Fall 2009 Doctoral Seminars

J762 Culture Wars and the Struggle over Curriculum

Instructor: Jesse Goodman
When: 1:00P-03:45PM on Thursdays
Where: School of Education Room 3004

Course Description: In this seminar, we will explore historical and contemporary cultural struggles over what should be taught U.S. public schools.  As many scholars have noted, public schools are one of several social locations where, as citizens of an imperfect democracy, we have fought to influence the nature of our society and the conception of who we are as a people.  Some of the struggles to be examined are over: social studies and history, new math, science, sex education, religion, and language arts.  This seminar will identify who (social classes and activists) have been advocates for particular curricula, why they promote this curriculum, and the impact this advocacy has had on the schooling of our young people, and what this schooling means for our society.