1 Sociology of Education Fall 2006 Course # H540 Wednesdays 4:00-6:45pm Sylvia Martinez Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Latino Studies W.W. Wright Education Building Room # 4260 201 North Rose Ave. Phone number: 812-856-8582 [email protected] Office hours: Thursdays 2-4pm and by appointment Course Objectives This course will examine the relationships between education and society by reviewing a variety of theoretical perspectives and empirical studies. Topics include social mobility and stratification; social reproduction; the dynamics of race, class, and gender in education; social capital; the student teacher relationship; teaching as a profession; school choice; and higher education. Course Requirements Students will be required to write two papers for this course and three smaller response papers. Paper #1: A paper on the implications for equality of educational opportunity based on the comparison of two schools. I would like you to choose two high schools, elementary schools, or middle schools and compare them based on information (i.e. racial composition, expenditures per student, tests scores, school report cards, etc…) you find online. About 3-4 pages of the paper should be dedicated to the descriptions of the schools (use of graphs and tables are encouraged but not required) and the remaining pages should discuss the implications for equality of educational opportunity. The following website will be helpful http://ideanet.doe.state.in.us/htmls/k12.html but you can use any other sources as well. This paper is due September 27th at the beginning of class and should be no more than eight double spaced pages. Three Response Papers: Response papers should cover the week‟s readings (3 topics of your choice). You should aim at writing a discussion organized around a key idea or set of ideas, not a summary of the readings. In particular, it is often better not to discuss the2 readings one by one, but to try to make connections between them and work toward a few general conclusions. Response papers should be about 3-4 double-spaced pages. Papers are due the day we discuss the topic you have chosen (i.e. if you choose to write a response paper on “Theories on Educational Stratification,” the paper is due September 6th). Final Paper: The final paper should cover the importance of race/ethnicity, gender, and class and its relationship to educational institutions and/or schooling careers. The topic for the final paper is more open-ended and you are encouraged to focus on your own research interests or a specific topic from class readings. The final paper should be no more than 12 double spaced pages in length. Students will be graded by the following formula: Paper #1 20% 3 Response Papers 30% Final Paper 40% Class Participation 10% In addition, students must do the readings in time for class and be prepared to discuss the material. Readings are on electronic reserve and many are available online at www.jstor.org E-Reserve website: http://ereserves.indiana.edu/course.index.asp Password: squirrel I have ordered the following books and they should be available at the bookstore: Home Advantage Keeping Track Savage Inequalities The Structure of Schooling Course Schedule August 30: Introduction to the Sociology of Education Weber, Max. 2000. “The „Rationalization‟ of Education and Training.” Pp. 16-19 in Richard Arum and Irenee R. Beattie (Eds.) The Structure of Schooling. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Schneider, Barbara. 2003. “Sociology of Education: An Overview of the Field at the3 Turn of the 21st Century.” Pp. 193-226 in M. Hallinan, A. Gamoran, W. Kubitscheck, and T. Loveless (Eds.) Stability and Change in American Education: Structure, Process, and Outcomes. Clinton Corners: Eliot Werner Publications, Incorporated. Book is on reserve at the Education Library. September 6: Theories on Educational Stratification Sewell, William H. 1980. “The Wisconsin Longitudinal Studies of Social Psychological Factors.” Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization Vol. 1: 59-99. Bourdieu, Pierre. 2000. “Cultural Reproduction and Social Reproduction” Pp. 56-68 in R. Arum and I. Beattie (Eds.) The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Bowles, Samuel and Herbert Gintis. 2000. “Beyond the Educational Frontier: The Great American Dream Freeze.” Pp. 112-121 in R. Arum and I. Beattie (Eds.) The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Bowles and Gintis. 2002. “Schooling in Capitalist America Revisited.” Sociology of Education 75:1-18. (JSTOR) Randall Collins. 2000. “Functional and Conflict Theories on Educational Stratification” Pp. 94-111 in R. Arum and I. Beattie (Eds.) The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. McGraw-Hill Higher Education DiMaggio, Paul. 1982. “Cultural Capital and School Success: The Impact of Status Culture Participation on the Grades of U.S. High School Students.” American Sociological Review 47: 189-201. September 13: Equality of Educational Opportunity Coleman, James S. 1968. “The Concept of Equality of Educational Opportunity.” Harvard Educational Review 38(1): 7-22. Coleman, James S. et al. 1966. Equality of Educational Opportunity. Pp. iii-iv, 1-33, 290-319. Washington: USGPO. Book is on reserve at the Education Library. September 20: Desegregation Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka – (Opinion of the Court). United States Supreme Court: Reports. 347 US 486-496. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=347&invol=4834 Orfield, Gary, and Susan E. Eaton. 1996. Dismantling Desegregation: The Quiet Reversal of Brown v. Board of Education. Pp. xxi-xxiii, 1-22, 291-330. New York: New Press. Book is on reserve at the Education Library. Orfield, Gary. 2000. “The Growth of Segregation: African Americans, Latinos, and Unequal Education.” Pp. 194-206 in R. Arum and I. Beattie (Eds.) The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Clotfelter, Charles. 2001. “Are Whites Still Fleeing? Racial Patterns and Enrollment Shifts in Urban Public Schools, 1987-1996.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 20: 199-221. September 27: Inequality and Class