bon appétit! WHAT WAS THE LAST MEAL YOU ATE? Think about it for a moment. What were the major ingredients? Did it have spices like pepper, salt or cayenne? Was it made with things like flour, eggs, or oil? Assuming you could name these ingredients, can you now identify where these items originated? Where were they were processed? From where were they were distributed before you obtained them as your meal?

Also, Why, in a course about education, would I ask you a question about food?

The title of this course is Schools in a Democratic Society. The EMU catalog description states that SOFD 328 is "a study of the interactive relationship between schools and society, and the development of culturally responsible pedagogy; Special emphasis on educational equity and the theoretical foundations of multicultural education."

As a way to help us explore that content, we will approach this course through the framework of EcoJustice Education. This means we will address the issue of the relationship between schools and society by doing deep cultural analyses of the complexities of our so-called, “Western” society. Basically, we will critically examine some of the major relationships (more specifically “discourses”) that exist in this society and try to understand how education and society shape each other.

328 SOFD

Teaching for a Diverse, Democratic & Sustainable

Society

FA 2011

Instructor Lindsey Scalera

OFFICE: 311A PORTER

EMAIL: lscalera@emich.edu

Schedule meetings by appointment

SECTION:

13381 (11:00)

CREDIT HOURS:

3 Credits

PREREQUISITES:

Admission to the College of Education

an introduction

SOFD 328

2

Essential Question

This course is focused around an essential question:

“What does it mean to educate for a diverse,

democratic & sustainable world?”

As we explore the EQ, and see where it leads us, we will also use these sub-essential questions as a guide:

• What is the purpose of education?

• How do society and education play a role in shaping each other?

• What does it mean to be a responsive educator?

• What responsibilities do schools have to communities?

• What is our vision for the world for which we hope to educate our students?

• What questions do we have as we prepare to educate for the future?

That said, in our short time together, it is literally an impossible task to “cover” every aspect of our society and every kind of relationship and to fully articulate the entirety of the connections between schooling and society. Instead, we will embark on a journey together. We will utilize the process of storytelling as our guide (more on that elsewhere), and as we go along, I will draw on a field of work that is close to my heart,“food justice,” to help model the process and introduce the content of the course.

So, back to my question to you about your last meal: Some of you may be able to directly answer most or all of my questions. Some of you may recall something about high fructose corn syrup or monosodium glutamate. And still, some of you may not have given the subject any thought at the time of your meal. Wherever you stand, what I want you to know is that you are part of the story of food communities. Teachers, actors, CEOs, trees, cockroaches, llamas, mushrooms… we all eat. We all have this in common.

The story of food is the story of relationships; the story of “free trade” and a global economic system. It is the story of grandmothers, of deforestation, and of immigration and assimilation. It is the story of tiny gardens being tended between tall buildings and sprawling acres of “mono crops.”

Food can tell us a lot about who we are and what we think is important, not to mention worth saving.

This semester we will learn about the importance of storytelling in its many, varied forms. You will begin to hone this craft in several ways that I hope you find relevant and interesting. Food, stories, EcoJustice, schooling and education, democracy and diversity… these things all fit together. To use a cooking metaphor: EcoJustice is the recipe Grandma told to Mom, who wrote it down for you. Storytelling is our particular process for cooking the meal. And the theme of Food is what ends up on our plate; the part we have experiences with, the part we can touch, smell & taste.

Bon Appétit!

SOFD 328

3

becoming a community of learners

This course is grounded in class discussions and writing assignments, all of which are informed by our readings and other "texts" as well as your own personal experiences with the various issues we will address.

Throughout the semester, we will become a community of learners and educational theorists. The class will often be run as a seminar with much of the responsibility for knowledge-making coming from students’ careful interpretation of the readings.

Each of you will be responsible for the knowledge that gets made in this course.

Directing Your Learning The following are tips to help you focus your learning so that you are able to be an active participant in the class AND to contribute to the community of learners. Please:

Think critically about the course contents as you complete assignments and participate in class activities

Explain to others what you have learned. Your insights, and your ability to teach others what you have learned and understand from this course through course discussions is highly valuable.

Ask others to share their knowledge, conclusions and insights with you. Utilize your listening skills to enable others to explain what they learned.

Make Connections. Think about how things we experience in this course fits into previous knowledge, especially it applies to your academic program of study.

Attend all class meetings

Complete all readings

Be prepared to discuss readings in class

Participate fully in all classroom and online discussions and activities

Keep a course notebook on all readings as preparation for in-class discussion and writings

Take notes on your reactions, ideas and thoughts while reading and during discussions and films

What does it mean to

participate in this course?

