Critical Social Inquiry 0279 - Schooling in the US: Politics, Power, and Policy

Public education is one of the most contested institutions in American society, shaped by competing political, social, and economic forces. This course invites students to examine the evolving project of public education while developing the analytic tools needed to assess contemporary educational policy. Through readings and discussions, we will explore what it means to be educated in the United States and consider how various processes and policies have expanded or restricted access to educational opportunity and equity. Throughout the semester, we will interrogate the relationship between education, national identity, and belonging, asking why public education has come to represent both the promise of democracy and a source of enduring conflict. The course is both reading- and writing-intensive, and students are expected to engage actively in small-group work and whole-class discussions. Keywords:education, sociology, power, race, school

In/Justice Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time. Pl