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The Bates College Department of Education seeks to foster the democratic possibilities of schooling through the study of education in the United States and internationally. The aim of the department is to create an environment in which students and faculty together analyze the complex dynamics between the purposes and products of schooling and the social structures and cultural processes that constitute the broader context for education. In particular, the department aims to nurture in students the development of these qualities: critical action and civil responsibility, reflection and engagement, imagination and a passion for learning, and commitment to social justice.