Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of the impact of social diversity on schooling in Canada exploring contemporary issues and perspectives on diversity education as they relate to cultural, ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, and gender differences.

COURSE DETAILS:

The aim of this course is for students to develop the language with which to begin to understand and dialogue about issues related to diversity in education from a critical social justice framework.

A social justice approach to diversity refers to specific theoretical perspectives that recognize that society is stratified (i.e., divided and unequal) in significant and far-reaching ways along social group lines that include race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. Critical social justice recognizes inequality as deeply embedded in the fabric of society (i.e., as structural), and actively seeks to change this. Specifically this course will introduce students to key concepts in social justice education including: critical thinking, socialization, group identity, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, power, privilege, and White supremacy.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

The course activities are organized with attention to the following learning objectives. By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

• Articulate a social justice perspective, as a lens of academic inquiry;
• Recognize and explain how relations of unequal social power are constantly being negotiated at both the micro (individual) and macro (structural) levels in institutions including but not limited to schools;
• Understand and describe one’s own positions within these relations of unequal power;
• Develop a vocabulary and understanding of the key concepts with which to examine issues of diversity in Canadian schools using the theoretical tools of critical social justice;
• Improve one’s critical thinking skills.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: