I, and ENG 120, College Writing II, within his first three semesters of attendance. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the College.
4. The successful candidate must satisfactorily complete all the requirements for Interregnum.
5. The successful candidate for the BA degree must obtain approval for graduation from the Office of the Registrar and upon vote of the faculty.