Civil Rights and Education

Catalog description

Examination of civil rights policies and educational equity in the U.S. from the perspectives of law, social science, accountability policy. Civil Rights and Education will examine civil rights policies and educational equity in the United States from the perspectives of social science, education policy, and law. The aims of the course are to build students' understanding of the key principles of civil rights policies and the sources of contention in civil rights, and to enhance students' capacity for participating in issues of civil rights and education through project-based work. We will begin by considering what it means to have an opportunity to learn and how it has been defined. The course will then consider legal and policy developments since the "Brown" decision that have both expanded and constrained the opportunity for certain groups of students. The course is primarily focused on national developments, but does include a focus specifically on educational opportunity in Pennsylvania. The course concludes by considering recent civil rights developments and prospects for the future. Cross Listings: EDLDR 542 will be added as a cross-listed course.