TITLE: SOFD 580: Sociology of Education

CREDITS: 2 semester hours

PREREQUISITES: None

EMU THEME FOR ADVANCED PROGRAMS

Inquiry, advocacy and leadership in education for a diverse and democratic society.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

This course introduces various social theoretical perspectives to analyze the relation of schooling to the social construction of race, class, gender and sexuality in a socially stratified society. Special attention is placed on teachers' responsibilities and skills as classroom practitioners, child advocates and community leaders in a culturally diverse democratic society.

PURPOSE/RATIONALE

In order to become effective classroom practitioners, advocates for children and young adults, and educational leaders in their communities, teachers and other educational professionals need to understand (1) the interactive relationship between schools and other major social, economic and political institutions, (2) the hierarchical nature of our social and economic system, and (3) the challenges presented by class, race, gender and other forms of inequality in a diverse and democratic society.

OUTCOMES/OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to: (1) demonstrate an awareness of the social dimensions of education and the role of teachers as moral leaders and advocates of children and young adults; (2) apply disciplinary knowledge from sociology of education to schooling in diverse cultural contexts; (3) understand how moral principles related to democratic institutions can inform and direct schooling practice, leadership, and governance; (4) understand the full significance of diversity in a democratic society and how that bears on instruction, school leadership, and governance; (5) demonstrate skills in thinking analytically and communicating effectively; (6) apply various social theoretical approaches to the study of inequality and schooling; (7) analyze how schools and education are part of a larger cultural system within which students and teachers struggle to produce personal and collective identities; (8) use social theories of education to analyze how curriculum, educational technology, classroom practices and other school practices are impacted by economic, cultural and political trends, and (9) build strong and relevant bridges between critical analysis of schools and educational policies, and the

practices that they will use in their classrooms, as well as in their capacities as educational leaders in their communities.

COURSE OUTLINE

I. SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY AND EDUCATION
-What is social theory?

-What is sociology of education?
-What do practitioners and policy makers need to know about the relation between schools and society?

-How are pedagogy, advocacy and leadership informed by sociology of education?

II. DEMOCRACY AND EDUCATION: BASIC PRINCIPLES
-Equality, Fraternity, and Liberty: What do they mean for decision-making in schools and communities?

-The "problem" of diversity and the tyranny of the majority
-Eros as the educational principle of democracy: on passion and connection in communities

III. WHAT INTERFERES WITH DEMOCRACY? AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND SCHOOLING IN DETROIT
-Industrialization and segregation

-Racism, white flight, and poverty
-The struggle over desegregation and community control
-Declining curriculum standards and the disenfranchisement of Detroit's Black community
-Current efforts at democracy and community education at the grassroots level

IV. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF RACE AND SOCIAL CLASS IN SCHOOLS

-Deficit Theories as explanations and locations of race and class inequalities
-School policies using deficit theories

-Social Reproduction Theory
-Privilege and the culture of power in schools

-Cultural Production Theory

V. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN SCHOOLS

-Deficit Theories applied to gender and sexuality

-Liberal feminist theories of gender and schooling
-Critical and post-modern feminist theories of gender and schooling
-The social construction of masculinities and femininities in schools

-Homophobia, misogyny and hegemonic masculinity in school practices and policies

VI. RACE, CLASS, GENDER AND SCHOOLING: THE CULTURAL (RE)PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY AND INEQUALITY

-The question of interlocking oppressions
-Cultural production of raced, classed and gendered identities
-Resistance and agency

-Ethnographic investigations of schools as cultural sites in the social reproduction of inequality

VII. CURRICULUM, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY
-social inequality and the hidden curriculum

-pedagogical practices and social inequality
-issues of exclusion and educational technology (the digital divide)
-using technology toward democratic practice

VIII. SO WHAT DO WE DO? BUILDING BRIDGES TOWARD DEMOCRACY, ADVOCAY, AND URBAN SCHOOL REFORM

-Case studies of institutional reform in elementary and secondary schools
-Community Education: Grass roots activism and democratic education
-Teachers as advocates for children and young adults, and educational leaders in the community

