Praxis Courses

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This page displays the schedule of Bryn Mawr courses in this department for this academic year. It also displays descriptions of courses offered by the department during the last four academic years.

For information about courses offered by other Bryn Mawr departments and programs or about courses offered by Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges, please consult the Course Guides page.

For information about the Academic Calendar, including the dates of first and second quarter courses, please visit the College's calendars page.

Students must choose a major subject and may choose a minor subject. Students may also select from one of seven concentrations, which are offered to enhance a student's work in the major or minor and to focus work on a specific area of interest.

Concentrations are an intentional cluster of courses already offered by various academic departments or through general programs. These courses may also be cross-listed in several academic departments. Therefore, when registering for a course that counts toward a concentration, a student should register for the course listed in her major or minor department. If the concentration course is not listed in her major or minor department, the student may enroll in any listing of that course.

Fall 2025 PRAXIS

Course Title Schedule/Units Meeting Type Times/Days Location Instr(s)
AFST B234-001 Advancing Racial Justice: Engaging with Community Organizat Semester / 1 Lecture: 10:10 AM-12:00 PM T Bailey,D.
EDUC B300-001 Community-Engaged Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice Semester / 1 LEC: 2:40 PM-4:00 PM TTH Lesnick,A.
EDUC B301-001 Curriculum and Pedagogy Seminar Semester / 1 Lecture: 7:10 PM-10:00 PM T Bettws Y Coed 239
Wilson,C.
ENGL B217-001 Narratives of Latinidad Semester / 1 LEC: 10:10 AM-11:30 AM MW Harford Vargas,J.
ITAL B240-001 Philadelphia the Global City: The Italian Legacy across Time Semester / 1 LEC: 12:10 PM-3:00 PM M Zipoli,L.

Spring 2026 PRAXIS

Course Title Schedule/Units Meeting Type Times/Days Location Instr(s)
CITY B350-001 Urban Projects: Cities Praxis: Oral Histories of New Urbanism Semester / 1 LEC: 9:10 AM-12:00 PM F Hurley,J.
EDUC B220-001 Changing Pedagogies in Mathematics and Science Semester / 1 Lecture: 7:10 PM-10:00 PM TH Donnay,V.
ENGL B220-001 The Teaching of Writing Semester / 1 LEC: 1:10 PM-2:30 PM TTH Dept. staff, TBA
HART B420-001 Museum Studies Fieldwork Semester / 1 LEC: 12:10 PM-2:00 PM M Scott,M.
ITAL B217-001 Gendered Violence and Femicide Semester / 1 LEC: 4:10 PM-5:30 PM TTH Ricci,R.
PSYC B203-001 Educational Psychology 1 Dept. staff, TBA
PSYC B215-001 Thorne School Practicum: Bridging Research and Practice Semester / 1 LEC: 7:10 PM-10:00 PM T Dept. staff, TBA

Fall 2026 PRAXIS

(Class schedules for this semester will be posted at a later date.)

2025-26 Catalog Data: PRAXIS

AFST B234 Advancing Racial Justice: Engaging with Community Organizat

Fall 2025

This course will provide opportunities for students to engage with a diverse group of Philadelphia area community-based organizations and/or the neighborhoods of those they serve. Through time in the field, reflection essays, small group work, and class readings and discussions, students will learn about and how to use racial equity tools (RET) and develop an understanding of: the theories, practices, and levels of DEIAR, the dynamics of system-wide change, and the impact of transformative and restorative justice on individuals, organizations, and communities.

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Praxis Program.

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ANTH B246 The Everyday Life of Language: Field Research in Linguistic Anthropology

Not offered 2025-26

This course provides hands-on experience in linguistic anthropological methods of data collection and analysis. We will explore various methods employed by linguistic anthropologists, including: ethnographic observation of language use in context; audio-recording of spoken discourse; working with a linguistic corpus; online research methods; conducting linguistic and ethnographic interviews; and learning how to create a transcript to use as the basis for ethnographic analysis. This is a Praxis 1 course. For the praxis component of the course, in the first half of the semester, the class will work with a high school language arts teacher to design a lesson and project for a high school language arts class that incorporates linguistic-anthropological concepts and student-driven research on language. The purpose of this is to move beyond the prescriptivist approach to language commonly taken at the high school level, toward a more descriptive, ethnographic approach that learns from young people's creativity and agency as speakers of language. In the second half of the semester, the class will work collaboratively on a research project that we develop as a class. Class time will be used to discuss the results of student work, read and discuss relevant literature in linguistic anthropology, synthesize insights that develop from bringing different ethnographic contexts together; and work collaboratively on a way of presenting the findings.

