This course offers a survey of the foundations of the education field and the core values of the M.Ed. program. The aim is to introduce seminal topics, foundational texts, and scholarly routines as we begin to build a community of learners together. Students will engage in reading, discussion, observation, journaling, interviews, critical analysis, and digital portfolio construction as they record and track emerging questions of theory and practice. As in all GSE courses, we will apply a critical, self-reflective social justice lens to our work, with careful attention to multiple perspectives as we address the GSE program learning outcomes regarding inquiry and reflection, design and leadership.