Course Syllabi

EDUC 3000: DIVERSITY OF SETTINGS AND LEARNERS

AUBURN UNIVERSITY

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, students will begin to explore the philosophical, social, cultural, and individual factors that impact the educational environment. The course is divided into three parts. In Part One of this course, we will examine the culture of schools and how that culture includes or excludes various populations on the basis of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and ability. To do so, we will address the following question: What role do schools play in supporting certain cultural practices that perpetuate social inequalities? More specifically, we will examine how certain social structures, educational practices, and individual behaviors cater to the perpetuation of "a particular culture" and in doing so serves to include and/or exclude members viewed as socially different. Then, in the final sections of the course, we will work collaboratively to develop critical pedagogical strategies that will enable all students to be included in the vision of a democratic society.

In Part Two, students will examine the educational experiences of the exceptional learner. Through dialogue, written assignments, presentations, and interactive activities, students will examine the importance of understanding diversity across individuals, settings, and groups. In Part Three, the use of effective communication with students from different cultural backgrounds, abilities, and values will be highlighted. To promote the development and use of positive communication and interpersonal skills with learners and peers, students will engage in group activities, role-playing, and discussion. There is also a Service Learning component attached to this course. Service learning requires that students volunteer their time as active participants in their community while at the same time learning from these activities. Through service learning, students get the opportunity to examine themselves, their career goals, and their community. Service learning also provides "real-life" settings (i.e., schools, child centers, mental health centers) in which students can conceptualize and link knowledge and skills gained in the classroom

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:

• To learn about the historical, philosophical, legal, ethical, and social issues associated with the extensive range of differences among learners.
• To build awareness, acquire knowledge, and develop skills in communicating and interacting with students, parents and colleagues of differing backgrounds and perspectives. Such backgrounds and perspectives include attention to the following variables: ethnicity, culture, language, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, religion, age, and exceptionality.
• To examine students' motivation for seeking a career in education and the ways in which their backgrounds and experiences affect their world view and their view of education.
 

REQUIRED READINGS:

Part I

(Ayers) Ayers, W., Hunt, J.A. & Quinn, T. (1998). Teaching for social justice. New York: Teachers College Press.

(S & F) Feinberg, W., & Soltis, J. (1992). School and society (2nd edition). New York: Teachers College Press.

(Kozol) Kozol, Jonathan. (1988). Rachel and her children: Homeless families in America. New York: A Fawcett Columbine Book (Published by Ballantine Books).

(R & J) Reed, Ronald F., & Johnson, Tony W. (1996). Philosophical documents in education. White Plains, NY: Longman Publishers, Inc. (or Addison-Wesley Publishers )

Course Packets are available from Auburn University Bookstore. Reading assignments from the packet are followed by ** in the syllabus.

One of the following books will be assigned to your group. Do not purchase any of these books until after the first day of class.

Bogdan, Robert & Taylor, Steven. (1994). The social meaning of mental retardation: Two life stories. New York: Teachers College Press.

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. (1994). The dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Lee, Stacey J. (1996). Unraveling the "model minority" stereotype. New York: Teachers College Press.

Orenstein, Peggy. (1994). School girls: Young women, self-esteem, and the confidence gap. New York: Anchor Books.

Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of memory. Bantam Books.

Temes, Peter S. (1998). One school now: Real life at Lynn English High. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Part II

Mastropieri, M. & Scruggs, T. (2000). The Inclusive Classroom: Teaching Strategies for Effective Instruction. Columbus, OH: Merrill.

Part III

Kottler, J. A., & Kottler, E. (2000). Counseling skills for teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Course Packets are available from Auburn University Bookstore.

COURSE EVALUATION:

45% Part I Assignments

20% Part II Assignments

20% Part III Assignments

15% Service Learning

100% Course Grade

Part I:

(45% of total grade for the course)

Class Participation 10 %

Response Paper 1 10 %

Response Paper 2 10 %

Response Paper 3 10 %

Detailed Budget and Response 10 %

Mid-term Examination 20 %

Discussion Group Assignment

Lead Class Discussion 15 %

Final Paper 15 %

Total Points 100%

Class participation: Students are expected to complete reading assignments before class, bring a copy of them to class, and consistently contribute meaningfully to class discussions. Conversely, behavior that detracts from class discussions will negatively impact your class participation grade. Only in-class discussions and work will count towards the class participation grade. (Note: This may include pop quizzes if students' participation in class discussions is not satisfactory.) Furthermore, you must attend class in order to participate. Consequently, attendance will be taken each class period and .2 will be subtracted from your final grade for each absence unless it is excused. Excused absences are those for which you can provide medical documentation or a funeral program for a member of your immediate family. In addition, early departure from class and excessive tardiness will negatively influence your participation grade.

