This course is designed to familiarize students with the theoretical and empirical foundations of the field of educational administration and policy. It will explicate the epistemological, ontological and ethical bases which have driven theory development and research in the field. It seeks to illuminate the social and empirical foundations, upon which research and practice of the field traditionally drawn. These social foundations will include, for examples, conceptions of the state, civil society, public sphere, rationality, and power. The course aims to help doctoral students to build solid theoretical and empirical foundations for their future inquiry into the field of educational administration and policy.