Some or all of the following methods of instruction may be used:
- Lecture
- Small Group Exercises
- Class Discussion
- Audio-Visual Materials
- Guest Speakers
- Sociological approaches to studying education
- Classical theoretical approaches and their application to educational issues
- Contemporary theoretical perspectives and their application to educational issues
- Historical dimensions of Canadian education
- Education and socialization
- The social organization of teaching and learning
- Schooling and work
- Social inequality and education
- The social context of educational policy
- Contemporary educational challenges and reforms
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Discuss how ideas about education have changed over history
- Define intended and unintended consequences of schooling
- Use classical sociological theories (Marx, Weber, and Durkheim) to understand schooling
- Apply contemporary sociological theories to current educational issues
- Discuss the informal socialization that occurs in the educational system
- Define “hidden curriculum”
- Describe the relationship between formal education and labour markets
- Describe the relationship of social class to education
- Describe the relationship of gender to education
- Describe the relationship of race and ethnicity to education
- Explain social influences on educational curriculum
- Discuss the nature of schools as workplaces
- Distinguish between teaching and pedagogy.
Evaluation will take place in accordance with Douglas College policy. Evaluation will be based on course objectives and may include quizzes, exams, critical essays, literature reviews, term/research projects and/or oral presentations. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.
An example of one evaluation scheme:
Two midterm exams | 40% |
One annotated bibliography | 10% |
One research project | 25% |
One final exam | 25% |
Total | 100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
Examples of textbooks that may be used for this course include:
Barakett, Joyce and Ailie Cleghorn (2008). Sociology of Education: An Introductory View from Canada. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Davies, Scott and Neil Guppy (2006). The Schooled Society: An Introduction to the Sociology of Education. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
Wotherspoon, Terry (2004). The Sociology of Education in Canada: Critical Perspectives. Toronto: Oxford University Press.