SOC 235--Sociology of Education1
(Writing-Intensive2)
M 2:00-4:30 PM, M 6:00-8:45 PM,
Fall 2005
Dr. Elhum Haghighat (pronounced as el-haam ha-gi-gat)
E-mail:
elhum.haghighat@lehman.cuny.edu
My Office:
Carman Hall, Room B62
Sociology main office:
Office phone:
Office hours:
**Please leave your papers under my office door (B62) only
(not the main office).
Carman Hall, Room B65
960-7863 (direct) & 960-8193 (department)
Mondays 4:30-6:00 PM & by appointment
There are three books required for this course
I: Textbooks3
•
•
Arum, Richard and Irenee R. Beattie. 2000. The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the
Sociology of Education. Mayfield Publishing Company.
Schuman, David. 2004. American Schools, American Teachers: Issues and Perspectives.
Allyn and Bacon.
II: Reading books (choose one from the three listed)
•
•
•
Anyon, Jean. 2005. Radical Possibilities: Public Policy, Urban Education, and a
new Social Movement. Routledge.
Kozol, Jonathan. 2001. Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope.
Beacon Press.
Kozol, Jonathan. 1992. Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools.
Harper Perennial.
*** You also need a notebook and a binder. Please bring them to class at all times.
Introduction
Welcome to “Sociology of Education” one of my all-favorite courses to teach. If you are like
most, you probably give little thought to the organization and role schools play in modern
societies.
The goal of this course is to understand the relationship between education and society. Among
many questions that we will be considering this semester are, why do some students seem to learn
more and “get ahead” further than others do? What factors shape how schools are run, how
1
For a copy of this syllabus on line, go to: http://elhum.home.att.net
For definition of Writing-Intensive, see this syllabus.
3
Both books are available at Lehman’s bookstore and a copy of each is placed on reserve desk of the
library.
2
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schools are organized, and what curricular materials are taught? How do schools help to maintain
and perpetuate social inequality, and how do the factors of race, class, and gender affect the
educational experiences of students within schools and within classrooms? This course will offer
an understanding of the role played by schools in society. We will discuss topics such as the
organizational features of schools, education as an institution and its relations to other social
institutions, the role of the school in social inequality.
Class activities will vary day to day, ranging from lectures to discussions. Students will be active
participants in the course. You need to ask questions, raise issues, and otherwise contribute to an
informed and substantive classroom discussion. I expect you to do all the readings on time. For
the course to work, you need to read and think seriously about what you have been reading.
Keys to success in this course
You should be clear about basic practices that will and will not benefit you in this course.
Sociology is an extremely complex subject that will require your full attention all semester. Some
students wrongly assume that this subject will be “easy.” I hope that sociology comes to you
without undue difficulty, but I know that most students will need to struggle with the materials
just as much, if not more, than with other courses. So, be prepared, and work hard. Here are some
basic suggestions:
•
Read assignments on time: I prepare lectures and lead class discussions on the assumption
that you already have understood the more elementary aspects of the readings.
•
Attend class on a regular basis. There is no substitute for “being there,” and being attentive
during class.
•
Develop your own notes and other study aids: Other people’s notes cannot replace your own
reflections on readings, class notes and lectures. Take notes as you read, during lectures, and
at other times, as you re-assess what you have learned. You may wish to compare your notes
with a number of other students, and discuss these comparisons in informal discussion
groups; this is an excellent practice.
Exams
I will administer one in-class exam at the end of the course in order to test your knowledge of
required readings and of lecture material. The take-home portion of the test will be given out the
day of your in-class exam and is due the day of scheduled final exams. The format of the exams
will be a combination of multiple choice and short essay questions.
Formal and informal writing projects
We will have three projects to do throughout the semester:
1) A book report--informal to formal writing
2) School observation project--from informal to formal writing
3) Data analysis projects-mostly informal writing
For detailed information about any of the assignments, please see the package of handouts
that I will distribute during the second week of classes.
