EDU 101 - History & Politics of American Education

1 course unit

This course examines the larger historical and sociopolitical forces that have shaped the rise and development of the institutional school in America. Beginning with Jeffersonian America through the late industrial period to the present day, the course traces changes in the political economy and how these changes have influenced educational policy and practice, such as rise of the common school and educational policy debates regarding the appropriate role of education in a democratic industrial and plural society. The course also addresses how schools interpret, translate, and transfer American culture through the overt and covert curriculum as well as public policy by studying the various conflicting aims of education in a democracy. The purpose of the course is to develop the students’ potential for thinking critically about American education and its institutions in preparation for ethical citizenship and/or educational leadership.
Meets general academic requirement SL.