Kids, Community, and Controversy in American Schools
Education 0823, Section 008
Fall 2013
Instructor: Ginger McCartney
Office: 268 Ritter Hall
Email: ginger.mccartney@temple.edu
Meeting time: Tu & Th, 3:30-4:50pm
Class Location: 309 Ritter Hall
CRN: 22851
Office Hours: Tuesday 10-11am; Wednesday 2:30-3:30pm; and by appointment
Introduction
This course is designed to teach students how to think about social problems. Social problems are part
of modern society. They represent a gap between what we would like society to be like and the lived
reality for individuals in the society. Devising collective solutions to social problems and participating
in their implementation is an important role for citizens in a democracy. This General Education
course will focus on three pressing social problems in American society that play out in our schools –
school violence, segregation and dropout. There are three questions that will guide our exploration of
these social problems:



What is a social problem? How is it defined? How do social problems arise at different times in
history in response to specific circumstances?
How do structural forces and individual differences influence social problems and help to frame the
way that we look at those problems?
How do sociological and psychological perspectives give us tools to craft solutions to social
problems?
Course Goals
It is the goal of the course for students to come away with several identifiable skills and
understandings. The learning goals and skill goals are listed below.
Learning
Students will learn:
1. to explore the multiple and often competing explanations for these and other complex social
problems,
2. how different lenses privilege different interpretations and conclusions, and
3. how thinking about social problems from multiple perspectives at the same time is important as
we design effective solutions.
Skill Development
Students will learn to:
1. summarize and evaluate various sources of information (e.g., popular media coverage,
academic research, policy reports),
2. gather a variety of primary and secondary sources
3. conduct interviews
4. synthesize this new information with their own experience, observations and other learning,
and
5. use technology in their discourse on these social issues.
Required Reading
There is required reading or other activities such as listening to podcasts or watching video clips for
each class. You are expected to complete the reading before class and come to class prepared to
engage with the material and your classmates in a respectful and informed manner. The required
reading includes the two texts listed below and readings found on Blackboard.
Required Texts
1. Levine, A., & Scheiber, L. Unequal fortunes: Snapshots from the South Bronx. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press. (Copy on 2-hour reserve at Paley.)
2. Tatum, B. D. (2003). "Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?" and
other conversations about race. New York: Basic Books. (Copy on 2-hour reserve at Paley.
An earlier edition of this book will be fine.)
3. Readings posted to Blackboard
Assignments
There are four major assignments for this course. Each of these assignments is described briefly below.
Students must download (from Blackboard) more detailed Assignment Sheets that provide full
information about each assignment.
1. Classroom Discussion, Preparation and Participation (e.g. doing the readings, thinking
about them before class, and contributing to the discussion)
Successful students will come to class having done the reading and blog postings or reading
activities and will actively participate in the class in a thoughtful and respectful manner. More
information on this is provided in the sections below on Reading Reflections and Reading
Activities and Classroom Expectations. (36%)
Due Dates on Course Calendar
Reading Reflections
During the semester, you will complete seven of ten short assignments in response to the day’s
reading. These Reading Reflections are 250-word Blog posts that respond to a prompt posted
to Blackboard about a reading. These exercises are designed to prepare you for each day’s
discussion. You are expected to complete 7 of these assignments. I will provide at least 10
prompts. If you would like to complete more than 7 of these assignments I will include your 7
best reflections in your grade.
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Classroom Expectations
I have expectations regarding your attendance and behavior in class. They are summarized
below.
Attendance: Your presence in class is required. Tardiness, early departures and absences will
result in a lower final grade. If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to email me so that I can
mark you tardy instead of absent. You are responsible for getting anything you missed (notes or
handouts) from another student.
Participation: Thoughtful participation in class discussions is required. Even with perfect
attendance, you should expect no more than a “C” for this portion of your grade unless you
actively participate in class, by offering contributions that draw upon the reading and advance
the class discussion. Students who want to earn the highest marks for participation will offer a
critique of the reading, synthesize it with what they have learned elsewhere, and build on the
class discussion, but not monopolize the conversation. If you are on Facebook, checking your
e-mail or surfing the web during class, it will be difficult for you to engage in the classroom
conversation in a meaningful way, and will result in a lower grade.
