SOCIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION SYLLABUS Click here to see Amplification of Course Assignments Instructor: Dr. Makedon Room 223 Education Building Tel. (312) 995-2003 Office Hours: Will be announced in class.
Course Description:
Sociologists examine social facts, while students of culture study what makes certain social facts worth examining. In the area of Sociology of Education, we will review sociological research findings on such topics as learning and social class, teacher and parental expectations, learning and gender, ethnicity, and the relation between learning and family rearing practices. In the area of the Cultural Foundations of Education, we will study a variety of multicultural education models, the transmission of culture in a pluralistic society, and the role of education in the acculturation and assimilation process. By comparing our culture with other cultures, we lift the discussion regarding educational practice high above blind routine or absorbing self-interest, thus helping us see ways of improving it.
Course Objectives:
1. Become cognizant of research and theories in the areas of sociology of education and multicultural foundations of education 2. Apply research hypothetically to make-believe educational situations 3. Review actual teaching practices from different theoretical or research perspectives 4. Define the goals, methods, and curriculum of multiethnic education
Schedule of Readings and Requirements:
Please see the Schedule of Readings handout
Instructional Methods:
Class activities include lecture, discussion, and critical analysis; hypothetical applications and role play; field projects in schools, cultural centers, and the library; written reports and oral presentations; weekly quizzes, and mid-term and final examinations; and mid-term paper and presentation.
Textbooks:
1. Sarane S. Boocock, Sociology of Education 2. James A. Banks & C.A.M. Banks, eds., Multicultural Education 3. Makedon, Alexander, Sociological and Cultural Foundations of Education: Instructional Packet.
Requirements:
Attendance 5% Class participation 5% Quizzes 10% Library Project 10% School Project 10% Cultural Center 10% Mid Term Paper 10% Mid Term Presentation 10% Final Examination 30%
Grading Policy:
90-100 A 80-94 B 70-79 C 60-69 D Below 60 F
Deadline Policy & Explanation of Requirements:
Papers and assignments:
Papers and assignments turned in after their respective deadline dates lose 2 irretrievable points for every working day that they are turned in late. See Schedule of Readings for deadline dates for the different assignments. Students have the option of revising their papers for full credit (minus points lost for turning in papers late). Each student has one week to revise his/her paper following my first distribution of the "original" paper version, and another week after that for a second (final) revision.
Weekly Quizzes:
Quizzes are delivered at exactly five minutes after the hour. Students who come in late lose the opportunity for quiz credit for that day. Students have five minutes for answering quiz question. See the Informational Handout on Quizzes.
Projects: Library, School, Cultural Center:
Each student should describe the goals, means, and "outcomes" or success rate of the school program or cultural center they are writing about, and briefly offer his or her personal reaction. Project outlines should be limited to 1 to 2 typewritten pages each, and enough copies made for distribution in the classroom. Presentations (except the mid-term paper presentation) are made on a rotating basis every week, and should be limited to 2-3 minutes maximum for the oral presentation, and 2-3 minutes for the discussion (max 5 minutes).
Mid term Papers & Presentations:
Each student has 4-5 minutes maximum for the oral presentation, and 4-5 minutes maximum for discussion (10 minutes maximum). Papers are turned in the same day that the presentation is delivered.
Final examination:
The final examination is open book, and includes both multiple choice and essay questions.
Incompletes Policy:
Only students who are receiving a grade of C or better are eligible for an incomplete at the time they request it.
AMPLIFICATION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Papers:
Please do not include cover pages on any of the papers. Simply write your name, attendance #, course, section, semester, and year on the upper left or right corner of your paper. All papers should be typed, single or double spaced, and include the subheadings/sections indicated below. Make copies of the papers for all three projects (article review, cultural visit, and Research Utilization Paper) for the whole class.
REVISIONS: Students have the option of revising their papers for full credit (minus points lost for turning in papers late). Each student has one week to revise his/her paper following the first distribution of the "original" paper version, and another week after that for a second (final) revision.
PRESENTATIONS: Project presentations are limited to a maximum amount of time that will be determined at the beginning of class, depending on the number of students enrolled. Students must distribute copies of their papers at the time of their class presentation.
Article/Book Review Project (20 points):
Length of article/book chapter(s) to be reviewed: Min. 20 pages. Length of paper: 1 page single or double spaced. Distribution: Please make copies for the whole class.
