Colby College
Education Program
EDUCATION 215:
CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY
Fall 2006
Tuesday, Thursday, 1:00 – 2:15 p.m.
MARK B. TAPPAN
Professor of Education and Human Development
Lovejoy 350
(O) 872-3680
(H) 877-6675
e-mail: mbtappan@colby.edu
Office Hours:
Wednesday, 12:00 -- 2:00 pm
and by appointment
COURSE WEB PAGE
http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/courses/ED215/
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course we will explore the experience of contemporary children and
adolescents, using a variety of sources, including novels, case materials, film,
and autobiographical reflection. We will also consider a variety of theoretical
perspectives that seek to interpret these experiences; we will discuss how
effective they are in explaining and responding to the challenges and
opportunities that children and adolescents face as they negotiate their way
through society, and more specifically, through school. Our goal is to
understand the complexity of childhood and adolescence, and to develop a pool of
knowledge and resources from which to draw in our future work with young people,
both in and out of the classroom.
Throughout the course we will also consider gender, racial, social class, and
sexual orientation differences, and the ways in which these differences, and the
dynamics of privilege and oppression that are associated with them, shape and
influence one’ s understanding of self, and one’s relationship to others, during
childhood and adolescence. This focus is consistent with the social justice
designation that this course carries, as well as with the mission of Colby’s
Education Program.
This course also includes a substantial civic engagement component: You will be
required to spend 25-30 hours (~2.5-3 hours/week) over the course of the semester
working with local children and adolescents in a structured setting. The
placements will occur in the after-school program at the Alfond Youth Center, the
South End Learning Center, or the South End Teen Center. Your responsibilities
will include getting to know the children/adolescents in the program, helping
with homework, working with small groups on art projects, games, athletic events,
supervising in the computer lab, etc. This civic engagement experience is
designed to enable you to contribute to the well being of children and youth in
the local community, and to introduce you to the realities of the lives of
contemporary children and adolescents. It will also provide you with another
opportunity to reflect on the relationship between theory and practice.
2
REQUIRED BOOKS
Garrod, Andrew, et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Morrison, Toni. (1970). The bluest eye. New York: Pocket.
Robbins, Rhea Cote (1997). Wednesday's child. Brunswick, ME: Maine Writers and
Publishers Alliance.
EXPECTATIONS
I expect regular attendance and active participation in all course-related
activities. I also expect to be notified if you must be absent from class, and
you will be responsible for any work missed. Failure to attend may lead to a
warning, grading penalty, and/or dismissal from the course with a failing grade.
The in-class component of this course will consist primarily of discussions so it
is very important that you read the assigned readings prior to class and come
prepared to participate fully in our consideration of those readings. We will
share responsibility for initiating and leading these discussions—I will take
primary responsibility during the first half of the course; each of you (as a
member of a team) will take primary responsibility for initiating and leading
discussion for one class session during the second half of the course. I expect
that written assignments will be handed in on time; if they are you can expect me
to return your work promptly; if they are not, you may forfeit the opportunity to
receive any detailed feedback on your writing, and I can not promise when I will
return your work. I also expect that you will take your civic engagement role and
responsibilities very seriously—if you do not, you will be dropped from the
course. The staff and children/youth with whom you work will be counting on you
to follow through on all of your commitments. Needless to say, there is a
significant amount of work required for this course--reading, preparation, and
writing as well as your work at your civic engagement site--so you must manage
your time wisely (I expect the Colby standard of approximately 8 hours per week
of reading/writing/preparation for this 4 credit course).
ASSIGNMENTS/GRADING—See course web page for more details and guidelines
1.
Autobiographical Narrative—Childhood and Adolescence
In order to have the opportunity to reflect on your own childhood and/or
adolescence, I will ask you to write a brief autobiographical narrative that
tells the story of a significant event in your life. Writing such an account
will encourage you to bring your own personal experience into dialogue with the
material we will be considering in the course (~1500 words). Due Friday
September 15, 2006. (ungraded)
2.