Demeanor: Below I provide guidelines on classroom discussion, cell phone and laptop use,
and food.
Classroom discussion: Conflict and disagreement (as well as agreement and consensus) are part
of civil classroom discourse. While we may often disagree with one another, it is expected that
we will do so in a respectful manner and help to maintain a positive learning environment for
all students.
Phones: It is expected that all phones will be silent during class and remain out of sight.
Laptops/tablets: For those using computers to take lecture notes or cell phones to record
lectures, there are some clear advantages. On the other hand, there are factors that mitigate
against the use of computers. To the extent that they are being used in class for purposes other
than taking notes, their use is a distraction to the student. Second, and more important, when
students use cellphones and/or their computers for Web surfing, checking e-mail, watching
movies, and other purposes, they distract the students around them. I am asking that you not
use cell phones in class and that you not use computers for other than note taking. Some of my
colleagues have simply banned the use of computers in class; in the event that there is not
significant compliance with this request, I may be compelled to follow their lead.
Food: Generally, I expect that you will eat before or after class. If you must eat or drink during
class I expect that this activity will be quiet and unobtrusive.
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2. Schooling Autobiography:
Students will write a 750- to 800-word paper that describes their high school and describes the
student’s insights into their high school experienced based on learnings from in class movies,
course readings and research. This exercise is designed to help students to understand how their
perspective on social problems in schools stems from their own experience of school. (See
Blackboard for detailed directions for this assignment.) (10%)
Due: September 12
3. Position Paper:
Students will produce a 750-800 word paper in which they assert an explanation for one issue
related to the course topics and then marshal a variety of evidence sources to support that
“position. (See Blackboard for detailed directions for this assignment.) (19%)
Argument Due:
Evidence Due:
Draft Due:
September 17
September 26
October 3
Final Paper Due:
October 10
4. Final Paper: Independent Research Project
Each student will conduct a research project and write a paper on a topic of their choice related
to the course. The topic will involve a question, such as “How or why does X happen?” The
finished project will include a summary of two resources on the topic, two personal interviews,
and an analysis of the connections and disparities between what each of these sources has to say
about the topic. We will work together over the term to build this project. (See Blackboard for
detailed directions for this assignment.) (35%)
Research Question Due:
Research Plan Due:
Interview Protocol Due:
Paper Draft Due:
October 17
October 24
November 5
November 14
Final Paper Due:
December 3
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Final grades for the class will be based on the following criterion:
Summary of Course Assignments and Percentage of Grade
Classroom Discussion, Preparation and Participation (components below)
Class attendance
5%
Class participation, demeanor
10 %
Reading Reflections: complete 7 out of the 10 (3% each)
21 %
Schooling Autobiography
Position Paper
Independent Research Project (components below)
Research plan
Interview protocol
Peer review
Final paper
36%
10 %
19 %
35 %
5%
5%
5%
20%
Grading Scale: I do not round final course grades.
A
AB+
94-100
90-93
87-89
B
BC+
83-86
80-82
77-79
C
CD+
73-76
70-72
67-69
D
DF
63-66
60-62
< 59
Expectations for Assignments:
 All homework and papers must be typed: double-spaced, 12-point font, and 1-inch margins.
 Papers must use APA citation
o See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ for basics on APA
 Timeliness is essential and late work will be penalized.
 For most assignments you will be required to bring a hard copy to class and upload a copy
electronically to Blackboard. It is your responsibility to double-check that your assignment
uploads properly. If you have trouble, contact the helpdesk@temple.edu (215-204-8000).
 When turning in assignments on Blackboard, your filenames should contain your name, along
with the corresponding assignment. For example, if the instructor were a student, her Position
Paper would be labeled: “McCartney_Ginger_Position Paper.docx”
Disability Related Accommodations: Any student with a need for accommodation based on the
impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the situation within the first week of class.
Also, contact the Disability Resources and Services at 215.204.1280 or visit their office at 100 Ritter
Annex. That office is responsible for coordinating reasonable accommodations for students with
documented disabilities. Please visit the website for Temple’s Disability Resources and Services
Group, which can be found here: http://www.temple.edu/disability/
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Academic Honesty: You are expected to read and abide by Temple University’s policy on Academic
Dishonesty, which is printed below. Depending on the nature of the offense, students who commit
plagiarism or another form of academic dishonesty can expect to receive an F for the assignment, an F
for the course, or (in the most egregious) suspension or dismissal from the university.
