Educational Ethics and Social Justice (EDETHSJ-CR)

This certificate is designed to help future teachers, educational leaders, policy-makers, and citizens to understand the ethics and values associated with education, to be ethical educators, and to be advocates for social justice. Ethical decision making in education requires not only an understanding of moral deliberation, but also a keen appreciation of the social context of schools. This program will situate students and schools within their political, economic, and historical backgrounds, exploring the complex relationships between schools and society, education and culture. To understand these relationships, the certificate will make use of the disciplines of history of education, philosophy of education, sociology and cultural studies. This program is for students who want to acquire, discover, and apply expert knowledge from these disciplines to address and resolve pressing problems in schooling in just and humane ways.

Upon completion of this certificate, students will be able to:

• Recognize and resolve ethical conflicts in educational settings.
• Justify and defend a set of aims and purposes of education in democratic societies.
• Explain the historical experience and specific needs of diverse student populations.
• Apply that understanding to contemporary schooling.
• Advocate for ethical sensitivity in matters related to educational policy.

Required course (3 credits):

• ESPHE 4403 - Ethics and the Professional Context of Education (3)

Supporting courses (select 3 courses, 9 credit hours)

• ESPHE 3410 - Philosophy of Education (3)
• ESPHE 4280 – History of Modern Education (3)
• ESPHE 5440 – Philosophical Perspectives on Race, Education, and Citizenship (3)
• ESEPOL 3312 – Conflict, Power, and Voice in Public Education (3)
• ESPHE 3206 – School and Society (3)

Eligible candidates: Any OSU student currently enrolled in an academic program is eligible to declare the certificate.

Course delivery: Course can be delivered in face-to-face, hybrid and online mode. For further information about course delivery in a specific semester, contact the department.

Credit hours required: A minimum of 12 credit hrs. All courses must be taken at Ohio State.

Certificate approval: Certificate approval is not required, as long as there is no variation from the listed curriculum. Any variations from the certificate as indicated must be approved by the EHE Office of Undergraduate Education located in A100 PAES Building (614-292-9261)

Certificate requirements:

• Completion of all coursework, with at least 50% of the credit hours unique to the certificate and not used toward any other program.
• Students must receive a C- or higher in all certificate courses
• Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA is required for the certificate