Curriculum Theory

U.S. curriculum theory is the interdisciplinary study of curriculum in its historical, political, racial, gendered, postmodern, autobiographical, religious, and international dimensions. The contemporary field is structured by three main historical moments. The first was the field's inauguration and paradigmatic stabilization as curriculum development (1918–1969). The second was the field's reconceptualization, first occurring from 1969 to 1980 with the transition from curriculum development to curriculum studies and continuing from 1980 to 2000 as the interdisciplinary academic field paradigmatically organized around understanding curriculum. Most recently, the U.S. field is undergoing a process of internationalization, beginning in 2000.