Preamble to the Courses of Instruction

• Tips for Reading the Catalogue
• Independent Studies
• Field Experience Program
• Course Evaluation at HGSE

Tips for Reading the Catalogue

The Harvard Graduate School of Education offers courses to degree candidates and several categories of nondegree students, as well as to students enrolled in other Harvard faculties through cross-registration. This Catalogue is the primary printed resource for course information for the academic year 2007-2008.

In designing an academic program, HGSE students are encouraged to review the entire set of course listings, since courses that might be of interest are likely to be listed in different sections. To assist students in locating courses that might be of interest, the Catalogue includes a course list grouped by subject. When selecting courses, students should also consult the “Program Offerings” section of this book to be sure they take into account the specific requirements and recommendations of the degree program in which they are enrolled. Finally, students should be aware that course offerings can change significantly from year to year.

Most HGSE courses carry four units of credit and are equivalent to four semester hours for a period of 13 weeks. HGSE also offers two-credit modules. A module usually meets for only a portion of the semester and provides either an introductory overview of a particular field or an intense period of study focusing on specific skills. Two HGSE modules provide the four units of credit that are equivalent to one course.

Courses are presented in four major categories—A- courses, H- courses, S- courses, and T- courses. (A number of courses have double prefixes; e.g., AH-, AT-, HT- .) The letters reflect the School’s former departmental structure and have limited utility. Students are advised to use programmatic and subject-area listings to locate courses of interest. Within each major section of the Catalogue, each course has its own three-digit number. The initial digit usually signifies a course’s broad substantive grouping. The middle digit indicates the course’s relative level of advancement among courses within a grouping. Numbers 0 and 1 identify introductory courses; 2 through 5 identify intermediate courses (that often require previous study of the subject); and 6 through 8 identify advanced courses on special topics (that usually require substantial student preparation). A middle digit of 9 with a suffix of 7, 8, or 9 indicates a special type of course: -97 and -98 courses identify field experiences, and -99 identifies an independent study. Modules are identified by the presence of a 10 as the last two digits, followed by a trailing letter after the course designation (e.g., T-210L, S-010Y).

If a course title is enclosed in brackets, [ ], it means that the course will not be offered during the 2007–2008 academic year.

If a course title is preceded by an asterisk, *, it means that enrolling in the course requires the consent of the instructor or that the course is limited to students in a specific program. Faculty members post criteria for selecting students on their course web sites.

A student wishing to enroll in a limited-enrollment course must obtain permission from the instructor before filing his or her study card on course enrollment day. When planning courses for a given semester, students should not assume that they will be able to enroll in any course listed with an asterisk. It is highly advisable that students have alternative options.

The courses and class meeting times listed in the Catalogue are current as of August 3, 2007. The most up-to-date information can be found in the on-line course listing. In September and in February, the Registrar will issue supplements to this Catalogue that reflect any changes since it went to press, including a small number of additional courses.

Independent Studies

Carefully crafted and well-supervised independent studies can be a powerful learning experience. However, independent studies are designed to augment the HGSE course offerings, not supplant them. A student wishing to take an independent study should consult the faculty member with whom he or she wishes to work. A faculty member is under no obligation to supervise an independent study—the decision to take on this added responsibility is entirely up to the individual. Faculty members differ in their inclination to participate in independent studies. Some believe it is an ideal vehicle for working with students (especially advanced doctoral students); others see it as an additional time burden in an already overcrowded schedule. Students who decide to approach a faculty member about sponsoring an independent study should realize that they are asking someone to take on a commitment of additional time (for which he or she will not be compensated). Please refer to the Student Handbook for limitations on the number of independent studies each student may undertake.

Field Experience Program

A Field Experience Program (FEP) course offers the opportunity for students to work in a professional setting related to their educational studies while obtaining academic credit. The work usually has practical application but must always have intellectual content, and while it may involve research, it can also be of a more applied nature. Contexts range from schools, colleges, public agencies, and museums, to private corporations and nonprofit organizations. Students may identify their own placements or use the e-Recruiting database and other FEP resources to locate an internship site. The student intern is supervised by someone at the organization and ideally learns about the breadth of the organization as well as how to perform specific tasks or handle specific responsibilities that he or she has not done before. Teaching fellows support interns through individual meetings, a site visit, and a series of required seminars conducted under the guidance of the FEP director. Please refer to the Student Handbook for limitations on the number of Field Experience Program units each student may take, and to the FEP web site for more information: www.gse.harvard.edu/fep.

Course Evaluation at HGSE

HGSE places a great deal of importance on the evaluation of its courses and programs. Course evaluations have four purposes: (1) to help instructors improve their courses and strengthen their teaching; (2) to provide information about courses to students; (3) to encourage students’ reflection on their own learning; and (4) to be used as part of the professional review process for faculty members.

It is an institutional requirement that students complete on-line course evaluations for each class in which they are enrolled. Continuing students who do not submit all of their course evaluations will not be mailed study forms and will be prevented from registering for further courses until they fulfill this requirement. Graduating students who do not do so will have their diplomas withheld, consistent with other School requirements for graduation, such as settling financial obligations of $50 or more. Instructors are not given access to evaluation summary reports until grades have been submitted to the Registration Office.