EDUCATION IN A POLARIZED AND UNEQUAL SOC

The rise in political polarization and social inequality over the past few decades has challenged the ideals that public schools were founded on nearly two centuries ago. In the past few years, we have witnessed a surge in homophobic, racist, misogynist, and xenophobic rhetoric in our society and our schools. At the same time, teachers in classrooms across this country have been engaged in the difficult work of challenging oppression and injustice in their schools, communities, and nation. These teachers know that the future of our democracy is at stake. Using a historical and sociological framework, this course examines the past and present conditions that have led to political polarization, escalating inequality, and persistent injustice. It seeks to examine the lineage of racism, sexism, nativism, and imperialism on our nation and its schools and to consider the extent to which these challenges are uniquely American or part of a more global phenomenon. It offers an introduction to the deep current of American social, political, and economic culture that many argue has produced the challenges that our nation faces today: personal and political gain marred by intolerance, derived from wealth, and rooted in the history of segregation, sexism, and exploitation. Instead of seeing these challenges as separate entities, the course acknowledges the intersectional nature of power and politics. Students will consider how these conditions affect their roles as educators and the lives of the youth and families in their schools and communities. They will leave the course with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the historical and sociological antecedents that have contributed to polarization, inequity, and injustice around the globe.