Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies

DRAFT DRAFTDRAFT

This syllabus will change. Quite a few of the readings will be different based on my experience last semester, there will be some reorganization, etc. However the basic focus will remain the same.

Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

School of Education

Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies

Sociology of Education and Community Engagement, W 5-7:40, Enderis 546

Spring 2016

Instructor:Aaron Schutz

Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies

Enderis 535

Phone: 229-4150 (Note: if I don’t answer it goes to “google voice” and the voice-mail you leave gets sent to me through email)

Google Hangouts: aaron.schutz (if scheduled)

Email:

Office Hours: W 2:30-4:30

This syllabus may need to change over the semester.

CourseOverview

Thisisagraduate-levelcoursethat examinesthe Sociology of Education and Community. This course will explore the relationship between schools and society and the structure of urban communities. It will explore how society influences schools and education and how schools help to shape society. Schools are complex institutions that are influenced by the broader society and their internal components (relationships between students and teachers, students and students, students and families, etc.). Furthermore, schools are shaped by and influenced by gender, class, race, inequalities, etc. They are are shaped by local, state and federal policies.

The course has the following objectives:

1. Expose students to the field of the Sociology of Education and Community and show how education and urban communities are shaped by, and influence the broader society.

1. Provide students an overview of the theoretical frameworks for understanding the relationship between education and society, as well as the sociology of urban communities.

1. Provide students with an understanding of the social organization of schools and communities, as well as how schools and communities are shaped by, and how they are influenced by such issues as race, class, gender, inequality, finance, and so forth.

1. Provide students with an understanding of the context of education in America and relative to an international perspective.

1. Provide students with an understanding of factors that shape differences in schooling and educational outcomes.

1. Provide students with the skills needed to critically assess education reforms efforts over the last 50 years.

Required Textbooks for this Course:

1. Anyon, Jean. (2014). Radical Possibilities: Public Policy, Urban Education and a New Social Movement. (2nd edition), New York, NY: Routledge.
2. Ravitch, Diane. (2014). Reign of Terror: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
3. Sadovnik, Alan R. (editor). (2015). Sociology of Education: A Critical Reader (3nd edition). New York, NY: Routledge.

All textbooks are available at the UWM Bookstore (229-4201), and other online outlets.

Additionalrequiredreadingsareposted on D2L.

Requirements

Participation. Classes will be based on a seminar format. Participation is an important part of this course. Students will be expected to take part in all class discussions; reflect understandings from the readings; receive alternative perspectives in a constructive and respectful manner; listen well to the comments of others; share and negotiate meaning; ask questions for understanding; and contribute to the growth of others.

Attendance. Students will be expected to attend all classes. Students who miss more than one class period must make-up this period with assignments to be negotiated with the instructor. Students will lose a percentage of participation points based on the number of class periods they miss beyond 1. Students who miss more than four classes, for any reason, will fail the course.

Reading. Students will be expected to complete all course reading prior to attending class, and failure to demonstrate this will affect one’s participation grade.

Daily Responses. In every class, students will be assigned a chapter or chapters to focus on for the next week. Students will post a 250 word response on this chapter and come to class reading to take a primary role in discussing and explaining key points from this reading to other students.

These responses should include key quotes that are especially relevant for discussion, key questions or concerns, key points that the reading made, etc.

Students should post this response on the D2L forum for that week. This allows other students to read what their colleagues are thinking about. If you would prefer, however, you may email your response to me instead.

Responses are due by 4:30 on the day of class, and late responses will not be accepted.

The goal of responses is not perfect writing. As long as it’s reasonably readable, it’s acceptable.

Again, all students are expected to do all of the readings, but every week you will be asked to focus in on one or a particular collection.

RESPONSES CANNOT BE TURNED IN AFTER THE START OF CLASS AND CANNOT BE MADE UP.

Brief Papers. Students will write a series of brief papers that trace a particular theme through the readings of the previous few weeks. Additional instructions for these papers will be passed out in class.

Papers should be 5+ pages, make a core coherent argument with evidence from the texts, follow APA format, and do not need to include any readings beyond that provided in class.

A detailed description will be passed out in class. Students failing to turn paper in on time or failing to turn paper in by rewrite date will lose 1/3 of a grade unless an acceptable reason is given or prior arrangements are made with me.

Research Paper. All students will write a research paper of 10+ pages in length with 8+ references beyond those read for class. This paper should be on a topic of interest to the student and relevant to the course material. The actual topic of papers will be negotiated with the instructor. The overall goals of the paper are 1) To demonstrate the ability to write a strong academic paper in correct, APA, citation style; 2) to demonstrate a strong understanding of the topic area being addressed; 3) to demonstrate the ability to go beyond summary to: integrate information across different papers into a coherent argument, critique limitations, note strong and weak areas, identify gaps in the literature and to prioritize areas for further research.

Students may be asked to give informal presentations of their papers to the class if time permits.

Students should schedule a meeting—in person or by phone—to discuss their research interests. Then they will, according to the course outline, provide:

1) A one-page summary of their topic area;

2) A printout of an article search on this topic area, and a 3 page report on two “review” articles related to this area

RequirementsWeight

Participation, class preparation, attendance17 points

Responses16 points

Brief Papers30 points (10 points each)

Preparation Documents for Research Paper7 Points

Research Paper30 points

(Failure to attend classes, write daily responses, and to make up classes will affect a student's participation grade.) Any student later than 20 minutes will be counted as absent. Tardiness in general will affect a student’s participation grade.

