2012-2013 Academic Catalog

May 05, 2024

2012-2013 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

EDUC 060 - Public Schools and Democracy

Type of Course: First-Year Seminar

From Colonial times to the present, Americans have looked to free public education to be the main instrument for all citizens to access political maturity and equality, as well as economic opportunity. In 1848, educator Horace Mann wrote: “Education … is the great equalizer of the conditions of men—the balance—wheel of the social machinery.” In this seminar, using primary documents-laws, reports, and court decisions—both historical and contemporary, we will explore both the historical context and, especially, the current realities in public schools, to determine how effective they have been and are at present in carrying out this crucial responsibility.