Higher Education Administration for Social Justice & Equity: Achievable or Only Dreamable?

3 units

Higher education has long been the subject of much general public interest and discourse. Understanding the complexity of the system, its history, practices, and expertise will help define whether and how campuses can work toward social justice and equity. In this course, students will study the history, policies, and organizational decisions that underly the current state of higher education in America. These perspectives and theories will be studied with an eye toward social justice and understanding possible changes that may lead toward equity on American college campuses. Through engaged discussions around readings and case studies, students will tackle complex social questions, including: how our college campuses became so complex? Why pervasive social issues, such as system racism, sexism, and classism, continue to exist on our campuses? How and when technology and the SAT/ACT began to rule our lives in college? Perhaps even deeper, students will grapple with finding alternate, more socially just, and equitable alternatives to create more equity on our campuses. Prerequisite: Completion of any 1000, 2000, or 3000-level Education course, graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Enrollment Note: Undergraduate students must enroll in Educ. 4022, and graduate students must enroll in Educ. 5222.