Social Foundations of Education
(EAF228-6&8)
Department of Educational
Administration and Foundations
College of Education
Illinois State
University
Spring (2008)
Professor:
Zeng Lin
F Email: zlin@ilstu.edu
F Phone: 438-2105
F Office: DeGarmo 344
F Classroom: Section
6, SCH 108; Meeting Time: M 4:00-6:50 p.m.
F Section 8, DEG 306; Meeting Time: T 5:30-08:20 p.m.
F Office Hours: By Appointment
Only
F Syllabus On the Web: http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/zlin/eaf228.htm
Credit Hours
|
3
|
Contact Hours
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48
hours
|
Prerequisites
|
None
|
|
Course Description
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Education
as a social process and function, social origins of contemporary educational
problems.
|
Course
Overview
|
|
The first purpose of this
course is to introduce pre-service teachers to the social context of
education. This context includes the constellation of forces and interests,
both dominant and contested, that gives rise to the contemporary experiences
of schooling in the United
States. In particular, we will examine the
nexus of power, community, culture, and education. We will use a range of
foundational disciplines (philosophy, anthropology, sociology, history, and
cultural studies) to inform our discussions of these issues.
The second purpose of this
course is to cultivate among pre-service teachers a critical perspective from
which to assess the processes and practices of public education. As a member
of a professional community, more is required than mastering methodologies
and subject matter: pre-service and practicing teachers alike have a responsibility
to participate in the wider professional and public dialogue about the goals,
outcomes, and future of education. In order to fulfill that responsibility,
they must be well informed and articulate in terms of the issue in question
and their position with regards to it. Students in this course will develop
and exercise their critical perspective by engaging the readings, their
peers, and the instructor both in class discussions and in written
assignments.
The
course is partially online and partially onsite. Therefore, Blackboard
(online) and
class (onsite) participations are equally important in completion of the
course. Online participation mark will be given based on your online
participation and contribution (10%).
The
class attendance will not be counted, but four randomly distributed quizzes will
be issued during any time of the lectures. If you complete all four quizzes,
the highest three will be counted as your quiz mark (15%). For whatever
reasons, you are allowed to skip one of the quizzes without penalty, but no
makeup quizzes will be issued under any circumstances.
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Course
Objectives
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Upon successful completion of this course, students
will:
1. Apply the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and
structures of one or more of the foundations disciplines, such as history,
sociology, philosophy, and/or anthropology, to understand contemporary issues
and paradigms in education;
2. Analyze school policies and practices in relation to
the economic, political, social, cultural, and/or technological forces that
shape them and in turn are shaped by them;
3. Examine contemporary educational reforms and policies
regarding, for instance, curriculum, instruction, assessment, the
organization and funding of public schooling, equity, and the profession of
teaching;
4. Examine categories, such as race, class, gender,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, language, religion, and physical and mental
abilities and disabilities, as social relations of power that impact school
experiences and individual and collective identities in a democratic society;
5. Evaluate challenges of educating a diverse population
and policies and practices for serving them effectively and ethically in a democratic
society;
6. Engage effectively with others, including
asynchronously, in a critical discussion of ideas and practices relevant to
education;
7. Practice the skill of critical reflection as the
basis for reflective and ethical teaching; and,
8. Read, understand, and critique original, high quality
research and scholarly work as appropriate to the foundations focus in the
course.
9. Discuss the social interests served by schooling and
their implications relative to a diverse population;
10. Describe aspects of culturally relevant education
and discuss their impact on classrooms.