Reflective Journal
You are to keep an ongoing journal that will provide you with the opportunity to
record and reflect on your work at your civic engagement site, and to make relevant
connections between your civic engagement experience, the readings for the course,
and the discussion of those readings in class. I will collect your journals three
times during the semester—Friday October 20, Tuesday November 21, and Friday
December 15, 2006. (10% of final grade)
3.
Take Home Demonstration of Mastery
I will provide you with a set of questions that focus on the readings in the
first part of the course--questions designed to enable you to demonstrate your
mastery of the material we have covered in the course up to this point. You will
take the questions home, choose several of them to which to respond, and present
your responses in the form of an essay (~2500 words). Due Friday October 13,
3
2006. (30% of final grade)
4.
Case-Study
The purpose of this assignment is two-fold: 1) to write a brief case study of a
child or adolescent; and 2) to think explicitly about the process of
interpretation--i.e., the frames and assumptions we bring to understanding our
own and others' experience. You will begin by telling a story about an
experience, incident, or episode in a child or adolescent's life---yourself,
someone you have observed or talked to, or someone you have read about (in a
novel or case) or seen (in a film or tv show). You will then pick at least two
theories discussed in the course to help you illuminate and analyze the case you
have chosen (~2500 words). Due Friday November 17, 2006. (30% of final grade)
5.
Take Home Final/Self Evaluation
For the first part of this paper I will provide you with a set of questions
designed to enable you to demonstrate what you have learned about contemporary
children and adolescents as a result of your work in the course. For the second
part of this paper I will ask you to prepare a brief self-evaluation of your work
in your civic engagement site. This self-evaluation should highlight both what
went well for you and what didn't go so well in your work with the
children/adolescents at your site (~2500 words). Due Friday December 15, 2006.
(30% of final grade)
A note about grading: Successful completion of the five assignments listed above
is required if you are to receive credit for the course. On the two major
“graded” assignments during the semester (#s 3 & 4) I will be using a “revise and
resubmit” approach. That is, if you complete all aspects of the assignment, show
initiative and a desire to excel, and, most importantly, demonstrate genuine
mastery of the content of the course (i.e., the concepts and ideas covered in the
readings and class discussions), and an ability to use those concepts and ideas
effectively in your writing, you will receive an A/A- for the assignment. If,
however, there are aspects of the assignment that do not attain this level of
mastery I will give the paper a provisional grade, and ask/encourage you to
revise and resubmit the paper, in order to reach the A/A- level. If you choose
not to revise and resubmit the assignment, your provisional grade will turn into
the final grade for the paper.
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COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS**
**All readings marked by an R are on reserve in Miller Library
All readings marked by an R: pdf are available on-line
Th. 9/7
Introduction and course overview
What is “civic engagement”? GOOGLE
Tu. 9/12
Wednesday’s child—Growing up in Waterville, ME
Robbins, Rhea Cote. (1997). Wednesday's child.
Rowe, Amy. (1999). An ethnic history of Waterville. Unpublished
honors thesis, Colby College.
http://www.colby.edu/education/activism/files/papers/Rowe_on_Wa
terville[1].pdf
Th. 9/14
The bluest eye—Growing up in Lorain, OH
Morrison, Toni. (1970). The bluest eye.
I. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY
Tu. 9/19
oppression
Social justice: Understanding the dynamics of power, privilege, and
McIntosh, Peggy. (2003).White privilege and male privilege: A
personal account of coming to see correspondences thorough work
in women’s studies. R: pdf.
Johnson, Allan (2001). Privilege, power, and difference. Boston:
McGraw-Hill. Ch. 3: The trouble we’re in. R: pdf
Additional resources:
Ferber, Abbie (2003). Defending the culture of privilege. In M.
