The Policy, Research, & Practice concentration is for students interested
in a broad theoretical foundation in urban education.
REQUIRED COURSEWORK: 7 course units
1. URBS 2020 or EDUC 2002 Urban Education
The following course lists are not exhaustive; other courses may be substituted
but require prior approval from the Urban Education advisor
2. Child or Adolescent Development course:
PSYC 1310 Language and Thought (requires PSYC 0001)
PSYC 1777 Developmental Psychology (requires PSYC 0001)
PSYC 2377 Cognitive Development (requires PSYC 0001)
PSYC 3770 Educational Neuroscience (requires PSYC 0001)
EDUC 3726 Tutoring in Urban Schools: A child development perspective
EDUC 3560 Human Development in Global Perspective
EDUC 2541 Educational Psychology
EDUC 2551 Mindfulness and Human Development
EDUC 5522 Psychology of the African-American
EDUC 5560 Human Development
EDUC 5561 Adolescent Development
EDUC 5557 Developmental Theories and Applications with Adolescents
3. Urban Context course:
Any Urban Studies (URBS) course focused on the United States will fulfill this requirement.
URBS 1030 Industrial Metropolis
URBS 1153 Transformations of Urban America
URBS 1090 Urban Sociology
URBS 1060 Race & Ethnic Relations
URBS 0210 The City
URBS 2500 Urban Public Policy
URBS 2580 Global Urban Education
URBS 4200 Perspectives on Urban Poverty
HSOC 461 The Child in the City
URBS 1150 American Race: A Philadelphia Story
URBS 1400 Inequity and Empowerment: Urban Financial Literacy
URBS 2450 Poverty, Race and Health
SOCI 2280 Sociology of Education
SOCI 2281 Demography of Education
SOCI 2680 Contemporary Immigration in the US
4. Teaching and Learning course:
EDUC 2050 Learning from Children (aka Observing Children)
EDUC 3123 Tutoring School: Theory and Practice
EDUC 4014 Children’s Literature
EDUC 5335 Literature for Children and Adolescents
5. ABCS course* related to urban education:
URBS 1110 The Big Picture: Mural Arts in Philadelphia
URBS 1780 Faculty-Student Collaborative Action Seminar
URBS 3230/EDUC 3123 Tutoring in Schools: Theory & Practice
URBS 3260/EDUC 326o Tutoring in Urban Schools: A child development
perspective
PHYS 0137 Community Physics Initiative
EDUC 2100 Urban Financial Literacy
MGMT 3530 Financial Literacy Community Project
NRSC 1160 ABCS of Everyday Neuroscience
EDUC 2140 Education in American Culture
ENGL 0051 Community Writing: Post-Covid University
For a full, updated listing of ABCS courses, please consult the Netter Center for
Community Partnership's website. https://www.nettercenter.upenn.edu/abcs-courses/current-
courses
6. Elective:
Many education-related courses can count toward the elective (including any of
the above listed courses). Here is a sampling, but please consult the minor
advisor.
EDUC (Re)Making US Schools
URBS 4730 Community Organizing: History and Theory
PSCI 5450/EDUC 5451 Politics and Education
EDUC 3545 Psychology of Personal Growth
EDUC 5780 American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice
EDUC 5439 Examining the School to Prison Pipeline
EDUC 5453 History of American Education
EDUC 5281 Language Teaching and Literacy Development in Multilingual
Community Contexts
EDUC 5150 Educational and Social Entrepreneurship
EDUC 5428 Participatory Educational Research in Global Perspective
EDUC 5894/LALS 5940 Diversity in Higher Education
7. CAPSTONE:
a problem-based or theory-based research project that students
can complete in the context of a (second) ABCS course (see above), a senior thesis
course, an independent study, or another education-related course approved by
the minor advisor.
For additional information about the Urban Education Minor please contact the program advisor:
Amy Stornaiuolo
Graduate School of Education
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216
215-898-9327, amystorn@upenn.edu