2
Policy on missed exams and projects
If you missed any of the exams, you must bring me a written note from an official such as a
police report regarding an accident that you were involved that day, doctor’s note indicating that
you were sick the day of the exam, and so forth. In other words, unless you have a good and
reasonable excuse, you will not be given a make up test.
Summary of requirements
In-class and take-home exam
School observation project
Book report project
Projects
Attendance and participation
100 points
100 points
60 points
3 * 30 = 90 points
30 points
____________________
380 (total points)
Note on class attendance and participation: You will not lose points if you miss up to two
classes. If you miss more than two classes, for each missed class, you lose 5 points. Please try to
be on time for class. I will not count you present if you are more than 20 minutes late. To get full
credit, you are expected to attend the class on a regular basis AND actively participate in class
discussions.
Cell phones: Cell phones MUST be turned off before entering the class. It goes without saying
that when someone’s cell phone rings in the middle of the lecture and/or class discussion, it is
very disruptive, annoying and plain rude to all of us in the class. So please make sure your cell
phone is turned off before entering the class.
Respect for others opinion: Class discussion and participation is an important part of your
learning experience during my classes. We will be discussing many issues regarding the topic of
the day and I expect intelligent, informative class participation from each one of you. It is
important to be respectable to each other’s opinions and perspectives. I will not tolerate any “put
downs,” “foul language,” and humiliation of your classmates and myself. I reserve the right to
dismiss you from the class if I see any disrespect toward any of my students and myself.
Academic integrity: Lehman College as a higher education institution believes that academic
honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of this institution and are binding upon all
its members. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work,
for the appropriate citation of sources and for respect of others’ academic endeavors. Students
who violate these standards are confronted and must accept the consequences of their actions.
Included among the most rigorous sanctions for student academic misconduct is a lowered overall
course grade, a failing grade in the course, disciplinary probation, and /or expulsion from the
College.
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COURSE OUTLINE
The following outline is a tentative schedule of course progression. Specific instructions
for upcoming readings and other assignments will be given in lecture and discussion
sections. Students are responsible for all in-class announcements and changes.
BLOCK 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPTS AND PERSPECTIVES
Handout: What is Sociology of Education? (pages 1-7)
Jeanne Ballantine and Joan Spade
Arum & Beattie:
The Structure of Schooling (pages 1-11)
BLOCK 2
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES, METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
Handout: Theories in the Sociology of Education (pages 7-26)
Alan Sadovnik
Handout: Comparing Major Theoretical Perspectives
Handout: Methodological Issues (chapter 2)
Cornelius Riordan
Arum &Beattie:
Article 6. Cultural Reproduction and Social Reproduction
Pierre Bourdieu
Article 7. Schools, Families, and Communities
James Coleman and Thomas Hoffer
Article 10. Functional and Conflict Theories of Educational Stratification
Randall Collins
Article 11. Beyond the Educational Frontier: The Great American Dream Freeze
Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis
Film: U.S. Schools
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BLOCK 3
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
Shuman:
Chapter 2: Shaping the United States: An Early History of Our Schooling
Chapter 3: Common Schools to Conservative Reaction: The Nineteenth Century to 1983
Chapter 9: Bureaucrats and Politicians: Who Controls the Classroom?
Chapter 12: Restructuring Schooling: Looking for Answers in All the Wrong Places
Film series: History of U.S. Schooling
BLOCK 4
STRATIFICATION WITHIN AND BETWEEN SCHOOLS
Arum & Beattie:
School Sector
Article 13. The Chosen Ones
Peter Cookson and Caroline Hedges Persell
Article 14. Classroom Life
Anthony Byrk, Valerie Lee, and Peter Holland
Racial Segregation and Resource Inequality
Article 15. The Coleman Report
James Coleman et al.
Article 16. Inequality in Educational Attainment
Christopher Jencks et al.
