BEDUC 230 A: Culture, Knowledge, and Education Dolberry-Winter17

From the University of Washington at Bothell Mission

[UWB strives to] build an inclusive and supportive community of learning
and incorporate multicultural content and diverse perspectives on ethnic
and racial groups, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and special
needs.
Statement

School of Educational Studies Diversity Statement

BEDUC The School of Educational Studies is an inclusive community that strives

230 A to support and enhance multifaceted forms of diversity in schooling and
Culture, society. Our mission for diversity rests on these premises:

- An inclusive learning environment embraces students, faculty, and staff

of different backgrounds, including but not limited to age, language,
cultural background, disability, ethnicity, family status, gender
presentation, immigration status, national origin, race, religious and
political beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and
veteran status.

- Learning communities and educational activities should focus on

honoring and serving diverse populations and fostering knowledge and
skills for understanding diversity in complex ways.

- A crucial goal of our courses and programs is to develop critically

engaged educators and citizens who promote equity and social justice
Knowledge, and Education
(5 credits)
Winter Quarter 2017
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00am 1:00pm
UW1 Room 010

Course Instructor
Instructor: Dr. Maurice E Dolberry Office: UW1
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Fridays 1 Room 136
2pm Cell:
Also by appointment 561.352.1351

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Email:
dolberry@uw.edu

Required Texts
All course readings will be available through Canvas or disbursed in class.

Course Description
This course will address the intersection of three concepts fundamental to
our time and place: culture, knowledge, and education. The intersectionality
of these concepts will be explored using simple yet complex questions such
as: What is culture? What is my culture? What is knowledge? How is
knowledge used to reify culture? And how do culture and knowledge apply
to teaching and learning? We will use perspectives from diverse disciplines
including philosophy, psychology, multicultural education, cultural and
language studies, and science. Education will be understood as extending
beyond formal school settings to include all forms of learning and instruction.
The conceptual lens we use frames these concepts in terms of positionality
and empowerment. We will analyze and deconstruct cultural privilege and
marginalization, the prioritizing of certain knowledge, and how students as
future educators must work towards social justice through educational
equity.

Course Objectives
In this course students will:

Practice and acquire strong communication skills (written and oral)

Engage in critical and self-critical analysis of various texts
Appropriately and honestly engage in critical discussion of sensitive
issues.
Discern between opinion and critical analysis (own and others)
Consider multiple perspectives
Use collaborative skills
Come to several understandings about the multi-faceted and
intersectional nature of culture as a part of social justice, knowledge
as object and knowledge as concept, and education as liberatory
praxis

Course Rationale
Despite more than three decades of concerns voiced about the disparity of
academic success between students based on race, language spoken at
home, and economic backgrounds, inequities in educational opportunities
still exist (Artiles, 2011). Misunderstandings related to the nature of
knowledge and the importance of culture are posited as key reasons for the

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continued disparity in educational opportunities. Thus, the basis for

educational and societal reforms based in social justice and equity lies at the
intersection of culture, knowledge, and education.

For example, Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule (1986) point out that
"our basic assumptions about the nature of truth and reality and the origins
of knowledge shape the way we see the world and ourselves as participants
in it. They affect our definitions of ourselves, the way we interact with
others, our public and private personae, our sense of control over life events,
our views of teaching and learning, and our conceptions of morality (p. 3).
Belenky et al. are describing aspects of the human condition. We cannot
avoid being affected by culture and the origins of societal knowledge;
however, we can learn to recognize and challenge the specific underlying
assumptions that serve to advantage some while disadvantaging others.

Course Instructional Methods

Students must work to develop meaningful understandings which go far
beyond superficial familiarity. This is necessary for effective participation in
class activities, successful completion of assignments, and the course exam.
Close reading of texts will facilitate more in-depth learning. Group work, risk-
taking, and reflection will be used in class activities. Come to class prepared
to discuss the readings and apply them to class activities.

Class time will be spent discussing readings assigned for the course (small
group and full group activities) and engaging in workshop activities.
Learning will be dependent on collaboration with all members of the group;
therefore, it is important for everyone to commit to developing a safe
classroom community built on trust, hard work, and compassion for others.
Although we will not all have the same perspectives, everyone will be
expected to

work toward creating a positive community

consider multiple perspectives
engage in critical reflection
develop critical consciousness of issues raised in readings, by the
instructor, and by peers.