For full credit, please include the following subheadings/sections in your article review report:
A. ARTICLE REVIEW B. Student's Name & Attendance Number, Course, Section, Semester, Year C. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Full bibliographic reference of the article or book (or chapters in a book) being reviewed, including:
For Articles: author, title of article, periodical or ERIC ED number, date, and page numbers. For book or chapter(s) in a book: author, title of book, place of publication, publisher, year, and chapter(s) and page numbers of chapter(s) in the book. D. SUMMARY: Brief summary of the article/book (=must not be identical to the abstract being provided by ERIC or other bibliographic source). E. REACTION: Your personal reaction, incl. reasons why.
Each student reviews an article, or book, or chapters in a book on a sociological or cultural topic in education. No two students may review the same article. The total number of pages in the article/book must be at least 20. Please make an effort in the event the article is a research article, to include in your personal reaction your view on the "validity" of the research instrument or methodology used.
School/Cultural Project (20 points):
Length of paper: 1 page, single or double spaced. Distribution: Please make copies for the whole class.
For full credit, please include the following subheadings/sections in your cultural visit report:
A. CULTURAL VISIT B. Student's Name & Attendance Number, Course, Section, Semester, Year C. NAME & ADDRESS OF CULTURAL CENTER, DATE OF VISIT D. GOALS OF CULTURAL CENTER E. METHODS OF CULTURAL CENTER F. CURRICULUM OF CULTURAL CENTER G. E. REACTION: Your personal reaction, incl. reasons why. G. SCHOOL CHANGES: Make a brief comment on whether you plan to make any changes in your own school/classroom/work environment as a result of your visit to the cultural center.
Each student visits a cultural center, such as, an ethnic museum; or a cultural center within a school. Students write a 1 page report on their visit, which they distribute and present in class. The paper should include a brief comment on whether you plan to make any changes in your own school as a result of your visit to the cultural center. Cultural centers selected may include any of the cultural centers in the Chicago area, ranging from museums and art institutes, to ethnic and multicultural centers. A student may replace a "cultural center" with a travel experience to a different culture outside the United States in the last 10 years where he or she interacted with the local residents in that culture for at least 1 month.
Research Utilization Paper (RUP, 20 points):
Length: 3-5 pages single or double spaced. Distribution: Please make copies for the whole class.
To receive full credit, please include the following subheadings/sections in your RUP:
A. RESEARCH UTILIZATION PAPER B. Student's Name & Attendance Number, Course, Section, Semester, Year C. NAME OF SCHOOL/EDUCATIONAL CENTER D. GOALS OF SCHOOL: MAIN GOAL MUST BE TO IMPROVE THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL OF ITS STUDENTS* *You may add other goals that do not conflict with, overshadow, or "take away" from its main goal. E. METHODS: Must use empirical research findings from sociological studies regarding academic achievement to justify the method(s) employed in such school.
This project provides students with an opportunity to apply research studies that we read about in sociology of education to hypothetical school situations. Students imagine how a school of their choice might look like, including the student body, but must (a) have as their main goal the improvement of student academic achievement; and (b) justify their choice of faculty, administration, school architecture, school regulations, and methods and curriculum on the basis strictly of empirical research findings in the field of sociology of education. Such findings may be found in (a) the Boocock textbook (selected chapters); (b) other articles in the packet; (c) research findings mentioned in our textbook for the cultural foundations portion of the course; (d) articles/books reviewed as part of the article/book review project; and (e) articles or other books in a variety of databases (ERIC, library, and the like). Students are held responsible for knowing the contents at least of the required readings for the course.
Helpful Hint: Please be aware that although a program may "sound" right, research may show that it may not necessarily increase student learning. To receive full credit for the paper, no program should be included in your "ideal" school that you cannot justify on the basis of published "scientific" research. Such research should show how the program will help increase student academic achievement.
Final examination (30 points):
The final examination is closed book, and includes only multiple choice questions. Each question may have more than 1 correct answer. The questions will be derived mainly from the required readings (approx. 90%); and partly from the discussions, project presentations, and lectures in class. The final exam may be replaced by 5 quizzes worth 6 points each. The instructor will announce at the beginning of the course whether there will be a final, or 5 quizzes.
Attendance Policy:
For each hour a student has been absent, he/she loses 1 point. To have an absence excused, a student must have a legitimate excuse, including a written statement from a health professional, qualified employer, and the like. Students who walk in class after attendance has been taken, will be marked "tardy." Three tardy marks are equivalent to 1 absence point. Students who are tardy should notify the instructor at the end of the class period of their presence, so that they will not be marked absent. Students should attend class for at least 30 minutes per 50 minutes of class time to be marked as either tardy or present. Otherwise, they will be marked "absent." According to the Official Academic Regulations regarding Class Attendance in the Graduate Catalogue, students with more than 6 hourly absences from class may be dropped from the course by the instructor.