-Activism on the local, state and national level

IX. AGENCY AND ADVOCAY IN THE CLASSROOM: TEACHING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY

-Five models of multicultural education: Practicing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

-Critical pedagogy, classroom relations, and teaching for social justice
-Feminist pedagogies and teaching for social justice
-Democracy in classrooms, schools and communities

SUGGESTED TEXTS AND READINGS

Morel, J. (1993). The rise and fall of an urban school system. Detroit 1907-1981(2°^a ed.). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

Valencia, R. R. (1998). The evolution of deficit thinking: Educational thought and practice. London: Falmer Press.

Anyone, J. (1997). Ghetto schooling: A political economy of urban educational reform. New York: Teachers College Press.

Depot, L. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press.

Kimmel, M. (2000). The gendered society. New York: Oxford University Press.

Levinson, B., Foley, D E. & Holland, D. C. (1996). The cultural production of the educated person: Critical ethnographies of schooling and local practices. Albany: SUNY Press.

Trend, David. (2001). Welcome to cyberschool : education at the crossroads in the Information Age. Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield.

Meier, D. (1995). The power of their ideas: Lessons for America from a small school in Harlem. Boston: Beacon Press.

Quint, S. (1994). Schooling homeless children: A working model for America's public schools. New York: Teachers College Press.

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

These range from direct instruction, whole-group discussion, structured small-group activities, and student presentations. A conceptually based, inquiry approach is utilized as much as possible. Service learning within the community may also be utilized. Materials are varied and may include primary theoretical sources, case studies, selections from fiction, government documents, films, videos, slides and guest speakers.

ASSESSMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS

General Description: Students are evaluated through a variety of measures, including analytic essays, group projects, in-class participation, and discussions. All assessments are designed to encourage critical reflection on educational policy and practice in the context of a diverse democratic society. In addition, using theories and concepts from the course, students must demonstrate how issues discussed in the course impact their lives as classroom teachers, advocates for children and young adults, and as educational leaders in their communities. The instructional procedures of the course will serve as models for such practices.

Types of Requirements: (*indicates those shared by all instructors and faculty)
l. Essay exams (take home or in-class)*

2. Critical reviews of case studies, articles, films, and other texts.
3. Analysis of classroom relations and practices including lesson plans, methods, management, etc either through case studies, ethnographies, structured field experiences or classroom materials.

4. Critical analysis of local, state and federal policies and they impact communities, schools and classroom practices.

5. Small group projects and presentations (written and oral).

6. Field experience projects (individual and small group) in alternative educational settings.

Suggested "Application" Assignments

1. Write a mini-unit (a series of five lesson plans) on a topic that would help your students address problems associated with social inequality. Include a rationale, course description, objectives, assessments and procedures.

2. Create a staff development workshop introducing democratic or anti-discrimination teaching strategies to teachers. Include a rationale, course description, objectives, assessments and procedures.

3. Create an annotated bibliography of materials that a teacher could use to support antiracist, anti-discriminatory teaching strategies.

4. Interview a teacher known to teach for social justice and or democracy. What brought him/her to this approach, what methods does he/she employ, what are the possibilities and pitfalls of such an approach?

5. Create a plan to reform your school around the principles of democracy discussed in the course. What are the primary principles that would be operating? How would such principles be implemented in the structure of the school? In the curriculum? In the

schedule? In classrooms? What community groups would be involved and in what ways? What form of decision-making would operate in the school?

6. Create a plan to partner your school with other community organizations to work on a particular community issue, i.e., homeless families, environmental issues, segregation, youth violence. What organizations would be best involved and why?

What are the particular issues that would need to be addressed? What procedures might be suggested? Why and how would the school be used to serve the community around this issue? How would principles of democracy be utilized?

Criteria for Evaluation of Assignments:

1. Quality of content (relevance to course, treatment of basic issues, significance or fullness of meaning, and mastery in synthesizing course materials and outside readings).

2. Precision of expression and accuracy of reasoning.
3. Adequacy off evidence presented to support interpretations, criticisms and conclusions.