Article 17. The Dream Deferred, Again in San Antonio
Jonathan Kozol
Article 18. The Growth of Segregation: African Americans, Latinos, and “Unequal Education”
Gary Orfield
Tracking
Article 20. Tracking: From Theory to Practice
Maureen Hallinan
Article 21. The Distribution of Knowledge
Jeannie Oakes
Note: Kozol’s books relate well to this block
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BLOCK 5
SOCIAL CLASS AND SCHOOLING
Arum &Beattie:
Article 23. Persisting Barriers: Changes in Educational Opportunities in Thirteen Countries
Hans-Peter Blossfeld and Yossi Shavit
Article 24. Elements of a Culture
Paul Willis
Article 25. Teenagers in Clarendon Heights: The Hallway Hangers and the Brothers
Jay MacLeod
Article 26. Social Class Differences in Family-school Relationship: The Importance of Cultural
Capital
Annette Lareau
Note: Kozol’s books relate well to this block
Note: Book report due
BLOCK 6
RACE, ETHNCITY, IMMIGRATION AND SCHOOLING
Schuman:
Chapter 6: Race
Arum &Beattie
Article 27. Black Students’ School Success: Coping with the “Burden of ‘Acting White’”
Signithia Fordham and John Ogbu
Article 28. Consumers of Urban Education
Amy Stuart Wells and Robert Crain
Article 29. America’s Next Achievement Test: Closing the Black-White Test Score Gap
Christopher Jencks and Meredith Phillips
Handout: Racial Stratification and Education in the United States: Why Inequality Persists
John U. Ogbu
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BLOCK 7
USING DATA TO EXPLORE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Module 1: Exploring educational attainment of U.S. native-born and foreign-born
Module 2: College Education Pay off and equal access to higher education
Data analysis projects due
GENDER AND EDUCATION
BLOCK 8
Schuman:
Chapter 5: Sugar/Spice/Snakes/Snails and Testosterone: On the Matter of Girls and Boys
Arum &Beattie
Article 30. Why does Jane Read and Write as Well? The Anomaly of Women’s Achievement
Roselyn Mickelson
Article 31. Boys and Girls together...But Mostly Apart
Barrie Thorne
Handout: Everyday Schooling and the Elaboration of Race-Gender Stratification
Linda Grant
BLOCK 9
TEACHERS AND AMERICAN SOCIETY
Schuman
Chapter 4. In Search of an Identity: Teachers
Arum & Beattie
Article 32. Teaching and “Women’s Work”
Michael Apple
School observation project due
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BLOCK 10
STUDENT BEHAVIOR AND ADOLESCENT SUBCULTURE
Arum & Beattie
Article 33. The Adolescent Culture
James Coleman
Article 34. Classroom Interaction: Principled Conflict
Mary Metz
Article 35. Schools or “Schools”? Competing Discourses on Violence
John Devine
LAST BLOCK
Catching up, wrapping up the course
Final exam
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Features of Writing-Intensive Courses at Lehman
Based on the recommendations of the Lehman WAC coordinators, the Curriculum Committee proposes to
define a writing-intensive or "W" course as one, which observes or incorporates the following points.
1. Informal writing-to-learn activities, which take place throughout the semester. Options: logs, journals,
freewrites, reflections--often written quickly at the beginning or end of class; ungraded; can be handed in as
a quick way for the professor to see what students are beginning to understand, where confusion lies, what
needs to be addressed in upcoming classes. Or they can remain private, as a way for students to '
think on
paper'and to record their thoughts about classroom lectures and conversations or about assigned readings.
The audience for this writing is, in most instances, the student writer. But the writing can also be used as a
starting point for discussions or for '
open notebook'exams.
2. A series of short writing assignments in lieu of one long assignment so that writing is integrated into the
course throughout the semester. Options: letters, notes, 1-2 page responses to readings, revising in different
genres, e-mail postings, written responses to other students, double-entry and/or dialogue journals. This
writing can be graded or ungraded; students can complete several pieces and then choose one to revise for a
grade. In this writing, the student assumes an audience other than him or herself although the writing can be
informal or conversational in tone.
3. A minimum of 10-12 pages of proofread, typed work that can consist of six 2-page papers, three 4-page
papers, etc. Writing assignments need to include opportunities for revision. Options: essays, articles,
reports, proposals, memos, multi-media presentation, web publications. These papers will usually be graded
or collected in a portfolio from which students choose papers to be revised and graded. The tone tends to be
informative or persuasive and is written not only for the professor but also for readers the student does not
necessarily know.
