Perspectives on the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Course Proposal
General Education Advisory Committee
Queens College, City University of New York
I. Course Information
Course Title:
Credits: Prerequisites:
Existing course, course number:
New course
Department:
Department Contact:
(select one)
Reading Literature (RL)
Appreciating and Participating
in the Arts (AP)
Culture and Values (CV)
Analyzing Social Structures (SS)
Natural Science (NS) / Context of Experience
(select only if the course emphasizes one of the following)
United States (US)
European Traditions (ET)
World Cultures (WC) / Extended Requirements
(select only if the course meets one of the following)
Pre-Industrial Society (PI)
Abstract or Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
The following information is useful to the subcommittee to estimate the college's progress toward the goal of offering enough sections and seats in each Perspectives category. How often does the department anticipate the course will be offered? Please also estimate theanticipated number of sections and number of seats per section.
Every semester number of sections: number of seats per section:
Every Fall or Every Spring number of sections: number of seats per section:
Other: number of sections: number of seats per section:
Course Description
Please include a course description. If the course will include variable topics or be taught in various forms, please provide as many descriptions of specific sections as possible.
This course develops a sociological and historical analysis of the role and function of the institution of education in American society. It examines the broad social, economic, and political forces that shape the institution of education, its structure and function in the U.S.
The course is divided in two major sections: The first section examines the structure of the institution of education focusing on issues of school organization (e.g. school funding, bureaucratic organization, curricular goals, methods of testing and evaluation), while the second section is focused on the lives and experiences of individuals who are working and learning within the U.S. school system.
The first section begins by tracing the development of the U.S. educational system. It consists of a historical overview that examines the economic, social and political forces that shaped the U.S. educational system and the organizational structure of schools at various historical periods, from Colonial times to the present. This section concludes with an overview and critical analysis of current educational developments, policies and reforms. In this section, students are exposed to different methods of research and analysis in the social sciences by reading primary sources, such as, original letters of 19th century African American pertaining to their educational experiences (See reading by Dorothy Sterling), original theoretical and research works that shaped the foundations of the field of Sociology of Education (see readings by Parsons in 1950’s, Gracey in 1960’s, Metz in 1970’s), and original works analyzing current educational policies (currently readings refer to policy analysis of the Charter School reform and the “No Child Left Behind” legislation, but those readings will change to reflect the most current issues of educational policy at any particular time that the course is offered).
The second section of the course is divided into two sub-sections, one focusing on the lives and working conditions of teachers and a second focusing on students’ experiences within the school system. In the first sub-section, readings trace the historical development of the teaching occupation and cover current issues and concerns faced by educational professionals. The readings, as a whole, provide critical information for analyzing the structure and character of the teaching occupation today. Students again, are exposed to historical research as applied to the field of work and occupations and to current issues in federal and state policies regarding working conditions, certification, compensation, and tenure of the teaching work force.
The second sub-section consists of readings that examine the educational experiences of students. Emphasis is placed on the social factors that affect individual students’ access and success in education. It examines differences in the educational experiences and learning opportunities of students according to their gender, race, ethnicity and social class backgrounds. Students read original research work and statistical evidence pertaining to race/ethnic, gender and social class differences in the educational performance and educational opportunities of students.
The assigned readings represent various types of research methodology and its contributions to the development of scholarly literature aimed at explaining the source of the above mentioned educational inequalities. Classroom discussions encourage students to understand how differences in theoretical explanations of the source of educational inequalities contribute to the disparate educational solutions proposed by educational scholars, policy makers, practitioners and the public at large. Through these readings and classroom discussions students learn how to use scientific research evidence to evaluate popular educational proposals for school reform.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on examining how other social institutions (such as the polity and economy) can influence the functioning and organizational structure of schools, the working conditions of educational professionals and the educational experiences of students.
II. Criteria for Perspectives Courses
Justification
Please describe how the course will address criteria for Perspectives on the Liberal Arts and Sciences courses.
Be sure to include an explanation of the course’s specific learning goals for students to make a connection between these and the general criteria for Perspectives courses.
This course is designed to study the education system from a sociological perspective. This course fulfills most of the criteria for a perspective course. This perspective course :
(1) Be designed to introduce students to how a particular discipline creates knowledge and understanding: This course includes a variety of assigned material which expose students to the variety of methods that social scientists use to study social phenomena and social institutions. These materials demonstrate how the sociological approach uses research findings and historical analyses to understand the social factors that shape social institutions and current events.
Reading materials and assignments are based on original research articles and primary sources that expose students to the variety of methods used to create knowledge and understanding in the social sciences. Through the reading materials, assignments and classroom discussions students learn how to use scientific research evidence to evaluate widely held explanation explanations of the country’s educational ‘problems’ and popular educational proposals for school reform.
(2) Position the discipline(s) within the liberal arts and the larger society: This course is designed for majors and non-majors in sociology. It seeks to increase students’ understanding of the social functions of the institution of education, its role in shaping social stratification in modern society and how it affects the life chances of individuals from different social backgrounds. The course exposes students to knowledge derived from various liberal arts disciplines, in addition to sociology. They include history, education, social policy, political science, philosophy and the logic of inquiry. The application of sociological concepts and analytic approach encourages students to view how society creates the conditions of our own lives and the creation and functioning of our social institutions. This sociological approach emphasizes how humans create society and its institutions and therefore there is always a possibility for changing social conditions to improve the equitable access to societal resources. The discipline of sociology enables society and its constituents for critical thought and democratic action.
