Sociology of Education //Syllabus
Sociology 3176: Sociology of Education // Fall 2020
CRN: 37742 // Online Only
Professor Sara Goldrick-Rab (Sara, she/her/hers, SGR@temple.edu)
TA Alexis Carrion (Alexis, she/her/hers, alexis.carrion@temple.edu)
COURSE GOALS
In this course, you’ll learn how to apply sociological principles to the study of education. We’ll examine how educational systems both maintain and challenge social inequality. We’ll consider the many ways that that education differentially allocates resources based on race/ethnicity, class, gender, and other characteristics. We will also ponder the role of education as part of the socialization process. You’ll learn skills that will enable you to more easily do these things, which will help you throughout your life:
· read sociological research and commentary
· write forcefully, clearly, and concisely
· engage and use empirical data
This is an extraordinary moment in history, marked by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the enhanced attention to racial disparities in American life. This course will help you apply a sociological lens to examining what is happening to education (both k-12 and higher education) in this time. Rather than set aside the external world to focus on college, you’ll instead embrace and examine it to build your sociological muscles of reading, analysis, and writing. Our hope is that this effort will deepen and expand your life outside of college as well.
You’ll experience readings by diverse authors using diverse perspectives and methods in this class. Your ideas will be intentionally challenged and you will undoubtedly experience some discomfort as that occurs. That discomfort should be due to the learning process; growth can be painful. Please remember that all you are asked to bring to this course is your commitment to learn. No technical knowledge is assumed; you should read selections for the ideas contained within them — you are not expected to assess their technical merits.
TEACHING AND LEARNING DURING A PANDEMIC
We understand that you thought you’d be learning in a physical classroom this fall. We thought we’d be teaching in one. Together, we’ll get through this. Here are some guiding principles for our efforts; these come from Professor Brandon Bayne at UNC-Chapel Hill.
1. Nobody signed up for this.
- Not for the sickness, not for the social distancing, not for the sudden end of our collective lives together on campus
- Not for an online class, not for teaching remotely, not for learning from home, not for mastering new technologies, not for varied access to learning materials
2. The humane option is the best option.
- We are going to prioritize supporting each other as humans
- We are going to prioritize simple solutions that make sense for the most
3. We cannot just do the same thing online.
- Some assignments are no longer possible
- Some expectations are no longer reasonable
- Some objectives are no longer valuable
4. We will foster intellectual nourishment, social connection, and personal accommodation.
- Accessible asynchronous content for diverse access, time zones, and contexts
- Optional synchronous discussion to learn together and combat isolation
5. We will remain flexible and adjust to the situation.
- Nobody knows where this is going and what we’ll need to adapt
- Everybody needs support and understanding in this unprecedented moment
HOW WE WILL LEARN, TOGETHER
This is an asynchronous online course. We will not have any mandatory scheduled class meetings (but we will have optional ones). You are responsible to doing the assigned work to keep up with the course by the scheduled deadlines. If you are having difficulty with this, which is understandable during this particularly challenging moment, reach out to Sara and/or Alexis for help.
We are going to use two primary tools to help us. This Medium publication is where the course lives and Slack is where we will talk to each other and share our work. Temple prefers Canvas — so that’s where we will post updates on your progress during the term, along with final grades.
Medium: It’s important that you set up a Medium account and complete your profile ASAP. You’ll also be invited to the course publication. If you would like to remain anonymous, we encourage you to use a pseudonym. If you don’t want to include a photograph of yourself, you can upload an avatar to represent you. Think carefully about these choices. If you are using a pseudonym be sure to let us know so that we can associate you with your work. Read more about how to protect your privacy on Medium.
Slack: You should use the link posted on canvas to open your account ASAP. The mobile app is handy.
#TempleSocEd: Whenever you blog, tweet, tumblr, facebook or instagram anything related to class, use the hashtag #TempleSocEd to contribute to our distributed conversation.
Temple wants you to know that limited resources are available for students who do not have the technology they need for class. Students with educational technology needs, including no computer or camera or insufficient Wifi-access, should submit a request outlining their needs using the Student Emergency Aid Fund form. The University will endeavor to meet needs, such as with a long-term loan of a laptop or Mifi device, a refurbished computer, or subsidized internet access.
Recognizing that your budget is likely especially tight this semester, we are not requiring any books. All readings will be posted on the course blog for your use. If you enjoy an excerpt of a book, we encourage you to obtain and read the full book.
Please remember that the Library provides access to any online material that requires a subscription or is otherwise gated.
CONNECTING
It’s hard but important to build connections and community in online courses. We want you to be in touch with us. Here are two ways to do that:
· Send a direct message via Slack; we promise to respond within 48 hours during the work week, and will often be faster
· Schedule time to meet with us via Zoom. Go to #officehours in Slack for how to access our available hours.
THE WORK
We are going to read some stuff and do some stuff. You’ll share what you did. You’ll talk with us about what you did. You’ll ask us if you need help and point us to stuff you want feedback on. Check out the Schedule for exactly how we’ll go through this process together.
