Landscapes of Urban Education: Place, Space, and Race

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This seminar explores the intersection of the physical realities of urban environments, race, and education and will be a question-based seminar. As a group we will work to answer a cluster of questions surrounding the course topic in a systematic, interdisciplinary format. Questions may include: How does the physical landscape/structure of schools matter to urban education? How does the high concentration of poverty and racial segregation impact curriculum, school culture, and neighborhood? How do early childhood programming, college preparatory programs, and after-school programs factor into the landscape of urban education? What are "best practices" involved with teaching in urban environments? The final question we will work on as a group will be: What are the implications of what we know about race and urban landscapes in propelling positive micro- and macro-level change for our educational system? This course demands a high level of class participation and student initiative.