This course guides candidates to explore the roles individuals and groups play shaping the dynamic relationship between schools and society. We pay particular attention to issues of social/cultural difference and dominance, and how framing of these issues influences schooling conditions, curriculum, and pedagogical practice. We also consider the converse of how school practices influence understanding of social/cultural difference and dominance (e.g., race, class, gender, disability, and sexuality). We use historical and contemporary examples to illuminate how the answers to the following questions change over time and space: What is the purpose of schooling? How does the institution of schooling in the United States influence individuals. How do cultural groups and/or communities influence US schooling?
Prerequisite: Minimum second semester sophomore standing; or instructor permission.
Offered: Fall, Spring.