Time Schedule:
Paul C. Lepore
SOC 492
Seattle Campus
Emphasizes the ways in which schools and colleges reproduce, reinforce, and challenge prevailing social, economic, and political relationships. Examines the structures, practices, content, and outcomes of schooling and its relationship to the wider society as well as the rise and dynamics of the modern education system.
Class description
If you are like most, you probably give little thought to the organization and role schools play in modern society. Despite the lack of a nationalized curriculum and notwithstanding the fact that educational control and oversight are largely decentralized processes (operating at the local level of the town or city) – the structure of public and private elementary and secondary education in the United States is remarkably consistent from state to state and between school districts. Enrollment in kindergarten by age four; textbook and curricular material selection; attendance in school from September through June in coeducational, age-graded classrooms; assignment in ability groups or tracks; preparation for continued education beyond high school in college or through vocational training; and so on, are but a few of the organizational characteristics and practices common in most schools and districts. These facets that comprise our national system of education, while common, are, unfortunately, in most cases taken for granted – often going both unquestioned and unanalyzed.
The goal of this course is to challenge our assumptions upon which education as an institution is predicated, and ask some fundamental questions about the relationship between education and society. Why does everyone go to school? Why do some students seem to learn more and “get ahead” further than others? What factors shape how schools are run, how schools are organized, and what curricular materials are taught? How do schools help to maintain our capitalist system, and how do the factors of race, class, and gender affect the educational experiences of students within schools and within classrooms? How can schools become more effective? These are among the questions we will consider this quarter.
Over the next ten weeks, this course will emphasize the ways in which schools reproduce, reinforce, and challenge prevailing social, economic, and political relationships. We will look at the structure, practices, content, and outcomes of schooling, primarily in the light of their relationships to the wider society in which schools are situated. We will begin by examining the connection between types of societies and systems of education. In this regard, we will examine the rise of the modern school system in American and the dynamics of educational expansion (both within the United States and cross-nationally). We will note the link between schools and societal stratification, addressing how schooling contributes both to social mobility and to the reproduction of the prevailing social order. Next we will discuss the outcomes of schooling (achievement, attainment, dropping-out, college entry, and so on), and how these outcomes are produced. In particular, we will be concerned with the relation between and among students’ experiences in schools, curricular and teaching practices, and what students ultimately get out of schooling. Finally, we will consider sociological perspectives on contemporary education reform.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Course requirements include completion of the assigned readings, active participation in classroom discussion, a fifth week midterm examination, a term paper (12 pages), and a final examination (non-cumulative). Each of the two examinations will be worth 25 percent of your final grade, and the term paper will be worth 25 percent of your final term grade. Active class participation, turning in your research project statement/bibliography, and completion of regular homework assignments will be noted and count for 25 percent of your final grade.
It is expected that students are active participants in the classroom discourse and are prepared to discuss the materials assigned on that date. Discussion opportunities that reflect the readings and the topics addressed in the course will be held regularly as part of the normal class period.
Recommended preparation
Course work and expectations are developed for advanced undergraduates in sociology and graduate students.
Class assignments and grading
