SYLLABUS COVER SHEET
1.
Course number, name and credit hours
EDU 533 SOCIAL INTERPRETATIONS OF EDUCATION – 3 SH
2.
Professor(s) name(s)
Dr. Joseph McSparran
3.
Method(s) of teaching
Seminar class where each student is expected to prepare the readings and attend
class.
4.
Course requirements
Each student prepares a resource packet on a critical issue in education. He/she
distributes this packet to each class member.
5.
Assessment
Assessment of each graduate student’s level of accomplishment with reference to the
course objectives will be based upon a subset of the following:
Textbook reading assignments
Reading of an appropriate book with sociology/education focus
Active participation in class and in discussions
Assessment paper on selected book
Course project on social issues in education
Midterm examination
Final examination
6.
Attendance/Participation (Optional)
Attendance and participation are essential.
7.
Textbook, required readings
Demarrais, K, Lecompte, M. (1999). The Way Schools Work : A Sociological
Analysis of Education. (3rd ed.) Addison Wesley Publishing.
Kozol, J. (1992). Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. Harper
Perennial Edition.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY
KUTZTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA
SYLLABUS
Department of Secondary Education
Title: EDU 533 Social Interpretations of Educations
Course Description:
This course examines basic social concepts and institutions. Their development is
traced and their effects upon education policies and practices are investigated.
Rationale:
The interaction between school and society is a continuous process central to
education. Educators need to understand the roles and purposes of education and the
school as a social institution. For educators to more effectively serve their communities
they must develop strategies for positively affecting society and for dealing with the
problems of society which confront them in the classrooms.
Course Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
To become familiar with basic concepts in the sociological foundations of
education.
To recognize the relationships that prevail between the school and society.
To understand the causes of social change and the effects of such change.
To survey the historical relationship between schools and the societies that they
serve.
To identify educational challenge and opportunities in the community.
To investigate the relationship between the socioeconomic status of the student
and academic achievement.
To analyze the relationships among educational, political, economic, and social
systems.
To analyze the interaction between home and school.
To evaluate the effects of our system of school finance on American society.
To develop a strategy for the use of community resources to provide services to
children in need.
To evaluate the purposes of education and the roles of schools and of teachers.
To develop strategies for identifying, treating, and preventing student problems.
Course Outline:
I.
Social inequalities in education
A)
Funding inequities of local property tax support
B)
Defacto segregation
C)
Ability grouping, tracking, and special education
D)
Theory of clubs applied to school districts
II.
The School and The Social Order
A)
The purposes of schooling
1)
Social
2)
Political
3)
Economic
B)
The roles of schooling
1)
Reproduction
2)
Readjustment
3)
Reconstruction
C)
The social structure of American education
1)
Equality of opportunity
2)
Social class differences
3)
Social mobility
4)
Education and income
D)
The teaching profession
1)
Social class and status of teachers
2)
Teachers unions and associations
3)
Professionalization of teaching
III.
Problems of students in differing social class environments
A)
Child nurturing and support
B)
Classroom social control
IV.
Home environment and cognitive development
A)
Family influence
B)
Parental involvement with the school
C)
Family problems
V.
Influence of the peer group
A)
Importance of peer acceptance and rejection
B)
Functions of the peer group
VI.
School programs to deal with social problems
A)
Compensatory education
B)
Student assistance programs
C)
Instructional support
VII.
Community agencies and services
A)
Children and Youth
B)
Mental Health/Mental Retardation
C)
Drug and Alcohol
D)
Probation Office
VIII.
Diversity and education
A)
Gender and sexual orientation
B)
Race and ethnicity
IX.
Power and Control of American Education
A)
The Courts
B)
Local, State and National levels
C)
Politics of curriculum, instruction, and text books
Instructional Resources
Adams, M., Bell, L., and Griffin. Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. New York:
Routledge, 1997.
Altbach, P. G. (ed.). Textbooks in American society: Politics, Policy and Pedagogy.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1991.
Benson, N. & Lyons, R. (eds.). Controversies Over the Purposes of Schooling and the
Meaning of Work. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1986.
Bourdeau, P. & Passerson, J. Reproduction in Education, Society, and Culture. Newbury
Park, CA: Sage, 1990.
Bromer, S. & Kellner, D. (eds.) Critical Theory and Society. New York: Routledge,
1989.
Broudy, H. Social Foundations of American Education. Danville, IL: Interstate, 1963.
Burrup, P. Financing Education in a Climate of Change. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon,
1993.
Clewell, B. Breaking the Barriers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992.
