Required Texts:
Tatum, Beverly Daniel (1997). "Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?" and other conversations about race. New York: Basic Books.
Lee, Enid; Menkert, Deborah & Okazawa-Rey, Margo (1998). Beyond heroes and holidays: A practical guide to K-12 antiracist, multicultural education and staff development. Washington, DC: Network of Educators on the Americas.
Anderson, Elijah (1999). Code of the street: decency, violence, and the moral life of the inner city. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Kozol, Jonathan (2000). Ordinary resurrections. New York: Crown Publishers.
Michie, Greg (1999). Holler if you hear me: The education of a teacher and his students. New York: Teachers College Press.
Haberman, Martin (1995). Star teachers of children in poverty. West Lafayette, IN: Kappa Delta Pi.
Ladson-Billings, Gloria (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Other readings as assigned. These will be handed out in class.
Course Attendance and Due Date Policy:
1. Attendance, class preparation, and class participation. Attendance
involves coming to class on time and staying for the entire class.
Two unexcused absences will result in a drop of one-third letter
of your final grade, i.e. B to B-. Each additional absence results
in another drop of one-third-letter grade. Preparation involves
completing readings and written assignments and bringing the texts
assigned for the week to class. Participation involves asking
questions, making comments, participation in class activities,
sharing reactions and providing feedback.
This course emphasizes discussion and participation in a collaborative and cooperative manner. Therefore, in order for this course to work, you must attend and be prepared to participate. In addition, our class sessions are structured on the premise that learning is a cooperative and collaborative activity. Your absence from class will diminish all of our learning.
We will be reading and discussing many controversial, politically
and emotionally
charged issues in this class. Therefore, it is critical that we
respect one another's voices,
perspectives, and experiences; that we listen to each other and
ask thoughtful questions
of one another; and that we argue the point not the person. Respecting
a person does not
necessitate agreeing with the person.
Occasionally we may do in-class "quick writes" where you will address some aspect of the reading for the week. This will count as part of class participation.
2. Due Dates. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class meeting. Failure to turn in an assignment on the due date may result in a lowered grade. If there are justifiable extenuating circumstances, i.e., illness requiring medical attention or family emergency, contact me prior to the due date and we will negotiate a new due date. Readings will be discussed the week they are listed as the assignment to be read.
Evaluation of Student Performance:
Assignments:
"My Culture, My Lens" Paper: 5 - 7-page essay where you identify and examine your cultural heritage, culture and experiences through a discussion and analysis that incorporates the readings in Tatum and Lee, Menkart & Okazawa-Rey. Use the readings to help you make sense of your life experiences and how you see the world today. A strong paper will effectively weave together an analysis of one's own experiences, beliefs, traditions and practices through the use of the texts listed above.
Use the questions below to guide your thoughts in structuring this essay.
What cultural groups do you identify with? Discuss your family culture in terms of the values, beliefs, and goals about life success that you learned. What are some verbal and non-verbal communication skills that identify proper behavior or conversely "wrong" behavior? How were you socialized, and by whom, to become a participant in the cultural practices you value today? How has your culture helped or hindered you in school? (Think about the previous question in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, etc. If you find yourself thinking that these characteristics were not a factor in your life, read that as a sign that they helped rather than hindered you and analyze your experiences from a position of privilege rather than marginalization.)
How does your own culture, your own experiences, and your own upbringing inform how you think about the world? Describe the kinds of changes you have made in your own cultural practices as you have moved into adulthood and developed your own cultural practices. In what ways are these cultural practices of your adulthood similar to or different from the cultural practices of your nuclear family? Discuss why you think you have changed or stayed with particular cultural practices.
If you would like audio feedback instead of written feedback for the "My Culture, My Lens" paper, please provide the instructor with a cassette or microcassette tape with your name on it when you turn your paper in.
Analysis of Interview with Person Who Lives/Works or Has Lived/Worked in an Inner City Context: This assignment involves contacting and gaining permission to interview a person who has or had substantial life experiences in an inner city context. The instructor will assist you in finding someone to interview if you are not able to find someone on your own. Be certain that the person whom you select to interview has experiences in an inner city context, not just "in the city." If you would like to tape record the interview, be sure to gain the interviewee's permission in advance of the actual interview session.
Develop a set of interview questions. For example, you may want to learn about the conditions and characteristics of the inner city context the interviewee has/had experience with. Find out about the neighborhood, people, activities and culture. If the person grew up in an inner city, ask questions related to the interviewee's educational experiences. Ask the person to share stories that help you understand his or her life in an inner city context. Find out about the people that are/were important in his or her life. How does race, class, gender, religion, sexuality or whatever conditions the interviewee shares impact the context and experiences? Think about what the interviewee shared and how the information does or doesn't compare to the conditions and life experiences in the inner city contexts described by Anderson and Kozol.