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ANTH B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Praxis III courses are Independent Study courses and are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors. A Praxis courses is distinguished by genuine collaboration with fieldsite organizations and by a dynamic process of reflection that incorporates lessons learned in the field into the classroom setting and applies theoretical understanding gained through classroom study to work done in the broader community. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

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ARCH B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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ARTA B251 Arts Teaching in Educational and Community Settings

Not offered 2025-26

This is a Praxis II course intended for students who have substantial experience in an art form and are interested in extending that experience into teaching and learning at educational and community sites. Following an overview of the history of the arts in education, the course will investigate underlying theories and practices. The praxis component will allow students to create a fluid relationship between theory and practice through observing, teaching, and reflecting on arts practices in educational contexts. School or community placement 4 hours a week. Preparation: At least an intermediate level of experience in an art form. This course counts toward the minor in Dance or Theater and towards a major or minor in Education.

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ARTD B425 Praxis III - Independent Study

Praxis III - Independent Study

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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CITY B350 Urban Projects: Cities Praxis

Section 001 (Spring 2026): Oral Histories of New Urbanism

Spring 2026

In this course advanced students will work with local groups around concrete projects. Class sessions will convene to discuss background readings as well as evaluation of tools and experiences.

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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CITY B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Praxis III courses are Independent Study courses and are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors. A Praxis courses is distinguished by genuine collaboration with fieldsite organizations and by a dynamic process of reflection that incorporates lessons learned in the field into the classroom setting and applies theoretical understanding gained through classroom study to work done in the broader community. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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CRWT B233 Writing for Radio and Podcast

Not offered 2025-26

In this course students will learn the foundations of journalism, audio storytelling, and radio/podcast production. We will break free of academic writing to find our authentic voices, and write for the ear. The course centers on two main projects: A short reported piece and a longer produced podcast episode. While the writing in and of itself is creative, this course will focus on of nonfiction writing as an audio medium. For half of the course meetings esteemed professionals from the current radio/podcast landscape will visit to share their career stories, teach us writing and production skills, and give us audio to analyze. Students will learn the basics of audio editing and produce their own pieces in Audacity or the software of their choice and workshop with classmates.

Writing Intensive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Creative Writing; Creative Writing; English; Praxis Program.

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EDUC B210 Perspectives on Special Education

Not offered 2025-26

One of the four entry-point options for students majoring or minoring in Education Studies, this course has as its goal to introduce students to a range of topics, challenges and dilemmas that all teachers need to consider. Students will explore pedagogical strategies and tools that empower all learners on the neurological spectrum. Some of the topics covered in the course include how the brain learns, how past learning experiences impact teaching, how education and civil rights law impacts access to services, and how to create an inclusive classroom environment that welcomes and affirms all learners. The field of special education is vast and complex. Therefore, the course is designed as an introduction to the most pertinent issues, and as a launch pad for further exploration. Weekly fieldwork required.

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EDUC B220 Changing Pedagogies in Mathematics and Science

Spring 2026

This Praxis course will examine research-based approaches to teaching mathematics and science. What does research tell us about how people learn? How can one translate this learning theory into teaching approaches that will help all students learn mathematics and science? How are these new approaches, that often involve active, hands-on, inquiry based learning, being implemented in the classroom? What challenges arise when one tries to bring about these types of changes in education? How do issues of equity, discrimination, and social justice impact math and science education? The Praxis component of the course usually involves two (2) two hour visits per week for 8 weeks to a local math or science classroom.

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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EDUC B225 Topics: Empowering Learners

Not offered 2025-26

This is a topics course. Course content varies. Praxis course.

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EDUC B250 Literacies and Education

Not offered 2025-26

A critical exploration of what counts as literacy, who decides, and what the implications are for teaching and learning. Students explore both their own and others experiences of literacy through reading and writing about power, privilege, access and responsibility around issues of adult, ESL, cultural, multicultural, gendered, academic and critical literacies. Fieldwork required. Priority given first to those pursuing certification or a minor in educational studies.

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EDUC B266 Geographies of School and Learning: Urban Education Reconsidered

Not offered 2025-26

This course examines issues, challenges, and possibilities of urban education in contemporary America. We use as critical lenses issues of race, class, and culture; urban learners, teachers, and school systems; and restructuring and reform. While we look at urban education nationally over several decades, we use Philadelphia as a focal "case" that students investigate through documents and school placements. Weekly fieldwork in a school required.

