EDF.516 Syllabus

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY

Department of Teacher Education

EDF 516                                  School and Society                               Mulcahy

Catalog Description

            Presentation and analysis of factors and events relating to the school’s role in society.  Sociocultural analysis and interpretation of historic development as well as contemporary influences affecting dynamic role of school in American life today.

Required Readings

Textbooks

            To be announced

Objective 

            This course is devoted to a consideration of the wide variety of social contexts within which schooling takes place: social, cultural, economic, political, historical, philosophical, and international.  The course is intended to promote a heightened awareness and understanding among professional educators of the influence of such contextual factors on school policy and practice.

Outline

The following topics will be dealt with:

Perspectives on school and society

Historical and philosophical perspectives on school and society

Social and economic perspectives on school and society

International perspectives on school and society

Application of interdisciplinary knowledge in improving school practice

The purposes of schooling in contemporary society

            Liberal education

            Vocational education

            Civic education

            Other purposes of schooling

Diversity in school and society

            Women’s experience

Native American experience

            African American experience

            Hispanic American experience

            Evaluation and diversity of experience

School reform

            Local and state reform efforts

            National reform efforts

            Vouchers and private school choice

            Public school choice

            Charter schools

Miscellaneous issues in school and society

            Home-family-school relations

            Religion and schooling

            Parental involvement

            Legal issues

Class requirements

            Class participation and satisfactory completion of assignments and tests/exams

Evaluation and semester grade computation

Weekly summaries:                               10%

Projects and Class presentation:            10%

Final essay exam:                                  40%

Term paper:                                          40%

The grade scale is as follows:

A+=100;  A=95;  A-=90;  B+=87;  B=84;  B-=80;  C+=77;  C=74; C-=70;

D+=64;  D=57;  D-=50;  F=0-49

Instructional model

The method of instruction employed in this class is largely a combination of lecture and discussion and is based on a mix of direct instruction and reflective teaching models of instruction.  Use is made of audiovisual materials and class presentation by students is normally required.

Miscellaneous information

            Office: 271 Barnard

            Tel:                  832-2418

            e-mail: Mulcahy@ccsu.edu

            Office hours:     As posted

 Bibliography

Apple, Michael. Cultural Politics and Education. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996.

Bacharach, S. B. Education Reform: Making Sense of it All. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1990.

Best, John H., Benjamin Franklin on Education. (New York: Teachers College Press, 1962.)

Casella, Ronnie.  “Being Down”: Challenging Violence in Urban Schools.  New York.  Teachers College Press, 2001

Cremin, Lawrence A. American Education: The Metropolitan Experience 1876-1980. New York: Harper and Row, 1990.

Connecticut State Board of Education. Connecticut's Common Core of Learning. Hartford, CT: Connecticut State Board of Education, 1997

Cremin, Lawrence A. American Education: The Metropolitan Experience 1876-1980. New York: Harper and Row, 1990.

Elam, Stanley, Elmore, R.E. and S.H. Fuhrman, eds, The Governance of Curriculum.                        

            Washington, D.C: ASCD, 1994

Feinberg, Walter and Jonas F. Soltis, School and Society. New York: Teachers College Press, 1988.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans. by Romos, Myra. New York: Herder & Herder, 1971.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act, 1994

Gutek, Gerald, L. American Education in a Global‑Society. New York: Longmans, 1993.

Illich, Ivan. De-Schooling Society.  New York: Harper and Row, 1971

Kretovics, Joseph and Edward J. Nussel, eds. Transforming Urban Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994

Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. (Many editions available)

McClaren, Peter, Life in Schools. New York: Longmans, 1994.

Mulcahy, D.G. Knowledge, Gender, and Schooling.  Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey, 2002

Plato, The Republic. (Many translation available)

Rousseau, J. J. Emile (Many translations available).

Sarason, Seymour B. Political Leadership and Educational Failure. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998

Selakovich, Daniel, Schooling in America. New York: Longman, 1984.

Spring, Joel, American Education. New York: McGraw Hill, 1998.

The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education.

The National Commission on Excellence in Education, A Nation at Risk. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1983.

Tozer, Steven E, Paul C. Violas, and Guy B. Senese. School and Society. New York: McGraw Hill, 1995.

www.edweek.com/

EDF.516 (term paper)                          Course term paper                                Mulcahy

The term paper is to be a short reflective piece based on the collected weekly summaries of assigned course readings.  The summaries are to be attached.

The essay is to be 3-4 pages in length and is to follow accepted conventions in regard to layout, references/footnotes, and bibliography.

Papers are due on the week before finals.