SOC-356 SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY
An examination of the sociological understanding of educational processes. The course will examine the relationships between education and society by reviewing a variety of theoretical perspectives (structural-functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism) and empirical studies. Topics include social mobility and stratification; social reproduction; the dynamics of race, class, and gender in education; social capital; the student-teacher relationship; past/current school policies; and higher education. Major contemporary issues of formal schooling, such as desegregation, digital schooling, global comparisons, and the education of immigrant children are also addressed.