Courses

• SED HR 750: Organizational Consulting
  This course presents an introduction to the concepts, methods, and skills required to be effective as a consultant in an organization or institution, whether acting as an internal or external consultant. The focus of the course is on consulting in a human resource development (HRD) environment. Therefore, consultants working in an HRD capacity in or to an organization will benefit most from the course. The objectives of the consultant are to find ways to more effectively meet the needs of various constituents and stakeholders in an organization while at the same time being focused on organizational performance and productivity. Success depends on the consultant's conceptual, behavioral, and planning skills to design and guide the consultation process. 4cr, 2nd sem.
• SED HR 751: Organizational Learning
  This course takes a macro view of learning in an organizational context. The focus of the course is on the processes through which the organization as a system learns, in addition to the typical human resource development (HRD) focus on individual learning within the organization. Inherent in the construct of organizational learning is the assumption that an organization, as a system, is capable of processing and retaining information, as well as adapting and renewing itself based on that information. The course focuses on the processes that enable, and on the barriers that prevent organizations taking in, utilizing, developing, and retaining knowledge. 4 cr, 2nd sem.
• SED HR 752: Organizational Change
  The goal of this course is to engage students in thinking critically about the challenges of organizational change and in thinking creatively about the formulation of effective strategies, policies, and interventions to assist managers and employees in adapting to a rapidly evolving world of work. Students will study contemporary theories and models currently employed in the understanding of organizational change and apply these theories in examining specific case studies of organizational change and in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to leading and managing change. At the end of each course, students should have the capacity to analyze critically the change processes operating in their own or client organizations. 4 cr, 1st sem.
• SED HR 753: Coaching for Performance and Development
  This course is designed for students who want to develop a competent and integrated coaching (mentoring) style for use in the workplace. Appropriate skills will be developed, emphasizing the importance of listening and learning, two essential aspects of the effective, open-minded coach. Emphasis is on basic psychological precepts, principles in organizational learning, and systems thinking. 4cr.
• SED IE 490: Introduction to Development Studies
  The course is designed for undergraduate students in Boston University's program in Niger. The course will examine the recent history and current status of international development issues and efforts. Opportunities are available for fieldwork in organizations which claim to be part of the development process in Niger and the Sahel region. These organizations include local non-governmental organizations as well as those working in other countries in addition to Niger. Study trips are organized to examine and analyze the development process and their effects on-stie to complement classroom instruction. 4cr, either sem.
• SED IE 591: Refugees, Education, and Human Rights (Formerly SED IE491)
  Whether caused by conflict or disaster, people who must flee their home country are considered refugees and are protected by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Although refugee camps were originally thought to be temporary, resettlement has become a lengthy process, and education has been introduced as a basic service. This seminar traces the history of educational services for refugees. A case study of refugees in the state and the Boston area will be examined, including on- site visits to refugee resettlement programs. 2cr, 2nd sem.
• SED IE 592: Human Rights and Education for All
  The historic Universal Declaration of Human Rights after World War II established the right to education that nations have struggled to implement. This course will trace that effort in the U.S., in the newly independent countries of decolonization, in industrialized countries coping with massive immigration, and in current global efforts, including the World Conferences in Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. 2cr, 2nd sem.
• SED IE 593: Child Labor, Children’s Rights, and Education
  Child labor and education are currently understood to be antithetical activities for children; few welfare agencies and educational institution are able to combine these two spheres of activity in a harmonious fashion. Where countries of the developing world believe that child labor is an inherent result of their socio-economic reality, the developed world refuses to acknowledge the necessity for survival that drives children to labor. This course will challenge students to think about the meaning and definition of child labor and how it differs from child work, if at all. It will also require students to debate the contemporary and traditional uses of children, including and extending beyond their use as manual labor and economic assets. 2cr, 1st sem.
• SED IE 594: Equal Educational Opportunity: A Comparative History of the US and Sub-Saharan Africa
  There is little recognition of the relationship between US educational policy toward African Americans and colonial educational policy regarding Africans. This course will examine that historical relationship. It will then focus on efforts toward equal educational opportunity in the US after the Brown decision and in new African nations after their independence. Efforts by the UN toward university education as it applies to Africa will also be examined. 2cr, 1st sem.
• SED IE 600: Perspectives on Education for Development
  Beginning with colonial conditions prior to World War II, the course presents an overview of social, political, cultural, economic, and psychological thought, particularly in Third World educational development. Cross- cultural and historical perspectives are used to help students examine the interactions among educational development, cultural behavior, institutions, and world trends. 6cr, 1st sem.
• SED IE 601: Analysis of Educational Policies and Practices for Development
  Case studies of selected educational projects are used to examine factors important to policy formulation, project design, management, implementation, and evaluation of educational development programs in different cultural, political, and economic settings, particularly in developing and post-conflict countries. 4cr, 2nd sem.
• SED IE 602: Practicum and Seminar: The Practice of Education for Development
  Students work in institutions consistent with their specialization (e.g., health, schooling, community development). Coursework includes the nature of formal and nonformal educational processes, as well as issues related to the management of educational projects and the change process within institutions and their settings. Students develop consultative skills as they create a detailed development project related to a case study. 6cr, 2nd sem.
• SED IE 603: Project Analysis and Planning for Educational Development
  Educational development efforts require plans to guide project designers in the preparation of proposals for approval or funding. Following up on prior core courses in the International Educational Development Program, this course prepares students to analyze selected problems globally and locally, to examine alternative solution strategies, and, in particular, to draw up plans for specific development projects that are consistent with their knowledge, interests, and capacities. 4cr, 1st sem.
• SED IE 604: Project Seminar: Current Educational Development Issues
  Final integrating course of the international educational development program. Focuses on the students' application of the knowledge and skills gained in preceding activities, and on the development, critique, and refinement of student planning documents. 4cr, 1st sem.
• SED IE 605: International Educational Development Thesis
  This course is designed for students in the International Educational Development program (IEDP). This course provides a framework for continued thesis work after completion of coursework. Consent of instructor required. 3 cr, either sem.
• SED LC 500: Directed Study
  Open to undergraduate students only. Prereq: approval of advisor, the faculty member who is to supervise the study, and department chair. Plans must be submitted in advance of registration on a form obtained from the department office. Variable cr, either sem.
• SED LC 900: Independent Study
  See SED AP 900 for description.
• SED LC 999: Dissertation Advisement
  See SED AP 999 for description.
• SED LR 501: Teaching of Reading
  For upperlevel undergraduate and beginning graduate students without experience in teaching. Study of reading development in childhood and early adolescence, and the implications for teaching and learning. Discussion of theory and research in effective instruction, and the application of both to effective lesson planning. 4 cr.either sem.
• SED LR 503: Reading and Writing Assessment
  Acquaints undergraduate students in Special Education and Elementary Education with strategies for assessing literacy and abilities of students classified as general education leatners. Analysis of prototypic case studies. Provides foundation for a two-credit module (SED SE 515) that addresses the particular needs of special populations. 2 cr. either sem.

Note that this information may change at any time.

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