4. Creative, insightful expression of ideas.
5. Relevance to classroom practice, advocacy of children and young adults, and educational leadership in communities.

KNOWLEDGE BASE: BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alschuler, A. (1980). School discipline. New York: McGraw Hill.

Anyon, J. (1981). "Elementary Schooling and Distinctions of Social Class." Interchange, 12:2-3.

Anyon, J. (1997). Ghetto schooling: Apolitical economy of urban educational reform. New York: Teachers College Press.

Apple, M. (1995) Cultural politics and education. London: Routledge.

Ayers, W. et al. (Eds.). (1999). Teaching for social justice: A democracy and education reader. New York: Teachers College Press.

Berger, P. & Luckman, T. (1966). The social construction of reality. New York: Doubleday.

Banks, J. A. (1994). An introduction to multicultural education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Bowers, C.A. (1988). The cultural dimensions of educational computing: Understanding the non-neutrality of technology. New York: Teachers College Press.

Bowees, S. and Gintis, H. (1976). Schooling in capitalist America. New York: Basic Books.

Burbules, Nicholas C. and Cllister, Jr., Thomas. ( 2000). Watch IT: The risks and promises of information technologies for education. NY: Westview.

Burch, K. (2000). Eros as the educational principle of democracy. New York: Peter Lang.

Delpit, L. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press.

Engel, M. (2000). The struggle for control of public education. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Farley, R., Dansiger, S.& Holser, H. J. (2000). Detroit divided. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Giroux, H. (1983 ). Theory and resistance in education. London: Routlege, Kegan and Paul.

Gotz, Ignacio L. (2000). Technology and the spirit. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers.

Gunier, L. (1994). The tyranny of the majority. New York: The Free Press.

Guinier, L. (2002) The miner's canary. New York: The Free Press.

Jenks, C. et. al. (1972). Inequality. New York: Basic Books.

Karabel, J. and Halsey, A.H. (1977). Power and ideology in education. New York: Oxford.

Kaufman, M. & Brod, H., eds. (1994). Theorizing masculinities. London: Sage Publications.

Kimmel, M. (2000). The gendered society. New York: Oxford University Press.

Kozol, J. (1994). Savage inequalities. New York: Doubleday.

Letts, W. J. IV & Sears, J. T. eds. (1999). Queering elementary education: Advancing the dialogue about sexualities and schooling. New York: Rowan and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Levinson, B., Floeey, D E. & Holland, D. C. (1996). The cultural production of the educated person: Critical ethnographies of schooling and local practices. Albany: SUNY Press.

Luke, C. & J. Gore, eds., (1992) Feminisms and critical pedagogy. New York: Routledge.

Mac An Ghaill, M. (1997). The making of men: Masculinities, sexualities and schooling. London: Open University Press.

McCarthy, C. (1991). Race and curriculum. London: Falmer Press.

McCarthy, C. and W. Crichlow, eds. (1994). Race and identity in education. New York: Routlege.

McIntosh, P. (1989). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." Peace and freedom. July /August.

Meier, D. (1995). The power of their ideas: Lessons for America from a small school in Harlem. Boston: Beacon Press.

Mirel, J. (1993). The rise and fall of an urban school system. Detroit 1907-1981, Second Edition. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

Orenstein, P. (1994). Schoolgirls. Young women, self-expression and the confidence gall New York: Anchor books.

Provenzo, Jr., E. F., Brett Arlene, and McCloskey, Gary N. (1999). Computers, curriculum and cultural change: An introduction for teachers. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Provenzo, Jr. E. F. (1991). Video kids; Making sense of Nintendo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,.

Quint, S. (1994). Schooling homeless children: A working model for America's public schools. New York: Teachers College Press.

Ryan, W. (1976). Blaming the victim. New York: Vintage Books.

Trend, David. (2001). Welcome to cyberschool: education at the crossroads in the Information Age. Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield.

Valencia, R. R. (1998). The evolution of deficit thinking Educational thought and practice. London: Falmer Press.

Weiler, K. (1988) Women teaching for change. London: Bergin and Garvey.