Urban Education (URBE)

This course explores educational issues in urban America and indigenous educational traditions in the "Third World." The course focuses on the connections between education and politics, cultural diversity and economics, and the existence and persistence of poverty in developing nations. Students will critically analyze international films, course readings, and presentations from guest speakers. Culturally responsive, post-modern, and comparative approaches are used to investigate the impact of culture, poverty and development, and the goals of education in each societal context. NOTE: This course fulfills the World Society (GG) requirement for students under GenEd and International Studies (IS) for students under Core.

Development in Third World Societies has been defined primarily in terms of economic growth. Schools have been designed largely to support this process and serve the primary function of developing human capital. Similar patterns can also be seen in the United States. The course presents these and alternative definitions of development and the functions of schooling, and compares the experience of third world societies to that of poor people in the cities in the United States. While journeying through different countries, school systems, and cultures, the course also focuses on the "Third World" inside the United States. Here we explore how knowledge of Third World economic and cultural issues can help us understand the life and challenges of urban students from minority, working class, and immigrant backgrounds. Students also learn from experiences with urban and Third World groups with whom they are involved in service learning activities. NOTE: (1) Must complete 20 hours of community-based service learning activities. (2) This course can be used to satisfy the university Core International Studies (IS) requirement. Although it may be usable towards graduation as a major requirement or university elective, it cannot be used to satisfy any of the university GenEd requirements. See your advisor for further information. In addition to meeting the university Core International Studies requirement, this course meets the Non-Western/Third World IS requirement for Communication Sciences majors.

The Honors version of Urban Education 1006 (C060). NOTE: (1) Course requirements include the completion of 20 hours of community-based service learning activities. (2) This course can be used to satisfy the university Core International Studies (IS) requirement. Although it may be usable towards graduation as a major requirement or university elective, it cannot be used to satisfy any of the university GenEd requirements. See your advisor for further information.

A special topics course. Topic varies each semester.

An honors special topics course. Topic varies each semester.

This course focuses on the theory and practice of education-related collaborations and partnerships that cross social and professional divides. Partnerships and collaborations in pursuit of social (rather than economic) goals have become increasingly prominent since the 1980s. This is true internationally as well as in the United States, and in many fields besides education. While we explore what these collaborations entail and why they represent an important trend, a major emphasis will be on learning how to become a partner and how to support and facilitate collaborations in settings that bring together participants from different organizations, professional orientations, and social backgrounds. In other words, part of the work of this class is for you to focus on yourself as a partnership practitioner, learning from your practice and experiences. In this class you will learn in multiple ways, but especially by moving between practice and theory, and experiential and academic learning. You will analyze written cases as well as develop your own by being involved in a collaboration/partnership. Do expect to do a fair bit of critical reflection on your own positionality, assumptions and experiences as they relate to the course. The class will be conducted as a collaborative seminar and you are expected to bring your individual and collective interests to the table.

This course will introduce students to key issues in urban education, focusing on both formal schooling and informal educational settings. It will use readings from history, sociology, and political science - as well as the popular media - to provide students with a deeper understanding of the larger social and political processes that shape cities and their schools. The course will also cover such key issues as the achievement gap, funding inequalities, high school dropout, school violence, and various approaches to school reform. A key focus of the course will be identifying strengths and assets within urban communities and countering the "deficit" narrative that dominates popular perceptions of urban education. Another key focus will be on identifying promising practices within schools and other organizations that serve urban youth. For this reason, students will conduct research on possible policy interventions, study a particular intervention in depth, and write about that intervention. As a Writing Intensive course, this class will provide students with significant instruction and support in the following areas: conducting research on social policy interventions, evaluating sources, using research to craft an argument, and writing one argument-focused social science research paper and one policy brief. Students will be encouraged to make connections between theory and research on urban education and the challenges and opportunities they may face as practitioners.