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Child and Family Studies; Growth and Structure of Cities; Praxis Program; Sociology.

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EDUC B300 Community-Engaged Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice

Fall 2025

As one of the foundations of education studies, community-engaged learning requires that students integrate academic and experiential learning, which depends on the development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions to learn from field experience. By examining and enacting community-engaged learning from the perspectives of theory, research, and practice, advanced Education students in this course will extend and deepen prior experience in an educational organization with a blend of continued field work, associated research, and mentoring of Education students new to the setting. Through this approach, enrolled students will a) build an enriched relational, contextual (policy-based and geographic) and historical understanding of a specific educational organization; b) gain an understanding of how practitioners and learners in that site conceptualize their work and goals; and c) study and practice methods for initiating and supporting students of education in successful, imaginative working relationships that foster community-engaged learning towards equity and justice.

Writing Attentive

Counts Toward: Museum Studies; Praxis Program.

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EDUC B301 Curriculum and Pedagogy Seminar

Fall 2025

A consideration of theoretical and applied issues related to effective curriculum design, pedagogical approaches and related issues of teaching and learning. Fieldwork is required. Enrollment is limited to 15 with priority given first to students pursuing certification and second to seniors planning to teach.

Writing Intensive

Counts Toward: Child and Family Studies; Praxis Program.

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EDUC B308 Inquiries into Black Study, Language Justice, and Education

Not offered 2025-26

Growing out of the Lagim Tehi Tuma/"Thinking Together" program (LTT), the course will explore the implications for education in realizing the significance of global Black liberation and Black Study/ies-particularly in relation to questions of the suppression and sustenance of language diversity and with a focus, as well, on Pan-Africanism-by engaging with one particular community as a touchstone for learning from and forwarding culturally sustaining knowledge. Prerequisites: Two courses, at least one in Education, with the second in Africana Studies, Linguistics, Sociology, or Anthropology; or permission of the instructor.

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EDUC B310 Redefining Educational Practice: Making Space for Learning in Higher Education

Not offered 2025-26

A course focused on exploring, developing, and refining pedagogical conceptions and approaches appropriate to higher education contexts. Three hours a week of fieldwork are required. Enrollment is limited to 20 with priority given to students pursuing the minor in educational studies.

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ENGL B217 Narratives of Latinidad

Fall 2025

This course explores how Latina/o writers fashion bicultural and transnational identities and narrate the intertwined histories of the U.S. and Latin America. We will focus on topics of shared concern among Latino groups such as struggles for social justice, the damaging effects of machismo and racial hierarchies, the politics of Spanglish, and the affective experience of migration. By analyzing a range of cultural production, including novels, poetry, testimonial narratives, films, activist art, and essays, we will unpack the complexity of Latinidad in the Americas.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Comparative Literature; Gender Sexuality Studies; Latin American Iberian Latinx; Praxis Program; Spanish.

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ENGL B220 The Teaching of Writing

Spring 2026

This Praxis course is designed for students interested in teaching or tutoring writing at the high-school or college level. The course focuses on current theories of rhetoric and composition, theories of writing and learning, writing pedagogy, and literacy issues. Students will get hands-on experience with curriculum design and lesson planning, strategies for classroom teaching and individual instruction, and will develop digital projects related to multilingual writing and plagiarism. The Praxis components of the course are primarily project-based, but we may also make one or two group visits to local sites where writing is taught.

Writing Intensive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Education Studies; Praxis Program.

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ENVS B204 Place, People and Praxis in Environmental Studies

Not offered 2025-26

This course offers a cross-disciplinary introduction to community-based learning. Working with local community groups, students will learn the fundamental skills of praxis work applied to environmental issues within an inquiry-based framework. Pre-requisite: ENVS B101 or ENVS H101 and (ENVS B202, H202, B203, or H203) or instructor's permission.

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward: Environmental Studies; Praxis Program.

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ENVS B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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GNST B425 Praxis III - Independent Study

Counts Toward: Data Science; Praxis Program.

