MAJOR STUDY UNITS:
 

Topics Readings

Assignments

     
Introduction to Course
What is Democracy?
Who is John Dewey?

Dewey, J.  (1997).  Democracy and education.  New York: Free Press (online text)

Horton, M., & Freire, P.  (1990). We make the road by
     walking: Conversations on education and social
     change.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Apr 3 - BlackBoard Orientation

     
     
What is school and classroom democracy?

Dewey chps 1,2,3,4,7

Apr 10 - Online Discussion
BlackBoard's Discussion Board

     
     
Describe the democratic ramifications of current school issues such as bilingual education, privatization, standards,
sex education, vouchers, testing, tracking, grading practices, and core curriculum.
Dewey chps 5, 6, 8, 9, 10

Apr 18

 

 

 

Who is Paulo Freire?    
     
Theoretical notions of democracy and social change, theories of justice, philosophical and psychological approaches.
 
Dewey chps 11-15

Apr 25 (5-6:30)
Online

     
     
Ethical dilemmas of schooling, issues of race, class, gender, and multi-ethnicity in daily school practice. Horton & Freire chps 1-3

May 2 (5-6:30)
Online

Who is Myles Horton?    
Alternative Education:  

Group Project/Movie:
Issues of Democracy in Education

School reform movements and degree of democratic commitment, eg. "good" schools, Coalition of Essential Schools, etc. Horton & Freire chps 4-6

May 9

     
Relationships among democracy, social change and education: can schools build "a new social order" or are the schools reflections only of existing social arrangements? Dewey chps 16-21

May 16

     
     
Craft personal definitions of democracy, social change, and their relationships.    
  Dewey chps 22-26

May 23

     
Paper Requirements

 

Individual PowerPoint/Movie Presentations
Paper Due

The "ideal" example of democratic classrooms and schools; designing democratic action plans for school implementation. Presentations

May 30