Class activities will focus on critical analysis of (1) course readings, (2)
presentations, (3) collaborative work, and (4) personal experiences and
beliefs. Expect to be exposed to new ways of thinking and seek to
understand perspectives that may appear to contradict fundamental beliefs
assumed to be the norm. Be prepared to change previously held notions
as you challenge yourselves, classmates, and me to think about connections
between culture, knowledge, and education.

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Experiences and previously developed knowledge are relevant to this course.

The challenge will be to develop deeper understanding of your own and
others experiences and previous knowledge, while also expanding personal
views and knowledge bases. We will focus on critical inquiry and the
development of critical consciousness, which helps develop critical practices
in every-day routines. You will never be taught what to think, but you will
learn and practice how to be purposefully analytical as you think.

Potential Weekly Schedule

This course will use Canvas as the primary source for class information. As
such, the schedule presented below is almost guaranteed to change. These
changes will appear on Canvas and may NOT be made to this calendar, so
the best choice, if you choose to work from this Word document, is to
download it, regularly check Canvas, and then update the schedule below
yourself.

Wee Topic Assignment Due

Date
k
1 3 Jan Who I am
5 Jan Becoming a self-critical multiculturalist Discussion board #1
2 10 Jan Just, equitable, fair
12 Jan Who we are: Race and ethnicity Discussion board #2
3 17 Jan What we have: Socioeconomic status Critical Question #1
19 Jan How we live: Gender and sexuality Discussion board #3
4 24 Jan The inexorable: Ability and age
26 Jan What we believe: Religion Discussion board #4
What we know: Conceptions of (Auto)biographical
5 31 Jan
knowledge Book Insights
2 Feb How we know: Epistemology Discussion board #5
6 7 Feb This, I know: Ontology and knowledge Critical Question #2
This I believe: Intersections of culture
9 Feb
and knowledge
14
7 What we learn and where we learn it
Feb
16
No Class Discussion board #6
Feb
21
8 Why we learn what we learn
Feb
23
Education in formal environments Discussion board #7
Feb
28
9 Culture, Knowledge, and Education Critical Question #3
Feb
2 Mar Transformative multicultural education
10 7 Mar What we learned: Presentations of Group Critical Inquiry

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understanding projects
What we learned: Presentations of Group Critical Inquiry
9 Mar
understanding projects
12 Critical Reflection
11 No Class
Mar paper

Classroom Community Expectations

The Classroom as a Safer Space
One of the vital aspects of a socially just physical and intellectual space is
the amount of safety it provides for its citizens. Students are required to
help create and maintain this type of safety in our classroom by constantly
engaging in thoughtful, honest, reflective, and critical dialogue. This can be
a difficult task, especially as we purposefully engage in work that involves
cultural considerations and interactions, because it is almost always of a very
personal nature. To that end, students and the instructor must always honor
our different and differing perspectives, support each others learning, and
be courageous as we engage in positive risk-taking in our education.

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Technology
Our classroom community will not only encourage, but require the proper
and respectful use of technology. Students will use laptops, smartphones,
tablets and other implements to enhance their learning experiences, both in
and out of the classroom. Used constructively, these implements can make
our class an even richer learning environment. As future professionals and
scholars, students are expected to ensure that this is the manner in which
they are used.

Attendance
Students are required to be present and on-time for each class session. In-
class performance is affected by your attendance and level of engagement,
and is an important portion of your grade as well. Barring the unforeseen,
students must pre-arrange any absences or tardiness to class. To maintain
the integrity and the importance of the learning we will do in class, any
student with excessive absences may be subject to a reduction in their
overall letter grade.

Assignments and Late Work

Circumstances sometimes preclude us from meeting stringent deadlines. If
you are having particular difficulties, please make sure to communicate with
your instructor in a timely manner to make proper arrangements. Otherwise,
students are expected to have completed and thoroughly analyzed all
assignments (readings as well as student work) before the appropriate class
session, and are expected to do work that is always commensurate with their
best efforts.