Grading Scale

Grade / Percentage
A / 92-100
A- / 90-91
B+ / 88-89
B / 82-87
B- / 80-81
C+ / 78-79
C / 72-77
C- / 70-71
D+ / 68-69
D / 62-67
D- / 60-61
F / 59 and below

Other Class Policies

Technology

While tablets may be used for reading texts in class, other uses of phones, computers, and tablets are not allowed in class without the permission of the instructor, and technology may not be used in class unless we are addressing the texts. While reading is increasingly done on screens, if used for other purposes in a seminar context, especially, this technology can become disruptive both to the learning of other students and to the ability of students to pay attention to each other, and can be distracting to the instructor, making it more difficult to teach. Students can discuss with the instructor a specific need to use a particular item of technology. Texting, websurfing, and other non-class related activities are not allowed in the classroom. Students inappropriately using technology will lose points for participation or can be counted absent. Students continually using technology inappropriately may be asked to leave the class.

Academic Misconduct

The University has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. 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. Papers submitted for this class must have been written expressly for this class. Unless explicitly negotiated with the instructor, papers or parts of papers turned into more than one course will be treated as academic misconduct. Quotations taken from articles and/or books should be indicated with quotation marks. Students are expected to understand the standards of academic citation and the meaning of plagiarism.

Accommodation for Religious Observances

Students will be allowed to complete requirements that are missed because of a religious observance.

Grade Appeal Procedures

A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures adopted by the department. These procedures are available in writing from the department chairperson.

Incompletes

A notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who has carried out a subject successfully until the end of the semester but who, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student's control, has been unable to complete some limited amount of term work. An incomplete is not given unless you prove to the instructor that you were prevented from completing course requirements for just cause as indicated above.

Participation by Students with Disabilities

If you need special accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this course, please contact the instructor as soon as possible.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is not tolerated by the University, and threatens the educational experience and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. The University will not tolerate behavior between or among members of the University community which creates an unacceptable working environment for anyone

Missing Papers

You should always keep a copy of any major paper or exam you pass in to me. If the paper is somehow misplaced, and you do not have a copy, you will need to rewrite.

Links to UWM Syllabus Policies on a range of issues that also apply to this class can be found here:

Ed Pol 705 Course Outline

(This outline and the specific readings are open to change)

1/27What is Sociology, What is Education, What is Community?

2/3Theoretical Foundations

Readings: Sadovnik: Introduction, Chs. 1-5

Video #1, functionalist view of education

2/10 Theoretical Foundations II

Reading: Sadovnik, Chs.: 6-7, 9

Heath: What No Bedtime Story Means (D2L).

2/17Sociological Theories of Community

Reading: Lyon:The Community in Urban Society, Chs. 1-6 (pp. 1-91) (on D2L)

2/24Social Policy and Education

Reading: Anyon, Chs.: 1-5

Schutz, Home is a Prison in the Global City, FIRST HALF, Bottom of 695-703.

Due:Brief Paper #1: Theories of Education and Community.

3/2Diversity and Equity

Reading:Sadovnik, Chs.: 12; 17-22

Due:Proposed Research Paper Topic: One Page

3/9Community Segregation and Class

Reading:Massey, Residential Segregation and Neighborhood Conditions (D2L)

Patillo, The Black Middle Class (D2L);

Sadovnik, Ch. 24: The Radical Restructuring of the State

TBA

3/16SPRING BREAK

3/23School Segregation

Reading: Sadovnvick, Ch 23:60 Years After Brown

Ch. 12: Tracking

Orfield, Resegregation of American Schools (D2L)

Rothstein, Racial Achievement Gap (D2L)

Video: School Segregation 60 Years Later (

3/30Poverty, Class, and Academic Achievement in the U.S.:

Reading:Sadovnik, Ch. 16: Invisible Inequality

Ch. 26: Effects of Inequality

Darling Hammond, Ch. 2: Anatomy of Inequality

Yoshikawa: Impact of Poverty on Academic Achievement

Kwon: Poverty and Brain Development (very short)

4/6No Class

4/13Teaching Profession:

Reading:Ravitch, Chapters 11-15, Chapter 29

Sadonik Ch. 10: The Organizational Context of Teaching and Learning

Darling-Hammond, Ch. 7: Developing Competent Teaching

Due:Brief Paper #2: Social Policy, Poverty, and Segregation

4/20Education Reform: (No Child Left Behind, Race-To-The-Top, Common Core, etc)

Readings: Darling-Hammond Chapter 3, 8, 9 (D2L)

Sadvnik 25. Promise and Peril (Charter Schools)

Sadovnik Ch. 26 (2nded), False Promises (School Choice)

Every Student Succeeds Act Overview (very short): ( Also on D2L

Due:Article Search Printout & Three Page Report on 2 Review Articles Related to Topic

4/27International Perspective on Education:

Readings:Sadovnik, Ch.: 13 Political Construction of Mass Schooling

Sadovnik (2nd Ed.), Ch. 15: Nation vs. Nation (D2L)

Darling-Hammond, Ch. 6: How Countries Build Successful Systems (D2L)

Joel Spring, Globalization (D2L)

5/4Solutions?

Readings:Ravitch, Chapters 21-25, 27-28;

Schutz, Home is a Prison in the Global City, Second Half, pp. 691-695 & Bottom of 703-end

Anyon, Chs.: 8-9

Bartlett, A New Model for a Social Union (D2L)

Due:Brief Paper #3: Teaching, Learning, and Reform

Research Paper Due: May 27