SOFD 328

4

WRITING is a main feature of assessment in this course. The ability to articulate your reflections and analysis as well as to synthesize in writing is an integral is part of the process of learning to become an educator. I will use your writing and participation in class to assess where each student is at in learning the content of the course and where the class is as a whole. This allows me to adjust my approach accordingly. All writing assignments in this course are connected to each other, the readings, and in-class activities. All of these things will help prepare us for the final project and you to embark on the journey of teaching. COACHING Because the concepts we are working with are complex and sometimes highly personal, it is important to acknowledge that each student is improves by going through a process with a guide or mentor. We will engage in an ongoing process of sharing, co-mentoring, and giving and receiving feedback. We will reflect on our writing in class. CRITICAL WRITING All teachers should be able to communicate effectively. Being an advocate for your students, yourself, your school and your community requires that you are able to think critically about any given situation, seek appropriate support and allies, collaborate with others, and clearly articulate your informed opinions and observations. Together, we will practice developing the skills of reading for critical writing and discussion.

FROM ASSESSMENT TO GRADING From the time when you turn in your first writing assignment all the way through to the last essay and reflection, I will grade you based on the following: Did you complete the assignment as

requested? Did you make an apparent, significant effort

to articulate an understanding or position on the content of the course and writing topic?

Did you incorporate any feedback you received on previous assignments?

Have your writing skills (clarity, grammar, articulation, concept development, etc.) matured?

From this assessment, I will always provide feedback on your writing, sometimes suggesting that you rewrite certain parts or the whole paper. I also invite and encourage you to take the time to meet with me, work with each other, and/or seek assistance from the Writing Center. This is especially important if you have fears about or difficulty with writing critical essays. I may require you to meet with me and will let you know if that is the case. A WORD ON ACADEMIC WRITING: Scary… Freeing. Okay, that’s two words; you pick the one you want to go with… Academic writing is one way to tell a story. I will be asking you to engage in academic writing as a way to help you learn to communicate and articulate your visions of community and education. I will do my best to support you in this process! Just remember that writing is an important part of your professional development as an educator!

Writing as Assessment Building writing skills through content analysis & synthesis

5

SOFD 328

5

READINGS Required Texts include:

• EcoJustice Education – Martusewicz, Edmundson & Lupinacci

• Ishmael – Daniel Quinn • Other documents provided

Suggested Text:

• Seedfolks – Paul Fleishman BLOG POST & RESPONSE Each student will be responsible for 10 blog posts. You will all be invited (via email) to become contributors our class blog. I will post a prompt and you each will respond to the prompt as your blog post and then follow up by responding (using comments) to two classmates blog posts. ENGAGE PROJECT Described in some more detail on page 6, we will create an open-ended final project that will engage the public in some way.

assignments

“the map is not the territory”

gregory bateson

WRTING PROJECTS You will all be responsible for a series of interconnected writing projects that are essays that require sources. Each writing project will be accompanied by a project sheet and general rubric.

1. CITIZENSHIP, ECOLOGY & SCHOOLS 2. VISION OF COMMUNITY 3. VISION OF EDUCATION PART I: WHAT

OUGHT TO BE? 4. VISION OF EDUCATION PART II: WHAT

IS?

5. ENGAGE PROJECT STRUCTURED REFLECTION & EVALUATION

GRADING 60 CITIZENSHIP, ECOLOGY & SCHOOLS 60 VISION OF COMMUNITY

60 VISION OF EDUCATION PART I 60 VISION OF EDUCATION PART II 100 ENGAGE PROJECT

20 ENGAGE PROJECT REFLECTION & COURSE EVALUATION

100 BLOG POST & RESPONSE (10 POINTS EA) 40 PARTICIPATION

Engage.

The final project of this course will involve an open-ended project and exhibition, meaning we will go through a process of inventory, decision-making, research, and action planning leading us to engage the public in some way. This might include an actual event, a blog, public artwork, a group project and reflection, a manifesto… we’ll see where our discussions and interests take us.

We will utilize the Earth Force Six-Step process to determine our project and we have the opportunity to interact with a variety of local organizations, and we can arrange.

Ultimately, this is a chance to engage in what Benjamin Barber calls, “public talk for a strong democracy.” The goal of the project is the process as well as the product.

toolbox

SOFD Resources EMU Resources Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition http://www.semiscoaltion.org Social Foundations Resources http://educationalstudies.org/ EcoJustice Education http://www.ecojusticeeducation.org Place-Based Education http://www.promiseofplace.org Rethinking Schools Magzine http://www.rethinkingschools.net Yes! Magazine http://www.yesmagazine.org

EMU Registrar http://www.emich.edu/registrar/