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HART B420 Museum Studies Fieldwork

This course provides students a forum in which to ground, frame and discuss their hands-on work in museums, galleries, archives or collections. Whether students have arranged an internship at a local institution or want to pursue one in the Bryn Mawr College Collections, this course will provide a framework for these endeavors, coupling praxis with theory supported by readings from the discipline of Museum Studies. The course will culminate in a final presentation, an opportunity to reflect critically on the internship experience. Prior to taking the course, students will develop a Praxis Learning Plan through the Career and Civic Engagement office. All students will share a set syllabus, common learning objectives and readings, but will also be able to tailor those objectives to the specific museum setting or Special Collections project in which they are involved. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

Counts Toward: Museum Studies; Praxis Program.

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HART B425 Praxis III

Students may register for this course with approval of a faculty supervisor in conjunction with internship projects in the college's collections and other art institutions in the region.

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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HLTH B425 Praxis III - Independent Study

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INST B425 Praxis III - Independent Study

Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

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ITAL B217 Gendered Violence and Femicide

Spring 2026

How many women are killed in Italy? How many women suffer abuse at the hands of their partner? Data shows one in seven in Italy have suffered gendered abuse. In many regions, victims have nowhere to turn for shelter. This course will examine domestic and sexual assault in intimate relationships from a feminist analysis. Historical, theoretical, and sociological perspectives on gender violence will be critically analyzed through criminology research, literature, and theory. Course context will focus on dominance and control as a co-factor of gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, age, sexuality, nationality, and other variables. Therefore, the course will highlight the differential impact of gender violence on women of color, lesbians, older women, adolescent girls, immigrants and marginalized and disenfranchised women. Domestic and sexual violence in contemporary Italy will also be reviewed and analyzed in the context of international contexts. This course will be taught in Italian. Prerequisite: ITAL 102 or permission from instructor

Writing Intensive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Gender Sexuality Studies; Praxis Program.

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ITAL B240 Philadelphia the Global City: The Italian Legacy across Time

Fall 2025

This course investigates the history and evolution of Philadelphia as a globalized and multi-ethnic city, using as a case study for this analysis the impact and legacy of transnational Italian culture across the centuries. By adopting a cross-cultural, trans-historical, and interdisciplinary approach, the course explores the influence that - along with and in intersection with many other cultural inputs - also Italian arts and cultures have exerted on the city, making it become the cosmopolitan and transnational urban environment that it is today. Throughout the centuries and way before Italy even started existing as a state, Philadelphians traveled to the peninsula and brought back objects to display in emerging cultural institutions or studied the country's art and architecture styles to shape the evolving aspect of the city. Simultaneously, incoming immigration formed new neighborhoods - such as South Philly, home to the Italian Market - and Italian figures came to prominence and became part of the social fabric of the city. Nowadays, many non-profit organizations work to preserve the traces that Italian migrants left within Philadelphia's multi-ethnic urban environment as well as to extend the city's global profile and celebrate its heritage and diversity. Through specific field trips, on-site experiential activities, and forms of civic engagement this course highlights both the enduring fascination of Philadelphians with Italy (or with the idea thereof) across the centuries and the role that the Italian Diaspora played in the development of the city. The course ultimately challenges geographical, chronological, and cultural boundaries by showing how places, arts, identities that today are perceived as 'American' have in most cases an intersectional, multi-ethnic, and cross-cultural history to tell. This course will be taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program. All readings and class discussion will be in English, and no knowledge of Italian is required. Students seeking Italian credits will complete their assignments in the target language.

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Inquiry into the Past (IP)

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward: Growth and Structure of Cities; History; History of Art; Museum Studies; Praxis Program.

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ITAL B335 The Italian Margins: Places and Identities

Not offered 2025-26

Thompson Fullilove's scholarship will be the theoretical foundation of this survey of 20th century topics-from literary representations of mental health to the displacement of marginalized communities, from historical persecution in Europe to contemporary domestic violence in Italy. The main goal of the seminar will be to challenge the rhetoric of 'otherness', 'encounters', 'marginalization', 'anti-canon', and 'exoticism' that is typical of broader readings of Italy's modern traditions, adopting Thompson Fullilove's inter-sectional and trans-historical paradigms to re-imagine Italian Studies, to center the gender gap, and overcome the stigma of mental illness and madness. Rooted in the perspectives of trans-codification, trans-historical tradition, and cultural translation, this course attempts to address such questions both in theory and practice using Freudian literary criticism (The interpretation of Dreams, 1899; The Uncanny, 1919; Beyond the Pleasure Principle, 1920; The Ego and the Id, 1923; Civilization and its Discontents, 1930). We will start with a seminar, devoted to the analysis and discussion of primary sources and then follow with a scholarly (and creative) workshop. Tailored activities related to social activism (Praxis) will also fulfill the course requirements. Prerequisite: 200 level course or permission of instructor.