Communicating with Your Instructor

I will continuously work hard to be accessible to students. However, I do have
many obligations outside of being a faculty member at UWB. Therefore, I am
committed to:

Answering your messages within 48 hours of receipt (unless traveling or

coaching)
Being available for meetings on campus
Being available for online meetings through Canvas and Skype
Being available by phone for emergency or pressing issues

Please use the inbox in Canvas for class communication whenever it is

possible to do so. As we all know, our email inboxes can become flooded,
and I do not want to miss any important communications from you. If you
feel that you must send me an email however, please feel free to do so

Accommodations

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To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact

Disability Support Services, 425.352.5307, 425.352.5303 TDD, 425.352.5455
FAX, or at dss@uwb.edu.
If you have a letter from Disability Support Services indicating you have a
disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter
to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for class.
Please contact me should there be any other circumstance or aspect of the
course for which you might need assistance.

Academic Honesty Policy, Including the Issue of Plagiarism

All students are expected to abide by the University of Washington Bothells
Code of Academic Conduct. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?
cite=478-120 .

UWBs policies related to plagiarism are particularly relevant to this course.

The UW Bothell catalog states:

Plagiarism is the use of the creations, ideas or words of someone else

without formally acknowledging the author or source through appropriate
use of quotation marks, references, and the like. Plagiarism is stealing
someones work and presenting it as ones own original work or thought.
Student work in which plagiarism occurs will not ordinarily be accepted as
satisfactory by the instructor and may lead to disciplinary action against the
student submitting it. Any student who is uncertain whether his or her use of
the work of others constitutes plagiarism should consult the course instructor
for guidance before formally submitting the course work involved.

It is your obligation to know what constitutes plagiarism and to be sure that

you do not submit work that has been plagiarized. In my experiences, most
plagiarism occurs inadvertently. If you have any doubt about whether your
work is cited properly or academically original, do not hesitate to consult me
or another reputable source, such as the UWB Writing Center. Please be
aware that misrepresenting work is considered academic misconduct,
whether it is on purpose or by accident. Critical questions and reflections
must be original and authentic for them to be useful to you and to our class.

Overview of Assignments and Grade Values

Students will engage in a variety of forms of assessment, including reflective,
formal, and peer-based. You will do work both individually and in small
groups. The descriptions below give you a general idea of what each
assignment entails. For the major assignments, you will receive
supplemental instructions as they are assigned. Do NOT attempt to get a
head start on any major assignment without express permission from the
instructor, as the course is designed to build your skills and understandings
in a way that makes the chronology of these major assignments critical.

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Weekly
1. Discussion Board Posts (6 points each)
Each week, you will be given a prompt to reflect on the readings and class
activities on the Angel discussion board for our class. You must comment
thoughtfully (at least one insightful paragraph) on the question or
statement in the prompt, and you must respond to at least one of your
classmates posts in order to receive the full 6 points.

2. Class Participation
Scoring: (Self: 10 weeks X 2 points each = 20 points; Instructor = 30 points;
Total = 50 points)
You are expected to participate actively in class activities and discussions.
At the end of each class, students will be asked to assess their own
participation on a 2 point scale (0=no participation; 1=did some of the
readings, participated in some course discussion; 2=did all of the
readings, participated fully in course discussion). You will write the date
and your self-assessed score on the inside of your name placard and turn
it in each week.
At the end of the quarter your instructor will also assess your in-class
participation and will assign up to 30 discretionary points to your overall
participation grade

Bi-Weekly
3. Critical Questions (30 points each)
You will demonstrate personal, critical reflective responses to course
readings, films, discussions, and class activities
It includes a summary of an idea, model, or theory from the readings
You will demonstrate the connection to other concepts covered in class or
readings.
You will ask a contextualized, open-ended question that pushes us to think
about the big issues related to the concept you are addressing.

4. Tests (10 points each)

Consists of one (1) short answer or essay response to a questions or
prompt.

Major Assignments
5. (Auto)biography Book Reflection (due: 7 Feb)
Scoring: (Instructor = 90 points; Peer assessment = 10 points; Total = 100
points)
You will read one of the (auto)biographical texts listed on Canvas and craft
a guided written reflection
This assignment will be brought to class for peer-review

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6. Group Critical Inquiry ePortfolio (due 14 Mar)

Scoring: (Instructor = 150 points)
This team project consists of building an ePortfolio.

