Education and the Culture Wars: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

1 Course Unit

America is wracked by "culture wars," pitting different moral and religious values against each other. But these conflicts are hardly new. Since the founding of the Republic, we have battled over religion, sex, gender, and race. And many of these conflicts have entered our schools, which remain our primary vehicle for deliberating and determining who we are. What languages should we use in school? What should we teach young people about sex? About race? About religion? Most of all, what stories should we tell about the nation itself? This course will probe these issues and also help students write primary-source research papers that examine different culture wars in American education. Fall 1 Course Unit