SOAN 20100 - Education in Sociocultural Context

Course Credit: 1
(ANTH, EDUC, SOCI)
EDUCATION IN SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT  This course is designed to acquaint students with selected anthropological and sociological perspectives on the study of education.  A central objective of the course is to communicate a comparative perspective on the educative process in our own and other societies and to sharpen awareness of socio-cultural influences on educational institutions. The first half of the course will use case studies of education in Africa and Asia, as well as of Amish schooling in the United States, to show how powerful historical, social, economic, and political forces shape teaching and learning in each location. We will also explore the rise and global spread of mass schooling and examine the continuities and discontinuities between formal schooling and informal learning in the family and community in each area. The second half of the course will closely examine the sociological and anthropological literature on schooling in the United States, including the teaching profession, curriculum and testing, and the educational bureaucracy. Special attention will be given to how race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexuality shape the schooling process. A final goal of the course is to allow students to better understand the educational policy choices debated at all levels of government and to gain an appreciation for the hidden barriers to educational reform, as well as the levers of change.

  Alternate Years. [C, D, GE, HSS]