There will be two main projects:
Project #1: K-12 schooling during the pandemic
Project #2: College during the pandemic
The first one will be due mid-semester and the second at the end. Details will be posted on our course page soon (no later than Sept 1 for the first project).
ASSESSMENT
We find that often grades get in the way of a student’s focus on learning. We aren’t interested in giving you busy-work or testing you just for the sake of testing. We’re far more interested in helping you engage with the material.
So, while you will get a final grade at the end of the term, we will not be grading individual assignments, but rather asking questions and making comments that engage your work rather than simply evaluate it. You will also be reflecting carefully on your own work and the work of your peers.
We will do this using “contract” grading. Read more about the why and how’s of contract grading here
Regular participation and keeping up with assignments is required, and we will be paying close attention and reaching out if you appear disengaged.
Once a month, we will post an update on your progress in the Canvas Gradebook. This will let you know if you’re on track to get a B or better in the course. We’ll also offer you tips on how to improve your progress. See below for tips on participation.
If this process causes more anxiety than it alleviates, see us at any point. If you are worried about your grade, your best strategy should be to join the discussions, do the reading, and complete the assignments.
Tips for Participation — This is an asynchronous course with some optional synchronous sessions (as noted in the Schedule). We will not be taking attendance or measuring participation based on whether you have your Zoom camera on or off. That’s not what is important in this class. Instead, we ask that you maximize your participation by (a) doing the weekly assignments and (b) joining in class discussions. We’re offering those on multiple platforms- you can comment on Medium posts and/or contribute to Slack discussions and/or show up for the optional Zooms. Alexis will be keep track of your participation to see whether you are participating in some way each week. We discuss participation as part of the course grading Contract; in case in helps you can think about participation this way:
“A” work is very consistent weekly participation
“B” work is fairly consistent weekly participation
“C” work is inconsistent weekly participation
If you are not sure what it means to participate in online discussions in a productive way, check out these suggestions from Temple. While we aren’t using the grading rubric discussed here, the first and last sections of this post (including the discussion about CRISP comments) are helpful. So much so that we’ll reiterate them here:
“Considerate You may have strong views and will want to express those views. That’s great. But remember that others may have equally strong views that are the polar opposite of your views. Feel free to question, challenge, or disagree with anything in the discussion, but do so in a respectful, considerate way.
Reflective An asynchronous discussion may lack the spontaneity of a live discussion. But this can be an advantage. There is more time to think before responding. Take the time to think about the ideas that have been expressed (in the readings and the discussion) from the perspective of your own experience. Then add your own comments and insights.
Interactive Remember that you’re a participant in a discussion and talk with one another. Cut and paste parts of previous messages into your message. The idea is to be interactive, not just active.
Succinct Get to the point. Short, focused message are usually more effective than long comments.
Pertinent Comments and questions should be related to the discussion topic. There will be times when you want to talk with someone about something unrelated to the topic. That’s fine, but this is not the place to do that. When you enter into a weekly discussion, please remember that you’re in a classroom, not a chat room.”
POLICIES AND INFO FROM TEMPLE
From the Administration: “Temple University’s motto is Perseverance Conquers, and we will meet the challenges of the COVID pandemic with flexibility and resilience. The university has made plans for multiple eventualities. Working together as a community to deliver a meaningful learning experience is a responsibility we all share: we’re in this together so we can be together.”
Attendance Protocol and Your Health
If you feel unwell you will not be penalized for your absence. We will act in good faith and work with mutual flexibility.
Student Support Services
The following academic support services are available to support you:
Student Success Center
University Libraries
Undergraduate Research Support
Career Center
Tuttleman Counseling Services
Disability Resources and Services
Basic Needs
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry and the Temple University Emergency Student Aid Program are in operation as well as a variety of resources from the Office of Student Affairs.
Students with Disabilities
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact us privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at 215–204–1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Please bear in mind that COVID-19 may result in a need for new or additional accommodations.
Academic Freedom
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Recording Class Sessions
I will record all optional Zoom sessions and make them available. Students with an approved accommodation from the Office of Disability Resources (DRS) should access those recordings, which will be posted in the #Zoom channel in our Slack. Any recordings permitted in this class can only be used for the student’s personal educational use. Students are not permitted to copy, publish, or redistribute audio or video recordings of any portion of the class session to individuals who are not students in the course or academic program without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded. Distribution without permission may be a violation of educational privacy law, known as FERPA as well as certain copyright laws. Any recordings made by the instructor or university of this course are the property of Temple University.
Expectations for Class Conduct
All opinions and experiences, no matter how different or controversial they may be perceived, must be respected in the tolerant spirit of academic discourse. Treat your classmates and instructor with respect in all communication, class activities, and meetings. You are encouraged to comment, question, or critique an idea but you are not to attack an individual. Please consider that sarcasm, humor and slang can be misconstrued in online interactions and generate unintended disruptions. Profanity should be avoided as should the use of all capital letters when composing responses in discussion threads, which can be construed as “shouting” online. Remember to be careful with your own and others’ privacy. In general, have your behavior mirror how you would like to be treated by others.
Thanks
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Sean Michael Morris and Jesse Stommel of Digital Pedagogy Lab in shaping this class’s approach.