4. If a research paper is assigned, it needs to be developed in stages and the due date needs to be set prior to
the end of the semester so that students have time to benefit from comments and feedback.
5. Course grades need to take into account the amount and the quality of students'written work.
6. All writing-intensive courses should have a class-size limit of 22. Under no circumstances will more than
25 students be admitted to any writing-intensive section.
7. All faculty developing and/or teaching writing-intensive courses will have the opportunity to work with
Writing Fellows and/or the WAC coordinators in workshops where the details of creating and managing a
writing-intensive course will be presented.
Retrieved from Lehman’s website:
http://humanities.lehman.cuny.edu/WACAC/Writing%20Intensive%20Course%20Def%20(2).htm
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Informal and Formal Writing Projects4
How to read and understand difficult texts
Please read the first ten pages of the handout very careful and slowly. Write a
paragraph summary of the section that you have read in your notebook. Write couple of
sentences (about a paragraph length) describing the main points of the section. Your summary
does not have to be long and elaborate. It could be short and simple.
If you do not understand the text the first time, it is perfectly fine to read it again and
again. Always read difficult texts several times. I do read difficult texts carefully and read them
several times no matter how much I already know about the subject matter.
Here is how your notes should look like:
September __, 2005
Readings from ____________
Page 1
Your summary of the section here
Page 1-2
(or section
one)
Pages 2-3
(or section
two)
Your summary of the section here
You summary of the section here
4
Informal writing is a type of writing that is non-structured while formal writing is more structured.
Formal writing requires you to pay close attention to sentence structure,, grammar, content while informal
writing is used when you are expressing your thoughts and feelings freely.
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Book Report
There are three “reading” books that I have listed in your syllabus. Choose one and read
it early on in the semester. Your report should be a sociological analysis of the book not a book
summary. Here are some pointers on how to approach writing your book report:
PART I: Informal writing--focused reading notes: While reading the book take notes and mark
your book whenever you read something interesting. Here is how you should take notes for the
first part of this project:
When taking notes, divide up the pages into four or five columns. Place a heading at the
top of each column and simply write a theme or a concept that you have been coming across in
the book. For instance, one theme that keeps coming up in Kozol’s books is “environmental
racism.” Anytime you come across concepts or themes that refer to “environmental racism” make
a note to the corresponding column. Keep writing in corresponding columns as you read the
book. By the time you are done with the book, you have a set of organized notes based on your
themes. Please attach your notes to your formal paper.
racism
School finance
Neighborhood
context
Father-absent
families
Your notes
corresponding to
this particular
theme/concept
here
Your notes
corresponding to
this particular
theme/concept
here
Your notes
corresponding to
this particular
theme/concept
here
Your notes
corresponding to
this particular
theme/concept
here
Physical
appearance of the
schools
Your notes
corresponding to
this particular
theme/concept
here
Part II, Formal, structured paper (6-7 pages). After completing part I, work on the formal,
structured paper. Begin your paper with a brief description of the book. Remember that brief is
the keyword. Look through your notes. Then introduce, analyze and critique each theme/concept.
For instance, if you are explaining “environmental racism,” select the sections of the book that
discusses “environmental racism” and do an overall analysis. Give examples and bring in any of
the course materials (e.g. articles, discussions, points from chapters) to strengthen your argument.
Again the key to writing a successful book report is to do a sociological analysis of the book not a
book summary.
Your paper must be typed on 8 ½-by-11-inch, double-spaced white paper. Please do not
bind your paper or enclose within a plastic cover sheet. Place one staple in the upper left-hand
corner. I will not accept hand-written, non-stapled papers.
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Films
As you are watching the film series called History of U.S. Schooling, take careful notes
in your notebook. Divide up the pages to two columns, one with wider column and the other one
with narrower column. Take notes on the wider column while watching the film. Afterwards, go
back to your notes and write your reaction/opinion (only few sentences) on the narrower column.
Your
reaction/opinion
after you watched
the film goes here
Your notes while watching the film goes here
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