Develop a 5 - 7 page paper highlighting key points from your
interview in narrative form. Use the readings by Anderson and
Kozol as your primary sources to analyze and make sense of what
you learned from the interview. You may also include connections
to Tatum and Lee, et al., if you find these readings relevant.
However. Anderson and Kozol should be the key texts that inform
this paper. Attach a copy of your interview questions as an appendix.
(This appendix is not part of the 5 - 7 page narrative and analysis.)
Consider sharing a copy of your paper with the person you interviewed.
Plan a five-minute presentation of interview highlights and present this orally to the class.
Effective Pedagogies for Educating Youth in High-Poverty, Urban Contexts: 5 - 7 page synthesis essay limited to the readings from the course. In particular you should make use of the texts that have not been used in other writing assignments, i.e., Michie, Haberman, and Ladson-Billings. Synthesis of these three texts should provide the foundation of your paper. You may also incorporate pedagogical issues described in Kozol and Lee, et al., though these should be secondary to the other three texts. From the readings and our class discussions, synthesize what you believe to be some critical issues (structural and pedagogical) for educators to be aware of in the mis-education of urban youth and discuss examples of effective practice and reform. As you write this paper, avoid discussing one author's ideas, then another's, then another's, etc. This approach makes for a very weak paper. Instead, look for themes that connect the three authors and structure your synthesis around those themes.
Think of this paper as a research paper and our course texts
as the references you will
cite. This paper should clearly demonstrate that you have carefully
read our course texts
and thought about the issues they present.
Guidelines for Written Assignments
Content and form are equally important in writing. The quality of the form impacts the reader's ability to comprehend the content. Here are some things I look for in a well-written paper:
Begin with a strong introduction, which provides the reader a "road map" for the rest of the paper. Include a thesis statement in the introduction. Avoid listing the names of books and articles that you will be referencing in the paper.
Clarity: Are the points clear? Can the reader make sense of (comprehend) what you write?
Cohesiveness: This is how the paper "hangs together." Does the paper flow logically from one point to the next? Transitions between paragraphs and sections are important. Avoid abrupt shifts from one idea to the next.
Voice: Can your voice as the author be heard in the paper? Or, does it sound like a third-person summary of someone else's text/s? Can the reader easily discern the author's position on the issues critiqued or otherwise addressed in the paper?
Substance: Are the points/issues raised in the paper dealing with substantive issues rather than trivial ones? (i.e., focus on making meaning of the author's words)
Summarizing: Avoid it. Use clear, concise, and concrete examples to illustrate a point.
All written assignments must be typed (10 or 11 point font) and double-spaced with one inch margins on all sides. Number the pages. Include a cover page with your name, date, and the course and section number.
Length of Paper: (Example) For a 5 page minimum requirement,
I expect a minimum of five
complete pages of text. Use a guideline of 250 words per page
to determine adequate length. I do lower grades for papers that
do not meet the minimum length requirement. Avoid exceeding the
maximum 7 page limit. If you find that your paper is longer, work
on cutting back to include only the most critical points.
Format: Use APA guidelines attached to this syllabus for all citations. Bibliographies are not required except to list any text referenced that is not required reading for this course.
Rewrites: I encourage and accept rewrites if you are not satisfied
with your grade. However, I am more likely to change a grade for
content revisions than technical revisions. You should seek out
help for technical revisions before the paper is submitted. If
the technical aspect of writing is not one of your strengths,
make an appointment with ASAP (Academic Support and Achievement
Program) located on the first floor of the Library (753-4309)
before your paper is due to work with one of the writing tutors
there, or have someone you know who is a strong writer review
your paper before it is due.
For a rewrite to be considered, you must attach the original paper
and comments. The quality and content of the paper must be substantially
improved in order for a rewrite to result in a changed grade.
Rewrites are due the class period following the return of your
paper.
Evaluation:
"My Culture, My Lens" - Paper 1/3 of Final Grade
"Analysis of Interview with Person Who Lives/Works Has Lived/Worked
in an Inner City Context" Paper - 1/3 of Final Grade
"Effective Pedagogies for Educating Youth in High-Poverty,
Urban Contexts" Synthesis Paper - 1/3 of Final Grade
___________
Grading Scale:
A+ 4.1 - 4.3
A 3.8 - 4.09
A- 3.4 - 3.79
B+ 3.1 - 3.39
B 2.8 - 3.09
B- 2.4 - 2.79
C+ 2.1 - 2.39
C 1.8 - 2.09
C- 1.4 - 1.79
D+ 1.1 - 1.39
D 0.8 - 1.09
D- 0.5 - 0.79
E Below 0.4
Students with Disabilities:
SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible. Any requests for accommodations will be reviewed in a timely manner to determine their appropriateness to this setting.
