Program in Social Foundations 
Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy 
School of Education and Human Development

Rachel Wahl examines how ideas and ideals spread through education and advocacy, particularly in regard to state and civil society efforts to influence each other. Wahl's focus has been on how implicit philosophical beliefs about morality, justice, and human nature facilitate and undermine receptivity to dialogue, deliberation, and formal education. Wahl is especially interested in approaches to changing ideas and behavior that rely on voluntary learning in comparison to those that rely on various forms of public pressure.