Transfers ToUC and CSUCal-GETC Area 4 · IGETC Area 4 · CSU GE Area DDescriptionThis course serves as an introduction to the broad landscape of public education in the United States. It is applicable to students with interests in educational research, policy, or teaching in both formal and informal educational contexts. The course will provide context to answer the question, "What is the purpose of public education?" Educators, students, parents, politicians, and community members may have varying answers to this question. Their respective answers have implications for how we organize schools as social and cultural institutions, how we think about teaching and learning, and how we determine the intended outcomes of education. Students will examine this question in relation to contemporary issues in the landscape of public education; understanding education and educational institutions in social, cultural, and historical contexts; and understanding the science of learning and human development in educational settings. The course readings highlight the work of educational researchers from UCLA's Department of Education, especially the ways their scholarship intersects with policy and practice. To complement the weekly reading and class discussion, students will work in groups to identify a real-life problem affecting public education CREDIT COURSE LISTINGS & DESCRIPTIONS in Los Angeles. Students will study this problem from multiple perspectives throughout the course. The final project involves conceptualizing a socially just solution to this real-life educational problem. Students will be required to conduct a minimum of three hours observing in a public preK-16 classroom setting. (GE Areas � IGETC 4; CSU GE: D) 