Cohen, E., and Lotan, R. (eds.) Working for Equity in Heterogeneous Classrooms:
Sociological Theory in Practice. New York: Teachers College Press, 1997.
Covey, S. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. New York: Golden Books,
1997.
DeMarrais, K. & LeCompte, M. (1999). The Way Schools Work: A Sociological
Analysis of Education (3rd ed.) Longman.
Eggen, P. Strategies for Teachers. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1988
Eisner, E. & Peshkin, A. (eds.) Qualitative Research in Education, The Continuing
Debate. New York: Teachers College Press, 1990.
Elliot, D. & Woodward, A. (eds.) Textbooks and Schooling in the United States.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990.
Feinberg, W. School and Society. 3rd ed. New York: Teachers College Press, 1998.
Fessler, R. Teacher Career Cycle. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1992.
Fischer, L. Teachers and the Law. 3rd ed. New York, Longman. 1991
Gardner, H. Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books, 1993.
Giroux, H. Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life: Critical Pedagogy in the Modern
Age. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1988.
Granrose, C. and Oskamp, S. (eds.) Cross-Cultural Work Groups. Thousand Oaks, CA
Sage, 1997.
Greenleaf, R. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and
Greatness. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1997.
Grinnell, J. E. & Young, R. J. The School and the Community. New York: The Ronald
Press, 1966. (370.193G885S)
Gurwitz, A. The Economics of Public School Finance. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger,
1982.
Gutek, G. American Education in a Global Society. New York: Longman, 1993.
Hardman, M. Human Exceptionality: Society, School, and Family. 3rd ed. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 1990.
Hurn, C. Limits and Possibilities of Schooling. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1993.
Hymes, J. Jr. Effective Home-School Relations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
1960.
Karier, C. The Individual, Society, and Education: A History of American Educational
Ideas. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1986.
Kerchner, C. Union of Professionals. New York: Teachers College Press, 1993
Kotlowitz, A. The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns. New York:
Doubleday, 1998.
Kozol, J. (1992). Savage Inequalities: children in America’s schools. Harper Perennial
Edition.
Levine, D., Levine, R, Levine, D. 9th ed. Society and Education. Boston: Allyn &
Bacon, 1995.
McCarthy, M. Public School Law. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1992.
Meier, K. Race, Class, and Education: The Politics of Second-Generation
Discrimination. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.
Martin, J. The Schoolhome: Rethinking Schools for Changing Families. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press, 1992.
Mitchell, B. & Cunningham, L. (eds.) Educational Leadership and Changing Contexts of
Families, Communities, and Schools. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1990
Napier, R., and Gershenfeld, M. Advanced Games That Trainers Play. New York:
McGraw Hill, 1998.
Newman, F. Student Engagement and Achievement in American Schools. New York:
Teachers College Press, 1992.
Olsen, M. & Marger, M. (eds.) Power in Modern Societies. Boulder, CO: Westview
Press, 1993.
Pai, Y. Cultural Foundations of Education. Riverside, NJ: Merrill, 1990.
Pozner, B. & Kunzes, J. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 1994.
Procidano, M.E., & Fisher, C.B. Contemporary Families. New York: Teachers College
Press, 1992
Schrag, F. Thinking in School and Society. New York: Routledge, 1988.
Shank, J. H. Team-Based Organizations. Homewood, IL: Business One-Irwin, 1997.
Shapiro, H., Purpel, S. & D., (eds.) Critical Social Issues in American Education. New
York: Longman, 1993.
Shor, I. Culture Wars: School and Society in the Conservative Restoration. Boston:
Routledge, 1986.
Stohl, C. Organizational Communication: Connectedness in Action. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage, 1995.
Swanson, A. School Finance. New York: Longman, 1991.
Tarkenton, F. What Losing Taught Me About Winning. Needham, MA: Simon and
Schuster, 1997.
Teddlie, C. Schools Make a Difference. New York: Teachers College Press, 1993.
Thernstorm, S. and Thernstorm, A. America in Black and White: One Nation
Indivisible. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.
Wallace, J. Liberal Journalism and American Education, 1914-1941. New Brunswick,
NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1991.
Watt, J. and Van Lear, A. Dynamic Patterns in Communication Processes. Thousand
Oaks, CA Sage, 1996.
Weisinger, H. Anger At Work. New York: William Morrow, 1995.
Wheatley, M. and Kellner-Rogers, M., A Simpler Way. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler,
1996.
Young, T. Choice in Public Education. New York: Teachers College Press, 1992.