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ITAL B380 Modernity and Psychoanalysis: Crossing Boundaries in 20th-century Italy and Europe

Not offered 2025-26

Designed as an in-depth interdisciplinary exploration of Italy's 20th-century cultural life, the course is organized around major artistic and intellectual trends, viewed in their historical and global perspective, and in connection with Avant-garde literary movements and philosophical ideas: i.e. surrealism, metaphysics, Dadaism, psychoanalysis, futurism, decadence, and modernism. While thinking and writing in Italian, we will examine films, novels, and poetry to gain insight on Modernity with attention also to gender and ethnic perspectives. Elements of metrics and rhetoric will be used to analyze poetry in its own essence. Prerequisite: One 200-Level course in Italian.

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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PHIL B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Praxis III courses are Independent Study courses and are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors. A Praxis courses is distinguished by genuine collaboration with fieldsite organizations and by a dynamic process of reflection that incorporates lessons learned in the field into the classroom setting and applies theoretical understanding gained through classroom study to work done in the broader community. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

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POLS B420 Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

This course supports students while they engage in Praxis fieldwork in organizations that focus on politics, elections and/or public policy. In addition to the 8-10 hours spent at their fieldwork placements, students will meet for one hour weekly in a Praxis seminar with the instructor and other Praxis students. These seminar meetings will provide students with an opportunity to reflect together about their experiences in the field and to help connect those experiences to political science theory and to academic readings about American politics, policy and elections. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

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POLS B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Praxis III courses are Independent Study courses and are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors. A Praxis courses is distinguished by genuine collaboration with fieldsite organizations and by a dynamic process of reflection that incorporates lessons learned in the field into the classroom setting and applies theoretical understanding gained through classroom study to work done in the broader community. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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PSYC B203 Educational Psychology

Spring 2026

Topics in the psychology of human cognitive, social, and affective behavior are examined and related to educational practice. Issues covered include learning theories, memory, attention, thinking, motivation, social/emotional issues in adolescence, and assessment/learning disabilities. This course provides a Praxis Level II opportunity. Classroom observation is required. Prerequisite: PSYC B105 (Introductory Psychology)

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward: Child and Family Studies; Praxis Program.

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PSYC B215 Thorne School Practicum: Bridging Research and Practice

Spring 2026

This is a 1-credit Praxis II course that requires 3 hours of weekly fieldwork in any of the five Phebe Anna Thorne School programs (Nearly 3s, Younger and Older Preschool classes, Language Enrichment Preschool Program, Kindergarten). In addition to their fieldwork, students will meet as a group once each week with the course instructor. This praxis course is distinguished by dynamic interaction between hands-on fieldwork and collaborative in-class academic learning. Students will integrate their fieldwork experiences with literature on child development and early childhood education, including scholarly evidence that underpins the Thorne School's commitment to play-based, social-emotional learning. The course also provides an opportunity for students to learn from each other and deepen their understanding of development in early childhood, as they will share their diverse experiences from the five different Thorne School programs serving children from ages 2 to 6.

Course does not meet an Approach

Counts Toward: Child and Family Studies; Praxis Program.

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PSYC B425 Praxis III: Independent Study

Praxis III courses are Independent Study courses and are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors. A Praxis courses is distinguished by genuine collaboration with fieldsite organizations and by a dynamic process of reflection that incorporates lessons learned in the field into the classroom setting and applies theoretical understanding gained through classroom study to work done in the broader community. Note: Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Fieldwork Seminars or Praxis Independent Studies during their time at Bryn Mawr.

Counts Toward: Praxis Program.

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SOCL B235 Mexican-American Communities

