Public education in America has been seen as both the savior of American society and, conversely, as the cause of many of its biggest problems. At times, the institution of public education held the promise of assimilating immigrants, instilling "Americanism" and ideals of citizenship, and providing the necessary skills to youth for active participation in a changing economy. At other times, especially those of real or perceived cultural or economic crises, public education has been blamed for turning out ill-prepared students with the explicit or implicit argued result of rising crime rates and juvenile delinquency, overall economic decline, or deteriorating morals. This course will provide a historical overview of the development of public education in America, how it was perceived by the public at large, and the periodic efforts at reforming schools to meet the changing realities of American society. It will also provide a forum in which we can explore and debate the current status of education in the United States. The objective of the course is to provide historical background to current issues and debates over the nature of public education in America and to show how debates over public schooling often reflect larger societal debates over the nature of American society and culture.

1. John L. Rury, Education and Social Change: Themes in the History of American Schooling. (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002).

2. Education: Opposing Viewpoints. (Greenhaven Press, 2000).

3.  Other readings will be made available at the reserve desk in the Potter Library or through online connections.

1. Participation (25%)

2. Midterm essay examination (20%)

3.  Independent book review (15%)

3. Oral Presentation Project (20%)

4. Final examination (20%)

-or-

Service learning experience organized through the Cahill Center for Experiential Learning

-Participation is worth 25% of your final grade. This grade will be based on attendance and active participation in classroom discussions.

-Please arrive to class on time; consistently late arrivals disturb the class.

-Please bring assigned readings to class.

-All assignments will be due on the date specified; late assignments will be severely penalized.

-Become familiar with the various forms of plagiarism.  Using others' ideas without giving full credit will not be tolerated in your assignments.  If you are unsure with what constitutes plagiarism, please click here for a helpful introduction with examples from the Indiana University Writing Resource page: Students' Guide to Plagiarism.

-Keeping up with the reading is imperative in this class; if you find you are falling behind or find the reading load difficult, please contact me so that we can find the appropriate help.

-I highly encourage you to come by and see me during office hours or by appointment to discuss your progress in the class or other issues.

Any student with documented special needs should meet with me during office hours. All efforts will be made to facilitate your presence and successful completion of the course.