Kimmel & A. Ferber (Eds.). Privilege: A reader. Cambridge:
Westview Press. R: pdf
Jensen, Robert (2002). White privilege shapes the U.S. In P.
Rothenberg (Ed). White privilege: Essential readings on the
other side of racism. New York: Worth. R: pdf
Th. 9/21
Social justice: Understanding the dynamics of power, privilege, and
oppression (cont.)
Baker-Miller, Jean. (1976). Toward a new psychology of women. Boston:
Beacon Press. Ch. 1: Domination and subordination. R: pdf
Young, Iris Marion (2000). Five faces of oppression . In M. Adams, et
al. (Eds.). Readings for diversity and social justice. New
York: Routledge. R: pdf
Additional resources:
Lipsky, Suzanne. (1970). Internalized racism. R: pdf
Tappan, Mark (2006). Reframing Internalized domination and
internalized subordination: From the psychological to the
sociocultural. Teachers College Record R: pdf
5
Tu. 9/26
Developmental crises: Challenges and opportunities
Erikson, Erik. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton.
Ch. III: The life cycle: Epigenesis of identity. R: pdf
Kagan, Jerome. (1972). A conception of early adolescence. R: pdf
Th. 9/28
The sociocultural perspective: Identity as mediated action:
Penuel, William & Wertsch, James. (1995). Vygotsky and identity
formation: A sociocultural approach. Educational Psychologist,
30, 83-92. R: pdf
Tappan, Mark. (2000). Autobiography, mediated action, and the
development of moral identity. Narrative Inquiry, 10, 1-36. R:
pdf
Tappan, Mark. (2005). Domination, subordination, and the dialogical
self: Identity development and the politics of "ideological
becoming." Culture and Psychology, 11(1), 47-75. R: pdf
Tu. 10/3
society
Developmental assets: Resources that mediate success in schools and
Benson, Peter. (1997). All kids are our kids. San Francisco: JosseyBass. Ch. 1: From peril to possibility. R: pdf.
Benson, Peter, et al. (1998). Beyond the “village” rhetoric: Creating
healthy communities for children and adolescents. Applied
Developmental Science, 2, 138-159. R: pdf
Benson, Peter. (2002). Adolescent development in social and community
context: A program of research. New directions for youth
development, no. 95, New York: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. R: pdf
Additional resources
Damon, W. (2005). What is positive youth development? Annals of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591, 24. . R:
pdf
Debold, Elizabeth, Brown, Lyn. et al. (1999). Cultivating hardiness
zones for adolescent girls: A reconceptualization of resilience
in relationships with caring adults. In N. Johnson (Ed.).
Beyond appearances: A new look at adolescent girls. Washington:
DC: APA Press. R: pdf
Th. 10/5
Developmental assets and asset-building communities
Scales, Peter, Sesma, Arturo, & Bolstrom, Brent. (2004). Coming into
their own: How developmental assets promote positive
development in middle childhood. Minneapolis: Search
Institute. Ch. 1: Introduction. R: pdf
Rhodes, Jean. (2003). Nonparental adults as asset builders in the
lives of youth. In R. Lerner & P. Benson (Eds.). Developmental
assets and asset-building communities: Implications for
research, policy, and practice. New York: Kluwer Academic. R:
pdf
6
Rhodes, Jean, Grossman, Jean, & Roffman, Jennifer. (2002). The
rhetoric and reality of youth mentoring. New directions for
youth development, no. 95, New York: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. R:
pdf
Additional resources:
Larson, Reed. (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth
development. American Psychologist, 55, 170-183. R: pdf
Tu. 10/10
Integrating the perspectives: Social justice, mediated action, and
developmental assets
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #1: The
struggle of a lifetime
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #3: The
hatred within.
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #5: What if
I don’t want to whistle?
Th. 10/12
Integrating the perspectives (cont.)
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #13: In
search of my voice.
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #16: Forever
an awkward adolescent.
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #19: Seeking
the best of both worlds.