Not offered 2025-26

For its unique history, the number of migrants, and the two countries' proximity, Mexican migration to the United States represents an exceptional case in world migration. There is no other example of migration with more than 100 years of history. The copious presence of migrants concentrated in a host country, such as we have in the case of the 11.7 million Mexican migrants residing in the United States, along with another 15 million Mexican descendants, is unparalleled. The 1,933-mile-long border shared by the two countries makes it one of the longest boundary lines in the world and, unfortunately, also one of the most dangerous frontiers in the world today. We will examine the different economic, political, social and cultural forces that have shaped this centenarian migration influx and undertake a macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of analysis. At the macro-level of political economy, we will investigate the economic interdependency that has developed between Mexico and the U.S. over different economic development periods of these countries, particularly, the role the Mexican labor force has played to boosting and sustaining both the Mexican and the American economies. At the meso-level, we will examine different institutions both in Mexico and the U.S. that have determined the ways in which millions of Mexican migrate to this country. Last, but certainly not least, we will explore the impacts that both the macro-and meso-processes have had on the micro-level by considering the imperatives, aspirations, and dreams that have prompted millions of people to leave their homes and communities behind in search of better opportunities. This major life decision of migration brings with it a series of social transformations in family and community networks, this will look into the cultural impacts in both the sending and receiving migrant communities. In sum, we will come to understand how these three levels of analysis work together.

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Gender Sexuality Studies; Growth and Structure of Cities; Latin American Iberian Latinx; Praxis Program.

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SOCL B258 Sociology of Education

Not offered 2025-26

Major sociological theories of the relationships between education and society, focusing on the effects of education on inequality in the United States and the historical development of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in the United States. Other topics include education and social selection, testing and tracking, and micro- and macro-explanations of differences in educational outcomes. This is a Praxis II course; placements are in local schools.

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SPAN B247 Gastropoeticas de la cultura latinoamericana

Not offered 2025-26

From Casta paintings to the current boom of social media foodies, the cultural representation of food and eating has historically served to create discourses about race, gender, class, and status. Theoretically grounded in food studies, in this class, we will study how food and foodways have structured cultural productions across Latin America. We will begin analyzing how indigenous communities assigned political and religious value to staples like corn or potatoes, followed by the uses of food-abundant and scarce-in colonial narratives like Naufragios by Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca. As a consequence of colonial enclaves, we will also study how Afro-descendant communities used food to negotiate their status in slaving societies and how forced migration ecologically affected Latin America. We will continue our analysis through the production of cookbooks during the height of conventual life (16th-18th centuries), as evidenced in the work of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. We will shift our attention to the 19th century, the rise of manuals about food placement and etiquette, and the construction of gender expectations through food consumption. We will end our examination of food cultures during the 20th and 21st centuries by examining the branding of Latin American cuisines as countries compete as sites for tourist consumption. Students will complete reflective journals, a personal cookbook zine, a field visit report to a local Latin American restaurant, and a final essay written in steps during the semester. As a Praxis course, students will be expected to complete 7-10 hours of community-engaged work with a local partner (TBD), ranging from a local food bank to organizations that work towards food security for Latinx communities.

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Latin American Iberian Latinx; Praxis Program.

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SPAN B326 Voces trasplantadas: teoría y práctica de la traducción

Not offered 2025-26

Taught in Spanish. Translation has been argued to be both impossible and inevitable. Theoretically impossible, because no two languages are perfectly equivalent; practically inevitable, because cultures, and human beings, are constantly interpreting one another--and understanding themselves in the process. This course is an introduction to translation as a practice with linguistic, literary, and cultural implications. It is organized in three steps. We will begin by exploring the linguistic aspect of translation: the theories (and myths) about language difference and equivalence, and how they can be put into practice. Then we will focus on translating literary texts of different genres (from canonical epics to film, from poems to short stories and proverbs), and we will simultaneously examine how the various types of texts have spurred very different opinions about what is a good or bad translation, what is desirable, and what is not. Finally, we will trace the role of translation in cultural exchanges, as well as its defining presence in contemporary debates on "world literature." Prerequisite: At least one 200 level Spanish course.

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SPAN B338 El derecho a vivir en paz: activismos en español

Not offered 2025-26

This advanced Spanish course is designed to help students reach advanced proficiency levels by engaging with case studies from law, social work, activism, and literature from Latin American and Latinx communities. Through community partners, students will engage with the multi-tasking requirement inherent to law and social work organizations that advocate for social justice. Our class will be divided into six different units, centering and problematizing the possibilities of advocacy: human rights, Latinx communities, Indigenous communities, Afro-descendant communities, women/femme/feminisms, and LGTBQI communities. We will read and listen to advocates from each of those communities and analyze how advocacy intersects with various forms of identity, political power, and artistic expression. This class has a service-learning component in addition to the work in the classroom, so you will need to complete at least 10 hours of work with a local partner. Your work with the local organization will be essential for you to start theorizing about advocacy through your own experiences. Prerequisite: SPAN B120 or SPAN 200-level course

Course does not meet an Approach

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward: Latin American Iberian Latinx; Praxis Program.

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