The Bates Department of Education seeks to foster the democratic possibilities of schooling through the study of education in the United States and internationally.
Education students work closely with faculty and with each other to analyze the complex dynamics between the purposes and products of schooling and the social structures and cultural processes that constitute the broader context for education. Because education is a field rather than a discipline, our faculty and the courses in our minors cross multiple fields — including psychology, philosophy, sociology, the arts, the sciences, history, and anthropology.
Tobie Akerley Gordon
Pettengill Hall
Phone: 207-786-8295
takerley@bates.edu
Students who successfully complete the teacher education minor are eligible to obtain a teaching certificate in Maine, with reciprocity in at least 45 states — and it does not expire, meaning you could begin teaching immediately, or years after graduation. The educational studies minor prepares students to be strong applicants to post-graduate elementary education, school counseling, and other graduate programs in education. It also provides a solid foundation for students interested in applying knowledge of educational structures to work in a variety of fields, including medicine, public policy, and law.
of 2020-2024 Bates graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school — settled into their next opportunity within 6 months of graduation.
As an education minor at Bates, you will gain real-world experience through community-engaged learning, which takes place as part of almost every education course through a variety of community and school-based settings. We offer two minor pathways. Students may choose a grades 6-12 teaching certification pathway that includes student teaching (the teacher education minor) or take an exploratory approach based on emerging interests in education (the educational studies minor). Both include real world classroom and community experiences.
Our smaller department means smaller classes and more interaction between faculty and students. All faculty that observe and mentor student teachers during the senior year of student teaching have previously taught in K-12 schools in the U.S.
Bates is a member the Consortium for Excellence in Teacher Education, alongside Barnard College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Colby College, Harvard University, Middlebury College, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Smith College, Vassar College, Wellesley College, and other notable institutions.
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced its 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows last month, including 223 distinguished individuals working across 55 disciplines. Two of…
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At Bates, intramural dodgeball is a big deal. Students form teams with names like “Dodgenomics” and “Springfellows,” and the competition — and community — is real.