Temple Policy on Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of
another person's labor: another person's
ideas, words, or assistance.
There are many forms of plagiarism:
repeating another person's sentence as your
own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as
your own, paraphrasing someone else's
argument as your own, or even presenting
someone else's line of thinking in the
development of a thesis as though it were your
own. All these forms of plagiarism are
prohibited both by the traditional principles of
academic honesty and by the regulations of
Temple University. Our education and our
research encourage us to explore and use the
ideas of others, and as writers we will
frequently want to use the ideas and even the
words of others. It is perfectly acceptable to do
so; but we must never submit someone else's
work as if it were our own, without giving
appropriate credit to the originator.
Some sorts of plagiarism are obvious.
Students must not copy someone else's
examination answer or laboratory report,
submit a paper written in whole or in part by
someone else, or have a friend do an
assignment or take a test for them. Other forms
of plagiarism, however, are less obvious. We
provide below some guidelines concerning the
types of materials that should be acknowledged
through an acceptable form of citation.
(i)
Quotations. Whenever you use a
phrase, sentence, or longer passage written (or
spoken) by someone else, you must enclose the
words in quotation marks and indicate the
exact source of the material. This applies also
to quotations you have altered.
(ii)
Paraphrasing another's language.
Avoid closely paraphrasing another's words:
substituting an occasional synonym, leaving
out or adding an occasional modifier,
rearranging the grammar slightly, just
changing
the tenses of verbs, and so on. Either quote the
material directly, using quotation marks, or put
the ideas completely in your own words. In
either case, acknowledgement is necessary.
Remember: expressing someone else's ideas in
your own way does not make them yours.
(iii)
Facts. In a paper, you will often use
facts that you have gotten from a lecture, a
written work, or some other source. If the facts
are well known, it is usually not necessary to
provide a source. (In a paper on American
history, for example, it would not ordinarily be
necessary to give a source for the statement
that the Civil War began in 1861 after the
inauguration of Abraham Lincoln.) But if the
facts are not widely known or if the facts were
developed or presented by a specific source,
then you should identify the source for the
facts.
(iv)
Ideas. If you use an idea or ideas that
you learned from a lecture, written work, or
some other source, then you should identify the
source. You should identify the source for an
idea whether or not you agree with the idea. It
does not become your original idea just
because you agree with it.
In general, all sources must be identified as clearly, accurately, and thoroughly as possible. When in
doubt about whether to identify a source, either cite the source or consult your instructor. The Internet
has made it easier to plagiarize. Specialized software also makes plagiarism easier for instructors to
detect, so I routinely check for it. Please do not succumb to the temptation of making other’s work
appear as your own.
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Violating the Rules of an Assignment:
Academic course work is intended to advance the skills, knowledge, and intellectual
competence of students. It is important, therefore, that students not behave in such a way as to
thwart these intentions. When students are given assignments in a class or laboratory, the
instructor will normally explain the rules under which the assignment is to be carried out. A student
who does not understand the rules should ask the instructor for clarification. These rules are
intended to make the assignment an educational experience and to make certain that the students'
accomplishments on the assignment can be fairly evaluated.
Academic cheating is, in general terms, the thwarting or breaking of the general rules of
academic work and/or the specific rules of individual courses. It includes falsifying data;
submitting, without the instructor's approval, work in one course which was done for another;
helping others to plagiarize or cheat from one's own or someone else's work; or actually doing the
work of another person.
One form of academic cheating occurs when students avoid the expected work of an
assignment not by drawing upon the work of others but by drawing upon their own work, already
done for another course. This is academic cheating, since it frustrates the aims of the assignment. It
avoids the development of skill, knowledge, and competence for which the assignment was made.
When an instructor assigns a paper to be written outside class, he or she assumes that a student will
prepare a paper specifically for that course. This does not mean, of course, that students should
avoid building upon their previous work. All education, and especially education within a major
field, assumes a continuous building upon what has been previously learned.
Seeking and receiving appropriate help from The Writing Center is not plagiarism.