(3) Address the goals defined for the particular Area(s) of Knowledge the course is designed to fulfill. This course fulfills Analyzing Social Structures (SS) goals. It focuses on analyzing the structure of education, which is one of the most fundamental institutions of modern societies. Please see #2 above.
(4) Be global or comparative in approach. Central comparative elements of this course include: (i) comparing the social conditions of individuals according to their race/ethnicity, social class and immigrant status characteristics, (ii) examining how these differences of social conditions of different groups translate into differential educational opportunities and (iii) examining differences in the social conditions and experiences of the above mentioned groups in different historical periods and understanding how these conditions led to differences in access to educational opportunities for various social groups from one historical period to another.
Global elements include: situating the origins of immigration of different groups in the context of global economic and historical conditions that affected their social positions and therefore their access to education in the U.S. Discussion of the characteristics of global economy and labor mobility seek to explain the educational experiences and successes of new Asian American immigrant groups.
(5) Consider diversity and the nature and construction of forms of difference: This course studies in depth educational diversity in a historical and cross-cultural perspective. It examines the forms and functions of the institution of education in different historical periods and how, in each historical period, it affected the lives of individuals from different racial, ethnic and social backgrounds. The readings focus specifically on the educational experiences of women and men, African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asians, European immigrants and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
(6) Engage students in active inquiry. Through active class participation and classroom discussion, the course helps illustrate to students the connection between personal experiences and social issues and concerns regarding education, democracy and social equity. Through the reading materials, assignments and classroom discussions students learn how to use scientific research evidence to evaluate widely held explanation explanations of the country’s educational ‘problems’ and popular educational proposals for school reform. Two written assignments challenge in active inquiry. The first assignment asks students to evaluate a current proposal for educational reform of their choice. The second assignment asks students to present and discuss a current major educational problem. For these assignments, students are expected to use primary sources, including newspaper articles, and educational statistics posted by the U.S. Department of education to characterize the phenomenon under consideration. They are expected to use sociological theory and scientific evidence in their analysis and evaluation for both papers.
(7) Reveal the existence and importance of change over time.
This course highlights the differences and changes that occurred in the U.S. institution of education over time. It is aimed at showing students how the foundations of the educational system established in prior historical periods have led to current educational problems and that such deeply entrenched problems cannot be solved with simplistic reforms targeting only one aspect of the institution of education (e.g. the current emphasis on improving teacher quality to increase student achievement).
(8) Use primary documents and materials
This course uses a variety of primary sources and materials as reading assignments and in the two written assignments. They include, as mentioned above, original letters written by African American women in the 19th century, journal articles from scholars who have made major contributions in the field of Sociology of Education, articles from news media and statistics on the condition of education in the U.S., including test scores broken down by state, race/ethnic background, gender, English Language Learners, etc., posted on the web page of the Institute of Educational Sciences, U.S. Department of Education . The readings and assignments illustrate the contributions of Sociology of Education to educational policy and research and provide the research and evaluation skills needed for critical inquiry.
Criteria Checklist
Please be sure that your justification addresses all three criteria 1-3, below. For criteria 4-8, please check all that apply and discuss these in your justification.
A Perspectives course must:1. Be designed to introduce students to how a particular discipline creates knowledge and understanding.
2. Position the discipline(s) within the liberal arts and the larger society.
3. Address the goals defined for the particular Area(s) of Knowledge the course is designed to fulfill. / In addition, a Perspectives course will, where appropriate to its discipline(s) and subject matter:
4. Be global or comparative in approach.
5. Consider diversity and the nature and construction of forms of difference.
6. Engage students in active inquiry.
7. Reveal the existence and importance of change over time.
8. Use primary documents and materials.
III. Course Materials, Assignments, and Activities
Please provide an annotated list of course readings and descriptions of major assignments or exams for the course, as well as distinctive student activities that will engage students in working toward the course goals discussed in the course description and/or justification.
Please include the author and title for each reading or text, along with a short description providing information about how the reading will contribute to course goals.
The syllabus is designed to begin with the early thinkers of the discipline and moves progressively to the modern thinkers and most current scholarship in the field. The readings represent the fundamental concepts, theories, and research the sociology of education and they build upon each other.
Course Materials: Assigned Readings
What is Learned in Schools: The functions of Education for U.S. Society
1. Original work by Talcott Parsons “The School Class as a Social System” (originally published in 1958) is used as a historical document and primary source to demonstrate and analyze the origins of sociological theory and research pertaining to education. The early thinkers, exemplified by T. Parsons, viewed education as the primary institution responsible for creating a meritocratic society. Parsons, views the school and classroom organization as ensuring the selective selection of academic talent among the available pool of students. Students are introduced to the concept of a meritocratic society and the functions of education in a meritocratic society, as identified by Parsons, which include objective selection of academic talent and meritocratic allocation of individuals to the occupational structure.
2. Works in the 1960’s and 70’s by
Gracey, H.L. “Learning the Student Role: Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp”
Metz, M. H. “Real School: The Universal Drama Amid Disparate Experience” are primary materials in the Sociology of Education used to demonstrate how the introduction of ethnographic research provided to the sociological study of education new insight into the functions of American education. This new insight uncovers inequalities in the U.S. educational system that were not detected though the formalized theorizing of early thinkers. Students are invited to ask how the originally conceived meritocratic and objective education system in reality produces disparate educational opportunities of students from different social backgrounds that are not in accordance with individual students’ academic talent.