ITSF+4199+Inclusive+and+Quality+Education+in+Emergencies

=Spring 2012 =

Professor: Mary A. Mendenhall (TC)

Course description
The ability to provide an inclusive and quality education has been a long-standing and elusive goal in many stable and “developed” countries around the globe. Yet, education providers active in the humanitarian field—namely, governments, inter/national organizations and United Nations agencies—are also aspiring to move beyond simply increasing educational access to providing inclusive and quality education to children, adolescents and youth displaced by crisis. This course will examine the challenges and opportunities for providing an inclusive and quality education in emergencies and will engage students in asking the following questions: What does quality education look like in a refugee camp or internal displacement setting? To what degree are efforts to structure programs around a broad definition of inclusion (e.g. disabilities, gender, languages/literacies, ethnicity/race, etc.) helping or hindering the inclusive education movement? Are the goals of providing a quality and inclusive education compatible or incompatible? What opportunities are presented by a crisis to improve quality and to include previously excluded individuals and groups? Are the goals of providing an inclusive and quality education realistic and obtainable in crisis-affected and post-crisis contexts? What are the parameters for measuring a quality and/or inclusive education program or system?

Review
Also, overall a good class. Much of the work for this class is group based. Professor does a good job of integrating the literature and practice on inclusive education and on quality education with the field of education in emergencies. Professor is knowledgeable and interested in topic and does a good job of balancing some of the more theoretical the issues within the field with the need to make the class and information practical.

Student contact information
Cory Fox - caf2152@columbia.edu