Social Studies and English Literature Arts (ELA) are contested fields. At their core, social studies and ELA are about who we are, where we’ve been, where we’re going, and the kinds of societies we have built and want to build. These subjects are about cultivating citizenship and what it means to be human. As such, social studies and ELA are inherently political. In this course, we confront the politics of teaching social studies and ELA from birth to grade twelve—from early childhood centers to high schools.

This course examines the social, political, and economic contexts that shape schools in urban spaces. Specifically, we explore topics such as housing, racial segregation, access (e.g., to quality teachers, to resources, to technology), and financing. We also explore policy issues that define the urban landscape—including choice, governance structures, and equity.

Schooling matters and teaching is political. In this course, we examine the history of American education—with specific focus on how race and segregation has shaped the American school experience.

We explore the history of education in the United States from the colonial era to the present. We address schools in the broader context of American cultural developments and the rise of the modern state. At the same time, this course uses the past as a way to explain the present. We examine why and how schools deveoloped as they did, identify paths not taken, and highlight particular policies and programs that have given rise to the educational system(s) we know today—and what all of this means for the American community and who we say we are.

This course introduces context as an essential element of critical teaching practice. We examine varied systems and settings in which teaching and learning take place—with attention to the intersection of context and opportunity.

This course focuses on the white backlash in American politics. Using segregationist Georgia Governor Lester G. Maddox as case study, the course examines the political playbook white backlash politicians use to advance power. Particular focus is placed on school segregation. As such, in this course, students address questions about the future of democracy.