• EDUC 897: Independent Study: Curricular Practices - Past and Present
• Semester: Fall 2006
• Professor: Dr. Dennis R. Dunklee
• Proposal/Syllabus

• Paper 1: Critique of Adler's (1982) Paideia Proposal
• Paper 2: Review of three approaches to curriculum used by the U.S. Islamic schools

• Flinders, D. & Norton, S. (Ed.). (2004). The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.).
          Routledge.
• Ornstein, A. & Hunkins, F. (Ed.). (2004). Curriculum foundations, principles, and
          issues (4th ed.). Pearson.
• Fairfax County Public Schools Curriculum Guide. (Program of Studies)
• Curriculum Guide from a local Islamic School (The Tarbiyah Project: A Holistic Vision of Islamic Education)

• Adler, Mortimer. The Paideia Proposal
• Apple, M. Ideology and curriculum: Cultural and economic reproduction in education
• Berman, L. New priorities in the curriculum
• Bestor, Arthur. The Restoration of learning; or other titles
• Brameld, T. Toward a reconstructed philosophy of education
• Bruner, Jerome. The process of education
• Conant, James. The American high school today
• Counts, G. Dare the schools build a new social order?
• Dale, E. Building a learning environment
• Dewey, John. Democracy and education or The child and the curriculum
• Finn, Chester. We must take charge
• Ford, G. and Pugno, L. (eds.). The structure of knowledge and the curriculum
• Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the oppressed or Education for critical consciousness
• Gardner, Howard. The unschooled mind: How children think and how schools should teach or Multiple intelligence theory
• Goodland, John. A place called school
• Green, Maxine. The public school and the private vision
• Heslep, Robert. Education
• Hirsch, E.D. Cultural literacy
• Illich, Ivan. Deschooling society
• Neill, A.S. Summerhill
• Parker, J. & Rubin, L. Process as content
• Patterson, C.H. Humanistic education
• Phenix, P. Realms of meaning
• Ravitch, Diane. The schools we deserve

         Just before taking this course I came to realize that I had no exposure to Curriculum Development whatsoever. I searched for the curriculum-related doctoral-level course or a foundational course on the curriculum development offered by the College of Education and Human Development in its programs; however, I was disappointed to find out that the college did not offer a comprehensive curriculum development specific course that met my demands, i.e., a broad exposure to various curriculum development aspects. I started looking around and found a course offered at University of Virginia titled, "EDIS 780: Fundamentals of Curriculum," just the kind of course I was looking for. However, after much deliberation and considering some of the logistical issues involved in taking a course at an outside institution and worrying about credit transfer, I put together a proposal for an independent study, modeled on the syllabus of the above course. Going through the independent study route helped me avoid some of the logistical issues I just mentioned, and get the most out of the subject/course under my own schedule.

         I managed to put together a comprehensive proposal added by a good mix of required texts and additional readings. See Proposal/Syllabus for details. As expected this was the second most product course in the Fall of 2006. It dovetailed nicely with Dr. Galluzzo's EDRS 820: Evaluation Methods for Educational Programs and Curricula I took the same semester. Essentially, I wanted to fill the gap on curriculum knowledge in my broader goals for "Education Theory/Literature." See the gap in the pictorial representation of goals (grayed section on Curriculum) just before the second portfolio review.

         Essentially, this course helped me achieve two goals. One, I got a very good exposure to the field of curriculum. I got exposed to: philosophical, historical, psychological, and social foundations of curriculum; curriculum theory; principles of curriculum - curriculum development: design, aims/goals/objectives, implementation, and evaluation; and curriculum issues and trends. Two, I used one of the assignments to further my dissertation research agenda and future professional goals, by studying various curriculum approaches/frameworks used by the U.S. Islamic schools. This helped me understand some of the features of the Islamic schools - particularly aims/goals/objectives and curriculum approaches, and compare and contrast those with public schools, which in turn is likely going to help me with my final research agenda. Moreover, it helped me prepare for my short-term professional goal of working for the improvements of community-run Islamic schools.

        [Click here] to see the list of competencies expecting to achieve in this course.