Social Opportunity and Educational Policy (303-0-20)

Instructors

Bren Lee Anderson

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall 303: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Social Opportunity and Educational Policy is an academic course designed for students interested in examining the discrepancies between the promises of educational policy and its actual impact on social opportunity. The course aims to deepen students' socio-political understanding of how educational policies are enacted and implemented and their broader implications.

Through critical analysis, students will explore how social contexts, interconnected with educational systems and policies, contribute to perpetuating or reducing inequalities throughout the educational pipeline, spanning pre-kindergarten through higher education. The course investigates how schools, families, and communities shape student outcomes, with particular emphasis on the interplay between these environments and larger social inequalities, including race, class, and gender.

Students will engage in ongoing discussions on topics related to power, identity, and educational policy, fostering an academic lens to analyze these complex issues. By the end of the course, students will have developed a deeper understanding of social opportunity as it relates to themselves, others, and society at large.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-Registration -- Reserved for SESP Students until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites, if applicable. ANTIREQ: Students cannot enroll in this course if they have completed SOC_POL 351-0 "Social Opportunity and Educational Policy."