Response Papers: Every Monday, beginning with Week 2, questions will be distributed in class. You will have a total of 6 questions posed to you between Week 2 and Week 13; you are expected to respond to 3 of these questions. All papers should be typed and double-spaced. You will be expected to respond to the question in a 3 - 4 page essay. (Note: I will not read more than 4 pages of typed material for each question.) You should integrate course readings into your paper. If you use materials from outside of the class, a bibliography should be attached to the paper. A stapled copy of your paper should be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on the Friday of the week for which the question was assigned.

Detailed Budget and Response Paper: You are expected to submit a detailed budget. The assignment requires you to get a job and subtract living expenses from your overall income. A more detailed explanation will be given to you in class.

Mid-term examination: You will be given a take home examination with a minimum of one week with which to complete the assignment. The completed examination is due in class on Tuesday, October 10, 2000.

Discussion Group Assignments: On the first day of class, you will be organized into a group and assigned a book to read. Your group should anticipate meeting a minimum of three times throughout the quarter. During this time, you should critically discuss the book and the relevance of course materials to issues raised in the book.

Lead Class Discussion: See syllabus for the date for which your group will be responsible for leading the class discussion. Care should be given to discuss your book in the context of the course readings.

Final Paper: Due on Tuesday, December 5, 2000. This assignment is a culmination of your experiences stemming from the reading of the book assigned to your group and subsequent activities. See handout for further instructions.

Part II: (20% of the total course grade)

Exam 1 25%

Exam 2 25%

Exam 3 25%

Text Workbook 25%

Total Points 100%

Text Workbook

Workbook questions on assigned chapter readings will be sent out to students via e-mail approximately one week prior to due date. The answers to these questions are to be typed and turned in at the beginning of the class period due. These questions will be returned and are to be kept in a note book throughout the semester.

Exams

There will be two in-class exams and one non-comprehensive final to be given during final exams week.

Part III: (20% of the total course grade)

Teacher Instruction Report 35%

Psychosocial Issues Project 45%

Portfolio Questions 10%

Class Participation 10%

Total Points 100%

Teacher Interview Report -- (35%):

• 10 Years Age Difference 
• Different Race
• Different Gender 
• Raised in a different Region of the country or world

• Fill out the questions on the Interview Worksheet during the interview (Handed out in Class)
• Type a report of your interview. Paper must be 3-5 pages doubled spaced. Remember to indicate in the paper which of the 3 qualities from #1 describe the person you interviewed.
• Submit both the completed Interview Worksheet and the typed interview report for the assignment.

Psychosocial Issues Project-(45%):

• Students will be assigned to a group for this project. There will be 6 groups.
• Each group will select one of the following topics: child abuse, family/domestic violence, homelessness, suicide, depression, substance abuse, school violence.
• The groups will be asked to submit a 4-8 page paper excluding reference section. The paper should be typed and doubled spaced. The paper should be turned in on the day of group presentation. Include a reference section in addition to the page minimum to the paper.
• The group will make a 20 minute presentation to the class about topic chosen. All members of group must be involved in the presentation.
• Each member of the group will complete a peer evaluation for each person in their group. Your evaluations of each member of your group's contribution to the project will be kept confidential.

Portfolio Questions- (10%)

At the end of each class the students will be given questions to be completed and submitted via email before the beginning of PART III class meeting. The questions will come from the readings, lecture, and class discussions.

Participation- (10%)

Class participation and attendance contribution to achievement of course instructional objectives.

Service Learning: (15% of the total course grade)

(At least 30 hours total; at least 2 hours a week from Weeks 3-16)

*Details will be provided in a handout.

GRADING SCALE:

100-90 A

89-80 B

79-70 C

69-60 D

Below 60 F

COURSE POLICIES:

Submission Policies:

All assignments must be double-spaced and typewritten or word-processed. You should keep a copy or file of your paper and all graded assignments returned to you until the end of the semester. Late papers will result in an assignment grade that is lowered one full letter grade per day. For, example, a paper that is turned in one day late and results in a grade of "A" will be lowered to a "B". Similarly, a paper that is turned in two days late and results in a grade of "A" will be lowered to a "C". Additionally, points will also be deducted for misspelled words or grammatical errors.

Academic Honesty:

Written assignments that include material that is similar to that from course reading materials or other sources should include a citation including source, author, and page number. Quotation marks should be used if the material is copied directly from the readings and text citations should be used. For example, (Kozol, 1988, p. 22). If the material is paraphrased, (Kozol, 1988) should appear immediately following the paraphrased material. Failing to do so constitutes violation of the Auburn University Academic Honesty Code. In addition, written assignments that are similar or identical to those of other students in the class is also a violation of the Code. The consequence for a violation of the Auburn University Academic Honesty Code is "zero points" for the assignment. Rewriting the assignment will not be an option. Finally, you may not submit the work of someone else as your own or work that you have submitted for another class or another PART of this class. See Tiger Cub for rules on academic honesty.

Students with Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, you should consult with the Program of Students with Disabilities located in 1232 Haley Center at 844-2096 to identify which accommodations might be needed for this course. Please contact the course instructor as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

FALL 2000

COURSE SCHEDULE

(Subject to change at instructors discretion)