The Politics of Education
EDST 340
Spring 2025
| Section:
01
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This course is an introduction to the complex political processes that shape public education in the United States. This course integrates concepts from multiple fields, including political science, government, sociology, and education, to examine how education is both a site of and a tool to manage broader social conflicts. Through readings, class discussions, and assignments, we will grapple with the following questions: Who governs public education in the United States? What forces and processes shape the formulation, enactment, and impact of education policies? How do educators, parents, and youth wield power to propel or resist education policy decisions? How do institutions of higher education, philanthropic organizations, governmental agencies, and other organizations influence the trajectory of education policy? This course will also introduce students to analytic tools that will allow them to unpack and interpret the politics surrounding education. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS EDST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (EDST-MN)(EDST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Sample Readings include: Cabrera, N., Meza, E., Romero, A., & Rodríguez, R.C. (2013). ¿If there is no struggle, there is no progress¿: Transformative youth activism and the school of ethnic studies. The Urban Review, 45, 7-22. Horsford, S. D., Scott, J. T., & Anderson, G. L. (2018). The politics of education policy in an era of inequality: Possibilities for democratic schooling. Routledge. Lay, J. Celeste. (2022). Public schools, private governance: Education reform and democracy in New Orleans. Temple University Press. Morel, D., & Nuamah, S. (2020). Who governs? How shifts in political power shape perceptions of local government services. Urban Affairs Review, 56(5), 1503-1528. Welner, K. G. (2001). Legal rights, local wrongs: When community control collides with educational equity. SUNY Press. Additional readings will be available on the course Moodle site.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Students will be evaluated on the following: Weekly discussion posts One critical reading response One observation of a board of education meeting and short reflection Final paper and in-class presentation analyzing an education policy decision. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course satisfies the Category 2 requirement for EDST majors and minors. |
| Instructor(s): Butler,Alisha Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: FISK312; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 0 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 2 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 13 | 1st Ranked: 7 | 2nd Ranked: 2 | 3rd Ranked: 2 | 4th Ranked: 2 | Unranked: 0 |
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