This course will focus on relationships between education and society from multiple sociological perspectives. In particular, there is a focus on the role of schooling, past and present, as well as how formal education is connected to other social structures, and broader social inequalities. In this course, we will address several topics/themes, including: the development and functions of public education, how and to what extent education both fosters social mobility and reproduces social inequality, how patterns of racial segregation, gender inequality, and social/class divides were, and are, related to education, the cultural dimensions¿and conflicts¿surrounding education, and future possibilities in an economy increasingly shaped by information and automation. This course focuses largely (but not exclusively) on the United States, after the Second World War.
Common Course Outline