Grading Scale*
A 4.0-3.9 100-97% C 2.1-1.9 76-74%
A- 3.8-3.5 96%-90% C- 1.8-1.5 73-70%
B+ 3.4-3.2 89-87 % D+ 1.4-1.2 69-67%
B 3.1-2.9 86-84 % D 1.1-0.9 66-63%
B- 2.8-2.5 83-80% D- 0.8-0.7 62-60%
C+ 2.4-2.2 79-77% E 0.0 Academic failure. No credit
earned.
*source: http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html

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General Appendix of Resources

Venn Diagram of
Social Justice

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Letter from a Birmingham jail

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A Framework for Agency in Social Justice

Social Justice Issue Framework

What? Descriptions So What? Now What?

Implications Actions
History Current Status

Social Analysis: Social Analysis: Implications ACTION:

1. Who made 1. Who is relevant to:
the making
decisions? the Needs Leadership
2. How were decisions? Broad /
the 2. How are General Advocacy
decisions the Specific /
made? decisions Personal Activism
3. Who being
benefited made? Impact Organizing
from the 3. Who is Social
decisions? benefiting Economic Personal
How do from the Local, State,
Political
you know? decisions? National,
4. Who bore How do Ethical/Mor International
the cost? you know? al Benefits / Risks
Short-term? 4. Who is Other
Long-term? bearing (equity, Personal
the cost? access, Statement:
Short-term? etc.)
Long-term? Reflection
Democratic Message
Practices
Emotion
Schools
Connection
Institutions
Commitme
Social
nt
Structures

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Prompts for Reflective/Insightful Participation

I identified with because

I now more fully realize because

I now more clearly see because

I now better understand because

I now am more aware of because

I now see the need for because

I discovered that which enhances my understanding of

I felt transformed when . . .

I now am questioning because

I was especially surprised by because

I am still wondering about because

I continue to struggle with because

My thinking/feelings about have been reinforced because

My thinking/feelings about have been challenged because

My thinking/feelings about have changed because

I originally assumed . . . but my assumptions have changed because . . .

Connections that I made between the course content and my own

professional practice ...

Connections that I made between course concepts/theories and the

characters/incidents/events in real-life stories

An insight I gained from first-hand experience that I could not have gotten

from class or reading activities . . .

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(Auto)Biographical Book Choices

Betts, R.D. (2010). A question of freedom: A memoir of learning, survival,
and coming of age in prison. New York: Penguin Group.

Dyson, M. E. (2006). Holler if you hear me: Searching for Tupac Shakur.
New York: Basic Civitas Books.

Horton, M. (with Kohl, J., & Kohl, H.). (1998). The long haul: An
autobiography. New York: Teachers College Press.

Jennings, K. (2006). Mamas boy, preachers son: A memoir. Boston, MA:

Beacon Press.

Kersjes, M. (with Layden, J.). (2002). A smile as big as the moon: A special
education teacher, his class, and their inspiring journey through U.S. space
camp. New York, NY: St. Martins Griffin.

Maathai, W. M. (2003). Unbowed: A memoir. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Mankiller, W., & Wallis, M. (1993). Mankiller: A chief and her people. New
York: St. Martins Griffin. ISBN 0-312-20662-3

Mar, M. E. (1999). Paper daughter: A memoir. New York: Perennial.

Martinez, R. (2001). Crossing over: A Mexican family on the migrant trail.

New York: Picador.

Moses, R. P., & Cobb, Jr., C. E. (2001). Radical equations: Civil rights from
Mississippi to the Algebra Project. Boston: Beacon Press.

Wilkerson, I. (2010). The warmth of other suns: The epic story of Americas
Great Migration. New York: Random house, Inc.

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References
Artiles, A. J. (2011). Toward an interdisciplinary understanding of educational
equity and difference: The case of racialization of ability. Educational
Researcher, 40(9), 431-445.

Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., & Tarule, J. (1986). Womens ways of
knowing: The development of self, voice, and mind. New York: Basic Books.

Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of freedom: Ethics, democracy, and civic courage.

New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

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