Schooling and Opportunity, Fall 05
Educ 353

Description

This sociology of education course explores social and cultural forces that affect educational opportunity in U. S. schools. We will examine a wide range of myths, theories, and ideologies that offer an explanation of the persistent gaps in academic achievement and educational attainment that plague U.S. schools. In addition we will develop quantitative reasoning skills and use them to evaluate empirical studies that describe how globalization, suburbanization, government bureaucracy, school organization, and youth culture affect the learning opportunities of students in public schools. The central concern of the course will be how educational institutions create, erase, and/or neglect the social, economic and political stratification of urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Goals

• To develop students' knowledge of social and cultural forces that shape educational opportunity in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
• To expose students to key readings in the sociology of education.
• To develop students' imagination of equal educational opportunity despite it being a frustratingly difficult ideal to realize in the day–to-day practice of imperfect schools.
• To develop students' quantitative reasoning skills with data used to indicate educational opportunity.
• To create a community of learners who feel comfortable enough to engage each other on tough issues and avoid the silencing of dissent.

Structure

Class sessions will incorporate traditional academic and experiential learning, including lectures, large and small group discussions, neighborhood exploration, data collection, guest speakers, critical reflection, and storytelling. Class attendance and participation are mandatory, as is timely completion of assignments. We will use a WordPress site, https://blogs.carleton.edu/Schooling_and_Opportunity/ to post commentaries on class readings, and data collection assignments. Only students enrolled in EDUC 353 Fall term 2005 will have access to this site. If you have any questions regarding the site and its features, feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone. Please note that this class requires significant fieldwork outside of class. Take advantage of the chance to explore a wide variety of readings, research opportunities, popular media, and performances around the issues and stories that are part of this class.

Books

• Arum, R. and Beattie, I. (2000). The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. Boston: Macgraw-Hill. (SS)
• Edmundson, J. (2003). Prairie Town. Lanham, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. (PT)
• Lopez, N. (2003). Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys. New York & London: Routledge. (HT)

Electronic Reserve Readings (RR)

• Anyon, Jean. (1997). Ghetto schooling. New York: Teachers College Press. (GS)
• Lipman, P. (1998). Race, class, and power in school restructuring. New York: SUNY Press.
• Massey, D. and Denton, N. (1994). American Apartheid. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Wilson, W. (1990). The Truly Disadvantaged. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Videos on Closed Reserve

PBS Video Bill Moyers (1988). World of Ideas: William Julius Wilson. W1063

Guest Speakers

• tba (Racial Segregation)
• tba (Social Capital)
• Joe Nathan (The Politics of School Reform)

Requirements

• Attendance, Participation, Engagement (20 points) This course is based on individual as well as group commitment and engagement throughout the semester. The learning in the class will largely take place through dialogue about lectures, speakers, videos, and reading materials. In order to make these discussions successful, everyone needs to both read the assigned material and consider the issues carefully. It is expected that each student come prepared to every class meeting, listen actively and respectfully to the thoughts and opinions of class members, and enrich the class by contributing ideas and insights (10 points). Each class period two students will be assigned to write commentaries on the assigned readings and subsequently take the lead in discussions (10 points). Participation, attendance and creating a mutually respectful environment are shared and mandatory responsibilities.
• Take-Home Midterm Exam (20 points) The take-home midterm exam will cover lectures, readings, and videos from the first five weeks of the course. The structure of the mid-term will be a 3-4 page (750-850 words) op-ed (opinion/editorial) style essay in which you take a position on an educational opportunity issue raised during the first half of the class. I will issue no make-up exams. Please submit your Midterm Exams to your class hand-in folder on COLLAB by 5pm October 14^th.
• Take-Home Final Exam (20 points) The take-home final exam will cover lectures, readings, and videos from the second five weeks of the course. The structure of the mid-term will be a 3-4 page (750-850 words) op-ed (opinion/editorial) style essay in which you take a position on an educational opportunity issue raised during the second half of the class. I will issue no make-up exams. Please submit your Final Exams to your class hand-in folder on COLLAB by 5pm November 21^st.
• Data Collection (20 points) Small groups of students will assess educational opportunity in urban, suburban, and rural locales through four data collection assignments (worth five points each) involving qualitative and quantitative inquiry.
• Educational Opportunity Project Poster (20 points) The culmination of data collection in which students represent the barriers to equal educational opportunity in urban, suburban, and rural high schools. The poster session will be open to the public (20 points). Final posters are due Nov. 15^th during Common Time.

Grading

All required written assignments (executive summaries, mid-term exam, final exam, poster) will be given a letter grade. Assignments handed in late without the instructor's permission will be marked down half a letter grade or more. Attendance is mandatory. More than two unexcused absences will result in a student's grade being lowered by a half (e.g. B to B) or more. The following situations count as excused absences and should be verifiable through the Dean of Students Office: death in the family or family emergency, medical leave or medical emergency. Participation in sporting events with a college-sponsored athletic team does not count as an excused absence. Please be responsible about your attendance by notifying the instructor (when possible) about an impending absence and personally keeping track of missed classes.

Schedule of Topics and Readings

NOTE: Reading assignments are subject to change. Listen and be prepared to take into account syllabus revisions.