Tu. 10/17
FALL BREAK
7
II. DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
Th. 10/19
Social class
Mantsios, Gregory. (2003). Class in America. In M. Kimmel & A. Ferber
(Eds.). Privilege: A reader. Cambridge: Westview Press. R: pdf
Rank, Mark. (2004). One nation, underprivileged: Why American poverty
affects us all. New York: Oxford. Ch 7: A new paradigm. R: pdf
Howard, Adam. (2000). Pedagogy for the affluent. Encounter, 13, 3440. R: pdf
Howard, Adam. (2001). Students from poverty: Helping them make it
through college. About Campus R: pdf
Recommended resources:
Sennett, Richard & Cobb, Jonathan (1972). The hidden injuries of
class. New York: Vintage. Ch. 1. The sources of injury. R: pdf.
Tu. 10/24
Social class (cont.) [GROUP 1]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #17: Pa jam
decourager.
Evans, Gary. (2004). The environment of childhood poverty. American
Psychologist. R: pdf
Luthar, Suniya. (2003). The culture of affluence: Psychological costs
of material wealth. Child Development. R: pdf
Th. 10/26
Race and ethnicity [GROUP 2]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case # 4: Color
blind.
Hitchcock, Jeff. (2002). Lifting the white veil. Roselle, NJ:
Crandall, Dostie, & Douglass Books. Ch. 7: Inside the white
experience. R: pdf
Chesler, Mark, Peet, Melissa, & Sevig, Todd (2003). Blinded by
whiteness: The development of white college students’ racial
attitudes. In A. Doane & E. Bonilla-Silva (Eds.). White out:
The continuing significance of racism. New York: Routledge. R:
pdf
Tu. 10/31
Race and ethnicity (cont.) [GROUP 3]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case # 2: Someday
my elders will be proud.
Tatum, Beverly (1992). Talking about race, Learning about racism: The
application of racial identity development theory in the
classroom. Harvard Educational Review, 62. R: pdf.
Tatum, Beverly. (1997). Why are all the black kids sitting together
in the cafeteria? New York: Basic Books. Ch 8. Critical issues
in Latino, American Indian, and Asian Pacific American identity
development. R: pdf
8
Additional resources:
Fordham, Signithia. (1988). Racelessness as a factor in Black
students' school success: Pragmatic strategy or pyrrhic
victory? R: pdf
Steele, Claude. (1992). Race and the schooling of Black Americans. R:
pdf
Th. 11/2
Risk and Resilience I: Dropping out [GROUP 4]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #11: Bad.
Fine, Michelle. (1986): Why urban adolescents drop into and out of
public high school. R: pdf
Stevenson, Robert & Ellsworth, Jeanne. (1993). Dropouts and the
silencing of critical voices. In L. Weiss & M. Fine (Eds.).
Beyond silenced voices. Albany: SUNY Press. R: pdf
Tu. 11/7
Gender: “Good girls” [GROUP 5]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #8: Courting
danger.
Brown, Lyn Mikel & Gilligan, Carol. (1992). The psychology of women
and the development of girls. Feminism and psychology. R: pdf
Brown, Lyn Mikel (2001). Adolescent girls, class, and the cultures of
femininity. In M. Packer & M. Tappan (Eds.). Cultural and
critical perspectives on human development. Albany: SUNY Press.
R: pdf
Phipher, Mary (1994). Raising Ophelia. New York: Ballantine. Ch. 1.
R: pdf
Additional resources:
Brown, Lyn & Gilligan, Carol. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: The
psychology of women and the development of girls. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press. Ch. 4. (HQ777.B66 1992)
Brown, Lyn, (1998). Raising their voices; The politics of girls
anger. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Ch. 1. (HQ777.R665
1998)
Th. 11/9
Risk and Resilience II: Eating disorders [GROUP 6]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #9: Falling
from my pedestal. (R)
Bruch, Hilda. (1978). The golden cage. Cambridge: Harvard University
Press. Chs. 2, 3, & 4. (RC552.A5B78 1979)
Steiner-Adair, Catherine.(1990). The body politic. R: pdf
Tu. 11/14
Gender: “Real boys” [GROUP 7]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #10: At
least we got one right.