Rules Regarding Classroom Decorum:
1. No eating in the classroom. 2. No children are allowed to attend. Please find alternative child care facilities for your child(Ren). 3. No one who is not officially registered is allowed to attend.
Schedule of Readings and Requirements:
TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS
S E L E C T E D B I B L I O G R A P H Y
Anyon, J. 1983. "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work." In Giroux, H. and D. Purpel, eds., The Hidden Curriculum and Moral Education. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan. Apple, Michael W. Ideology and Curriculum. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 1990. Banks, James A. Multiethnic Education: Theory and Practice. Needham Heights, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon, 1988. Banks, James A. and C. A. McGee Banks, eds. Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. Needham Heights, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon, 1989. Bernstein, B. 1977. "Social Class, Language and Socialization." In Power and Ideology in Education. Ed. J. Karabel and A.H. Halsey. New York: Oxford University Press, 473-486. Boocock, S. S. Sociology of Education: An Introduction. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1980. Borg, W.R. and M.D. Gall. Educational Research: An Introduction. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 1983. Bourdieu, Pierre. Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture. Tr. Richard Nice. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1977. Bowers, C.A. The Cultural Dimensions of Educational Computing: Understanding the Non-Neutrality of Technology. New York: Teachers College Press, 1988. Brandt, Godfrey L. The Realization of Anti-Racist Teaching. New York: Falmer Press, 1986. Chesler, Mark A. and W. M. Cave. A Sociology of Education. New York: Macmillan, 1981. Chicago Board of Education. 1989. A Guide to the Election of the Local School Councils. Chicago: Chicago Board of Education. Coleman, J., Campell, E., Hobson, C., McPartland, J., Mood, A., Weinfield, F., and York, R. Equality of Educational Opportunity. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1966. Counts, George S. Dare the School Build a New Social Order? New York: Arno Press, 1969. Crandall, V., et al. 1960. "Maternal Reactions and the Development of Independence and Achievement Behavior in Young Children." Child Development, 31: 243-251. Cronin, J.M. 1978. "Educational Research and Change: A State Perspective." In Research and Development and School Change. Ed. R. Glaser. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. New York: Halsted Press, 20-25. Dreeben, Robert. On What is Learned in School. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1968. Durkheim, Emile. Education and Sociology. Tr. Sherwood D. Fox. New York: Free Press, 1956. Edmonds, R.R. "Characteristics of Effective Schools." In U. Neisser, The School Achievement of Minority Children. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1986. Eggleston, John. The Sociology of the School Curriculum. Boston: Routledge & K. Paul, 1977. Entwisle, D.R. "Semantic Systems of Children: Some Assessments of Social Class and Ethnic Differences." In Language and Poverty: Perspectives on a Theme. Ed. F. Williams. Chicago: Markham, 1970. Epstein, J.L. and J.M. McPartland. "Family and School Interactions and Main Effects on Affective Outcomes." Baltimore: John Hopkins University, Center for Social Organization of Schools, 1977, Report no. 235. Feinberg, Walter and J.F. Soltis. School and Society. New York: Teachers College Press, 1985. Fetterman, David M., ed. Ethnography in Educational Evaluation. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1984. Gage, N.L. 1985. Hard Gains in the Soft Sciences: The Case of Pedagogy. Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa Center on Evaluation, Development and Research. Gagne, R.M. 1978. "Educational Research and Development: Past and Future." In Research and Development and School Change. Ed. R. Glaser. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. New York: Halsted Press, 83-91. Glaser, R., ed. 1978. Research and Development and School Change. Hillsdale, NJ: Halsted Press/J. Wiley. Glaser, R. Ed. 1978. Research and Development and School Change. A Symposium of the Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. New York: Halsted Press. Good, T.L. and J. E. Brophy. 1986. "School Effects." In Merlin C. Wittrock, ed., Handbook of Research on Teaching, 3rd ed. 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Berkeley: University of California Press. Livingstone, D.W. Class Ideologies and Educational Futures. Boston: Falmer Press, 1983. Lortie, D.C. 1969. "The Balance of Control and Autonomy in Elementary School Teaching." In The Semi-Professions and their Organization. Ed. A. Etzioni. New York: The Free Press, 1-53. Lortie, Dan C. Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975. Makedon, A. Humans in the World: Introduction to Radical Perspectivism. Forthcoming, Peoples Press, 1999. ---------"Stolen Legacy, Black Athena and Pink Elephants: The Social Psychology of Truth Claims." Forthcoming in the 1999 issue of Proceedings of the Midwest Philosophy of Education Society --------- "Nothing Better than Super True: Education, Popular Culture, and the Supermarket Tabloid." 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Alexander Makedon
Chicago State University
Copyright © 1999 A. Makedon
visits since 09/01/1999