Listed in: American Studies, as AMST-359 | History, as HIST-359
Leah N. Gordon (Section 01)
(Offered as HIST 359 [US] and AMST 359) When calling for the nation’s first public school systems, Horace Mann described common schools as the “great equalizer of the conditions of men” and “the balance wheel of the social machinery.” This basic idea, that formal education can reduce poverty by “leveling the playing field” or providing a “fair start in life” is among the most cherished ideals in American social and political thought. At the same time, whether and how education can equalize the social, economic, and political order has generated considerable debate, especially in the twentieth century. Drawing on philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, literature, and popular culture, this course focuses on three questions: What does educational equality mean? Why should we equalize education? And can equal schools create an equal society? By exploring the many ways Americans answered—and argued over—these questions, the course investigates the promise and pitfalls of treating schooling as a social policy tool. Readings and discussions also examine efforts to link educational reform to reform in other policy arenas, namely employment, housing, social welfare, and criminal justice. One class meeting per week.
Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Lewis-Sebring Visiting Professor L. Gordon.
If Overenrolled: Priority given to HIST and AMST majors and students interested in Education Studies.
Section 01
W 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM SCCE D103
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Other Struggle for Equal Schools: Mexican Americans During the Civil Rights Era | Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1997 | Donato, Ruben | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Restoring Opportunity: The Crisis of Inequality and the Challenge for American Education | Cambridge: Harvard Education Press, 2014 | Duncan, Greg J. and Richard J. Murnane | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Making the Unequal Metropolis: School Desegregation and Its Limits | Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016 | Erickson, Ansley | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream | Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016 | Goldrick-Rab, Sara | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Poverty Knowledge: Social Science, Social Policy, and the Poor in Twentieth-Century U.S. History | Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002 | O'Connor, Alice | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Five Miles Away, A World Apart: One City, Two Schools, and the Story of Educational Opportunity in Modern America | Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011 | Ryan, James E. | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.