(EDF 672) Social and Cultural Foundations of Education
Syllabus of Record
Catalog Description: Examines education as social and cultural phenomenon. Explores
implications of this perspective on educational experience in general, and processes of
teaching/learning in particular.
Unit Mission, Philosophy, Values:
Our Mission:
“Teaching, Leading and Learning in a Democratic Society”
The College of Education prepares candidates who enhance the individual growth of their
students while working to establish policies and practices that promote the principles of
democratic education. The College articulates this mission as Teaching, Leading, and
Learning in a Democratic Society.
Philosophy:
Student Potential, Ethical Implications
Believing that schools function as social and political entities as well as for the growth of
individuals, the College of Education prepares teachers and leaders
a) to enhance the academic and personal potential of their students
b) to evaluate the social and ethical implications of educational policies and practices.
Values:
“Expertise, Equity, Liberal Education, Social Responsibility”
The College of Education values expertise to guide our practice, equity to guide our
interactions, liberal education to guide our perspectives, and social responsibility to guide
our commitment to democratic education. We value these ideals in our preparation of
candidates, our development of faculty, and our relationships with the larger community we
serve.
Unit and Program Standards:
Common Unit Standards: a) State of Michigan; b) National Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE).
Common Advanced Program Standards: a) Propositions 1-5 from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS); b) Standards for Foundations of Education from
the Council for the Social Foundations of Education; c) College of Education Research
Standards.
Course Standards and Assessments:
Foundational Perspectives:
The educator understands and can apply critical perspectives on education and schooling.
 Apply cultural, normative, and critical perspectives
 Understand relationship of democracy and diversity to education
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Understand how moral and philosophical commitments affect evaluation
Develop scholarly writing skills and research competencies
Common Assessment: Research Paper on an issue related to social and cultural
foundations of education representing the construction of an informed position through the
review, analysis and critique of the literature.
Major Topics:
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Changing population of schools
Gender, race, social class and educational attainment
Race, social class and "at-risk students"
Sexism and education
Social goals of schooling: Social reproduction and resistance
Political nature of knowledge
Globalization: Language and cultural rights
Religion and schooling
Approaches to and critiques of multicultural education
Social construction of IQ
Socialization of teachers
Impact of technology on school culture
Course Objectives:
The overall goal of this course is to enhance students' ability to identify and analyze leading
problems set for American education by a diverse and pluralistic society and thereby inform
their instructional practice or leadership capabilities. Specifically, this course will help
students to:
Examine the role of schools and universities in society and the functioning and
characteristics of schools and universities as cultural organizations;
Explore elements of social and cultural debates and consider together the meaning of those
debates for contemporary educational institutions and practices;
Strengthen the dispositions of critical thinking and judgment applied to teaching, learning
and other educational issues;
Course Knowledge Base:
Apple, M. (1996). Cultural politics and education, New York: Teachers College Press.
Beyer, L.E. & Liston, D.P. (1996). Curriculum in conflict. Social visions, educational agendas,
and progressive school reform. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia
University.
Blount, J.M. (1998). Destined to rule the schools: Women and the superintendency, 18731995. New York: SUNY Press.
Bull, B. (1992). The ethics of multicultural and bilingual education. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Cohen, R. (1991) A lifetime of teaching: Real world stories from America's teachers. New
York: Walker and Co.
Cuban, L., & Shipps, D. (Eds.) (2000). Reconstructing the common good in education:
Coping with intractable American dilemmas. [Ed: need publisher info] Stanford, CA:
Stanford University Press.
Delpit, L.D. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict n the classroom. New York:
The New Press.
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. New York: Macmillan.
Gutek, G.L. (1991). Cultural foundations of education: A biographical introduction. New
York: MacMillan and Co.
Gutek, G.L. (2004). Philosophical and ideological voices in education. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Hidalgo, N., McDowell, C., & Siddle Walker, E. V. (Eds.). (1990). Facing racism in education.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Review.
McLaren, P. (2007). Life in schools: An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations
of education. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson.
Spring, J. (2008). American education. 13th ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.
Tyack, D. (1990). Learning together: A history of coeducation in American schools. New
Haven, CN: Yale University Press.