Course Description
Overview of teachers and teaching of students and learning. Focuses on the structure and culture of schools, socialization, stratification, gender and schooling, as well as special problems areas as reflected in society. Materials are based on all levels of schooling, but emphasis is on higher education.
Athena Title
Sociology of Education
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in SOCI 3060
Non-Traditional Format
This version of the course will be taught as writing intensive, which means that the course will include substantial and ongoing writing assignments that a) relate clearly to course learning; b) teach the communication values of a discipline, for example, its practices of argument, evidence, credibility, and format; and c) prepare students for further writing in their academic work, in graduate school, and in professional life. The written assignments will result in a significant and diverse body of written work (the equivalent of 6000 words or 25 pages) and the instructor (and/or the teaching assistant assigned to the course) will be closely involved in student writing, providing opportunities for feedback and substantive revision.
Prerequisite
SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101H or SOCI 2600 or permission of department
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is for students to develop a comprehensive understanding of this sociological specialty, including characteristic modes of inquiry, key arguments and debates, and prevailing societal trends. This will be accomplished through the reading of both classic and contemporary texts. Students will be expected to engage themselves in the scholarly practices of reading, criticism, and argumentation. In addition, the course utilizes a term research project in which each student conducts an empirical study of two teachers, based on comparing and contrasting original interview data. The research component places a special emphasis on analysis, evidence, and argument to direct and develop the creative, analytical, and interpretive skills of research. Students will be asked to demonstrate their mastery of the course content in written work that is appropriate for an academic context.
Topical Outline
I. Development of the Sociology of Education II. Major Theoretical Approaches to Education and Society III. History of Higher Education IV. Methods for the Study of Teachers and their Social Worlds V. Teaching as an Occupation-Conceptualization VI. Teaching as an Occupation-Places Where Teachers Are Taught VII. Teaching as an Occupation-Primary and Secondary Schools VIII. Teaching as an Occupation-Higher Education IX. The Structure of Student Learning X. Stratification XI. Culture of Schools XII. Gender and Schooling XIII. Policy Issues in Education