Disc. Diversity in Classroom

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course is designed to offer a general overview of the most pertinent issues of diversity in schooling through a discourse analytic lens. Aside from introducing classical approaches to analyzing diversity in education, the course examines the nature of classroom interaction and student identity construction, issues in and approaches to scaffolding learning among minoritized student populations, and the reinforcement of and resistance to dominant ideologies and social structures as they arise in the classroom. We will explore how differences in language, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and ability are enacted and discussed in classrooms in the U.S. and abroad, with the goal of developing a deeper understanding of the issues teachers and students face in diverse educational contexts. In addition to taking part in reading discussions, video-based analysis, and data sessions, students will conduct independent projects on issues of diversity as they arise in classroom interaction. Students will be able to use their own data or data provided by the instructor for their projects.