Goals/Objectives of the Course:
To analyze ourselves as cultural beings in an effort to understand the assumptions we bring to our interpretations of life in and out of the classroom through the cultural lenses that we use.
"We too often mistake our own experiences as the experiences
of others."
Sociologist Norman Denzin
To provide an in-depth examination of individual prejudices and institutionalized "-isms" and their roles in the mis-education of urban youth, with an emphasis on African American youth.
To analyze the multiple causes of school failure among students in urban schools, with an emphasis on African American youth.
To examine the impact of heavily bureaucratized urban school systems on teachers and students.
To discern strategies for effective practice in urban schools-indeed, all schools--supported by research and theory.
"What we need is not a history of selected races or nations,
but the history of the world, void of national biases, race, hate,
and religious prejudice."
Carter G. Woodson, 1933
Tentative Schedule:
Readings should be completed prior to the class period in which they are assigned.
- Bring an object (or several!) to class that reflects your cultural practices, values, history, or beliefs. Be prepared to stand in front of the class and introduce yourself via your cultural artifact. Plan a two-minute presentation.
Read: Introduction through Chapter 6 (pp. ix-113), in Why Are All the Black Kids Siitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum.
- Read: Chapters 7 - 10 (pp. 114 - 206), in Why Are All the Black Kids Siitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel in Tatum.
Video: Ethnic Notions
- Read: pp. 1- 86 in Beyond Heroes and Holidays by Lee, Menkart & Okazawa-Rey Activity: Noticing Difference and Personal Cultural History Exercise
GRADING RUBRIC
A This essay is superior and outstanding, thoroughly addressing
all aspects
of the assignment. Though it may have minor flaws, this essay
is fully developed
and generally very well written. Skill and sophistication in word
choice, sentence
and paragraph structure, overall emphasis, development, and organization
of
ideas distinguish it. This grade is reserved for truly exemplary
work.
B This essay is very good and reflects a better than average response to the assignment. It is well organized and developed, but it is weaker than the superior essay in some ways. Although it is well written, it may slight one part of the assignment; it may have minor problems with organization or development; it may have some minor grammatical problems; or it may show less sophistication in word choice or sentence structure.
C This essay is good with an adequate or satisfactory response to the assignment. The writing is clearly competent, but this essay is weaker than the superior or very good essay in any of several areas. It may omit part of the assignment; its insights may be general and superficial; it may be less clearly organized or less fully developed; it may have more than a few sentences marred by awkward or ungrammatical constructions, errors in mechanics (punctuation and spelling), or imprecise use of words.
D This essay is minimally acceptable and barely meets the requirements of the assignment. The writing is less than competent and usually shows problems in several areas. The emphasis and organization may be unclear, the development weak, the ideas inadequately supported, the paragraphs and sentences poorly structured, or the use of words inaccurate. The writing may also show some problems with grammar and mechanics. The essay is strong enough to earn a passing grade.
E This essay reflects unacceptable work, which does not meet the requirements of the assignment and therefore does not earn a passing grade. It has major deficiencies in organization, development, paragraphing, sentence structure, word choice, grammar, and/or mechanics.
HOW TO CITE QUOTATIONS AND PARAPHRASING OF IDEAS-APA STYLE
"When quoting, always provide the author, year, and specific page citation in the text, and include a complete reference in the reference list" (Darnell, 1998, p. 47).
Or, if you omit material from the original source, set it off with three ellipsis points as in the following example:
Darnell (1998) suggests one should "always provide the
author, year, and specific page citation . . . and include a
complete reference in the reference list" (p. 47) when quoting.
For a quote of 40 or more words, block it off by indenting 5 spaces
from the left margin and single spacing. The end mark comes before
the citation in blocked quotations. Don't use quotation marks.
For instance:
Direct quotations must be accurate. The quotation must follow the wording, spelling, and interior punctuation of the original source, even if the source is incorrect. If any incorrect spelling, punctuation, or grammar in the source might confuse readers, insert the word sic, underlined and bracketed (i.e., [sic]), immediately after the error in the quotation. (Dragnet, 1987, pp. 567-568)
To give credit where you summarized or paraphrased someone else's idea, just provide the citation-no quotations are necessary. For example:
Delpit (1994) argues that children who live in communities considered marginalized by the dominant culture should be taught that certain codes of power exist and that one must operate within those codes in certain contexts to be successful.
Or, conversely:
Children who live in communities considered marginalized by the dominant culture should be taught that certain codes of power exist and that one must operate within those codes in certain contexts to be successful (Delpit, 1994).
To show that more than one author supports a particular point, list each author in alphabetical order:
Students perform best in educational contexts where teachers have high expectations and include students' real life experiences as part of the curriculum (Delpit, 1994; Haberman, 1996; Ladson-Billings, 1994; and Nieto, 1996).
Cite only the author's last name--not book, chapter, or article title.