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Class Schedule
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Week
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Date
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Topics and Readings
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I
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01/14/08
01/15/08
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 An overview of the course
 Form discussion groups
Readings:
course syllabus
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ii
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01/21/08
01/22/08
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for
session 6: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - No Classes
Introduction to Blackboard
Purpose of Schooling
Reading: deMarrais et al, chapter 1
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iii
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01/28/08
01/29/08
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Online Session 1
Organizational Basis of Schooling
Reading:
deMarrais et al, chapter 2
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iv
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02/04/08
02/05/08
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Online Session 2
Labor Force in Education
Readings:
Reading: deMarrais et al, chapter 4
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v
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02/11/08
02/12/08
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School Culture (Group 1)
Reading:
deMarrais et al, chapter 3
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vi
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02/18/08
02/19/08
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School Curriculum (Group 2)
Reading:
deMarrais et al, chapter 6
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vii
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02/25/08
02/26/08
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Equality of Opportunity
(Group 3)
Social Class
Reading:
deMarrais et al, chapter 5
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viii
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03/03/08
03/04/08
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Midterm online
exam (30%)
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ix
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03/10/08
03/11/08
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Springs Vacation, no class
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x
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03/17/08
03/18/08
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Ethnicity (Group 4)
Reading:
deMarrais et al, chapters 7
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xi
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03/24/08
03/25/08
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Online
Session 3
Reading:
Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
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xii
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03/31/08
04/01/08
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Online
Session 4
Discussion of Paulo Freire’s book
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xiii
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04/07/08
04/08/08
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Online
Session 5
International education (1)
Reading
List on the Internet
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xiv
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04/14/08
04/15/08
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International education (2)
|
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xv
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04/21/08
04/22/08
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Gender (Group 5)
Reading:
deMarrais et al, Chapter 8
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xvi
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04/28/08
04/29/08
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Online
Session 6
Course Review
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xvii
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05/05/08
05/06/08
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Final online exam (30%)
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Class Requirements
Students
are expected to have read the assigned materials before attending each class so
that they are able to actively participate in lectures and discussions.
Individuals would not receive presentation
mark (15%) if she/he did not participate the group presentation.
Group Presentation (15% in
total)
The course requires all students to present and debate
issues in the areas of social
foundations of education. You will be randomly assigned to one of the
five groups by the instructor through WebCT. It’s your responsibility to find out your group on Blackboard.
The
presentation and debate include:
v
Document(s) for individual
presentation (5%)
o
Each individual has to prepare presentation
and debate in writing after group meets and has a clear division of labor.
o The
presentation documents should be not longer than 4 pages in length,
double-spaced (not including references).
o
These
documentations will be submitted to Blackboard
for grading after presentations.
o At
least two references (books, journal articles) should be cited.
v
Group
Presentation and Debate (10%)
o
Each group will
elect a leader who will receive up to 5% bonus based on her/his leadership and performance.
o
Presentations and debates should be based on literature review, which
will inform presenters about both pros and cons of the debating issues.
o
Arguments should convey good logic reasoning, which should be firmly
supported by evidences from literature or practices.
Grade Distribution and Due Dates
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Activities
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Due Date
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Evaluation %
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Four
Random Quizzes
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Any time
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15
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Group
Presentations, Debates
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February- April
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15
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Mid
term online exam
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March
3/4
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30
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Final
in class exam
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May
5/6
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30
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Online
Participation
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January- May
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10
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Grading Scale
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90-100
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A
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80-89
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B
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70-79
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C
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60-69
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D
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59
and below
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F
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|
|
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ISU Policies
ISU
Regulations state:
"Written
or other work a student submits in a course must be the product of his/her own
efforts: plagiarism, cheating, or other
forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited." Cases of suspected copying, cheating, or plagiarism
are referred to Student Dispute Office for a University hearing.
Any
student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented
disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853
(voice), 438-8620 (TDD).
Required Texts
deMarrais, K.B. & LeCompte, M.D. (1999). The Way Schools Work: A Sociological
Analysis of Education, Third Edition. New York: Longman.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy
of the Oppressed. New York:
Continuum 1970.
Recommended
Articles and Books
Ballantine,
H. J. & Spade, Z. J. (2001). Schools
and Society: A sociological Approach to Education. United States: Wadsworth.
Spring,
J. (2000). American Education (9th
edition). New York:
McCraw Hill.