9
Pollack, William. (1998). Real Boys: Rescuing our sons from the myths
of boyhood. New York: Henry Holt. Ch. 2. R: pdf
Kindlon, Dan, & Thompson, Michael (1999). Raising Cain: Protecting
the emotional life of boys. New York: Ballantine. Ch. 2. R: pdf
Chu, Judy (2004). A relational perspective on adolescent boys’ identity
development. In N. Way & J. Chu (Eds.). Adolescent boys: Exploring
the diverse cultures of boyhood. New York: NYU Press. R: pdf
Additional resources:
Noguera, Pedro Antonio. (2001). The trouble with black boys: The impact
of social and cultural forces on the academic achievement of
African American males. Journal of African American Public Policy.
R: pdf
Tappan, Mark (2001). The cultural reproduction of masculinity: A
critical perspective on boys' development. In M. Packer & M.
Tappan (Eds.), Cultural and critical perspectives on human
development. Albany: State University of New York Press. R: pdf
Th. 11/16
Risk and Resilience III: Violence
Garbarino, James. (1999). Lost boys: How our sons turn violent and
how we can save them. New York: Anchor Books. Ch 1: The
epidemic of youth violence. R: pdf
Gilligan, James. (2003). Shame, guilt, and violence. Social Research,
70, 1149-1180. R: pdf
McGee, James & DeBernardo, Caren. (2000). The classroom avenger. R: pdf
10
Tu. 11/21
Sexual Orientation [GROUP 8]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #7: A step
in the only direction.
Eaton, S. (1993). Gay students find little support in most schools.
R: pdf
Friend, Richard. (1993). Choices not closets: Heterosexism and
homophobia in schools. In Beyond silenced voices. In L. Weiss &
M. Fine (Eds.). Beyond silenced voices. Albany: SUNY Press. R:
pdf
Th. 11/23
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Tu. 11/28
Sexual Orientation (cont.) [GROUP 9]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #14: Loving
women.
Savin-Williams, Ritch. (1990): Gay and lesbian youth: Expressions of
identity. Albany: SUNY Press. Ch. 3: Coming out. R: pdf
Diamond, Lisa, Savin-Williams, Ritch, & Dube, Eric. (1999). Sex,
dating, passionate friendships, and romance: Intimate peer
relations among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents. R: pdf
Th. 11/30
Risk and Resilience IV: Bullying, harassment, and teen suicide
Olweus, Dan. (2003). A profile of bullying at school. Educational
Leadership. R: pdf
Talbot, Margaret. (2002). Girls just want to be mean. New York
Times.com. R: pdf
Ugly Ducklings Community Action Kit TBA
Tu. 12/5
Sexuality and Sex education: No-body in school [GROUP 10]
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #6: Falling
for someone.
Fine, Michelle. (1988). Sexuality, schooling, and adolescent females:
The missing discourse of desire. R: pdf
Giordano, Peggy C., Monica A. Longmore, and Wendy D. Manning. (2006).
Gender and the meanings of adolescent romantic relationships: A
focus on boys. American Sociological Review 71:2. R: pdf
Additional resources:
Manning, Wendy D., Monica A. Longmore, and Peggy C. Giordano. (2005).
Adolescents’ involvement in non-romantic sexual activity.
Social Science Research 34, 384–407. R: pdf
Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne & Furstenberg, Frank. (1990). Coming of age in
the era of AIDS. R: pdf
Th. 12/7
Conclusion: Beyond risk and resilience to courage and hope
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #12: Beyond
11
the euphoric buzz.
Garrod, Andrew et al. (2005). Adolescent portraits. Case #18: Proud
of the strength I had.