Temple Writing Center handouts on conducting research, using source materials effectively, and
avoiding plagiarism: http://www.temple.edu/writingctr/handouts/researchandplagiarism/index.h
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Kids, Community, and Controversy Course Calendar
Class
Date
1
August 27
2
August 29
Readings
Topic
Assignments (bold indicates
a graded assignment)
Introduction to Course,
Blackboard etc. Begin Lecture on
History of Schooling and Deseg
etc.
Movie: Little Rock Central (70
min.)
Desegregation/Resegregation
3
September 3
4
September 5
5
September 10
6
September 12
7
September 17
Nature and scope of the Problem:
What was Desegregation and
what is Resegregation?
Unequal Fortunes Part I pp. 143
#1 Reading Reflection
IRB Tutorial and Quiz – Bring
Certificate of Completion to
Class
Movie: Road to Brown (56 min.)
Sociological Perspectives
Guided Group Discussion;
Unequal Fortunes Part II pp.
Discuss Schooling Autobiography 47-106
Movie: Children in America’s
Schools
Guided Group Discussion
Unequal Fortunes Part III pp.
109-120
Kozol (2005) Still separate,
still unequal
#2 Reading Reflection
Schooling Autobiography Due
#3 Reading Reflection
Position Paper: Problem and
Position Statement/Argument
Due in Class
8
Class
Date
Topic
Readings
8
September 19
Lecture and Discussion; Review
soc. perspective and intro psych
9
September 24
Psychological Perspectives
Guided Group Discussion; Intro
Tatum Intro. and Ch. 1-3
psych perspective
Bronson and Merryman
10
September 26
11
October 1
12
October 3
13
October 8
14
October 10
Movie: Prom Night in Mississippi
Guided Group Discussion
Peer Review of Drafts
Tatum Ch. 4-5
Responding Really Responding
Bring two copies of Rough
Draft to class
Thinking about solutions/reconciling perspectives
Guided Group Discussion
Kahlenberg (2006) A new way
on school integration
Group Activity: Taking
Unequal Fortunes Ch. 15
Action from a Position
Tatum Ch. 10
Assignments (bold indicates
a graded assignment)
#4 Reading Reflection
Position Paper: Evidence and
Summaries Due
#5 Reading Reflection
Position Paper Rough Draft
Due
#6 Reading Reflection
Position Paper Due
9
Class
Date
Readings
Topic
Assignments (bold indicates
a graded assignment)
School Violence
15
October 15
16
October 17
17
October 22
18
October 24
19
October 29
20
October 31
Nature and Scope of the
Problem
Juvonen (2001) School
violence: Prevalence, fears,
prevention
Assualt on Learning Articles
Activity
Psychological Perspectives
Movie: ABC News The In
Crowd and Social Cruelty
Blass (2002) The man who
shocked the world
Sociological Perspectives
Intro to Sociological
Kupchik and Bracey (2009)
Perspectives
The news media on school
crime and violence
Guided Group Discussion
Steward and Simmons (2009)
Code of the street and African
American violence
GLSEN Research Brief
Thinking about solutions/reconciling perspectives
Group Activity: Taking
Irby The School Discipline Net
Action from a Position
#7 Reading Reflection
IRP: Research
Question/Argument and
Rationale Due
Guided Group Discussion
IRP: Research Plan Due
#8 Reading Reflection Due
10
Class
Date
Readings
Topic
Assignments (bold indicates
a graded assignment)
Dropout
21
November 5
22
November 7
23
November 12
24
November 14
25
November 19
26
November 21
27
November 26
28
December 3
Intro to Dropout
Thornburgh “Dropout Nation”
Bridgeland Exec. Summ. and
pp. 1-11
#9 Reading Reflection
Interview Protocol(s) Due
Bring two copies of Rough
Draft to class
Fine and Rosenberg
IRP: Rough Draft
Nield and Balfanz Exec.
Summ., Intro. and Concl.
Bridgeland, Conclusion
#11 Reading Reflection
Group Activity and
Begin “First Person”(20-30
minutes)
“First Person” and discussion
Peer Review of Drafts
Social Construction of
Dropout
YB Panel
Group Activity
Class Feedback and
Group Activity: Taking
Action from a Position
#10 Reading Reflection
IRP: Final Paper Due in Class
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