Culture, Society, and History

LCS Faculty Interests in Culture, Society, and History

Faculty in LCS engage a broad range of interests in culture, society, and history. These include the preparation of educators who teach about anthropology, history, social education, democracy, civic engagement, sustainability, interculturality, the arts, literature, writing, and media. They also include research in theories of culture and how cultures form and function, cultural studies, how popular media and visual culture operate as a ‘public pedagogy’ communicating particular sociocultural messages/narratives to youth audiences as well as broader public consciousness, historical thinking and uses of the past in education and other public discourses, youth engagement with democracy and civic participation, the lived experiences of place in formation of identities and social commitments, and the interplay of social identities and solidarities with schools and education.

Doctoral students in LCS join our efforts in culture, society, and history in a variety of ways--in collaboration on faculty research projects, conducting their own research with teachers, schools, and other educators or public institutions, and/or working as graduate assistant-instructors who teach undergraduate methods courses or supervise preservice teachers in field placements.  Doctoral students are encouraged and supported to attend and present papers at academic conferences.  Faculty help students begin their scholarly publication career, supporting student writing and often co-authoring scholarship with students.  The Department of Curriculum & Instruction provides a unique and rich environment for this work, being home to undergraduate teacher-certification programs in all elementary and secondary subject areas that have opportunities in a wide range of urban, rural, suburban, and even global settings.