app.education.pitt.edu · Web viewCourse Outline Week 01: Educational Inequality, an Overview Week 02: Occupational Status and Education Week 03: Macro Theories of Stratification

The University of PittsburghAdministrative and Policy Studies

ADMPS 3003, Doctoral Core I “Social Theory and Educational Inequality” 3 CreditsFall 2016

4317 Posvar Hall1:00-3:40 PM Wednesday

Sean Kelly, PhD4308 Posvar HallOffice: (412) [email protected] hours: by appointment

Social Theory and Educational Inequality

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Course Overview

Description

In order to understand educational systems, it is crucial to understand the plurality of forces acting to create (or ameliorate) social stratification. Despite some discussion of the level of educational productivity in the U.S. compared to other nations, the main educational problem in the U.S. is the high level of educational inequality, not average productivity. Educational inequality stems in large part from the stratified nature of our society, and is in turn generative of future inequality in the labor market and other aspects of society. We begin this class with a summary examination of educational inequality, just to get the basic findings on the table and an initial set of resources for recent estimates of educational inequality. We then turn to a brief survey of major theories of social stratification, and major empirical findings on status attainment and inequality at the macro level. Schools do generate inequality, but also opportunity; it is a glass half-full (or empty) situation. We then move to a series of topics at the micro-level, that is, social forces acting on schooling that can be readily measured at the level of individuals and families. The concepts and theories overviewed in this course provide a general framework for much research in Administrative and Policy Studies.

Goals and Learning Objectives

The main goal in this course is to provide an overview of major social theories pertaining to research in ADMPS. The theories have been selected to, as much as possible, complement rather than overlap with other courses offered in ADMPS and in the Pitt School of Education. Many of the theories considered are very broad, over-arching theories (e.g. “status competition” or “social identity theory”). One set of major theoretical emphases in ADMPS are organizational theories of schooling that inform leadership and policy research; those are treated in ADMPS 3314 Educational Reform. Specific objectives include:

1. Consideration of theoretical frameworks and concepts used in education research, including examples of these theories in empirical studies of schooling. I have tried to select examples that span the range of educational settings and that do not duplicate readings/topics in other courses.

2. Exposure to epistemological and theoretical diversity in educational research. Although concepts are sometimes attributed to specific scholars, we try to consider the concept as encountered across disciplines/scholars and from multiple vantage points (e.g. social capital as both generating inequality and promoting social goods; cultural capital but not just Bourdieu).

3. Understanding of the origins and trajectory of social theory in educational research (e.g. Dweck’s research on mindset in relation to achievement goal theory).

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4. Exposure to some popular press articulations of social theory. These are certainly excellent resources for teaching but might also be relied on for generating ideas for future research.

Course Readings and Required Texts

We have two required texts for this course, which we will do multiple readings from, and that will serve as resources for you on additional theoretical topics:

Grusky, D. B. (Ed.). (2014). Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

G. J. Duncan & R. J. Murnane (Eds.). (2011). Whither opportunity: Rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

The “Grusky Reader” was first published in 1994, and is now in its 4th edition. It contains, essentially, re-prints of classic articles/chapters, sometimes slightly re-written or condensed (and it is often an improvement, especially for stuff written prior to the personal computer age!). There are some readings that are new to each edition (for example, the Atkinson, Piketty, and Saez chapter in the 4th edition), so you probably do want to try to get the 4th edition.

The Duncan and Murnane edited volume contains newly written chapters by heavy hitters in educational inequality research. But, in many cases, the analyses in the book are closely based on earlier work published in journals.

Each week, we will generally have three articles or chapters to read. Occasionally, you will be directed to particular parts of an article or chapter with the directive to skim the remaining material to keep your reading load manageable. Where more than three articles are listed, we may do some “pick 3” or otherwise divvy-up material to make it more manageable.

The “optional readings” will sometimes be referred to in lecture (and thus we will have the full cite right there), but there is no way you can realistically read more than an occasional one of these before class. They are also here to serve as future reading lists for comprehensive exams, or otherwise for your use. I’d say, probably 75% of the required and optional readings you will find on social theory/stratification courses taught in other graduate programs. In some cases we are strategically reading a more interesting/engaging piece, and the drier-but-more-prestigious/technical reading is in the optional list.

Please read the session notes on Courseweb for each session, as I will sometimes post important contextual information about the readings there, or note which parts of the readings you may skim in order to lessen the reading load.

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As your studies proceed, you will certainly find that you need greater information about a particular theory or concept. How to proceed? First, check the optional reading list. Second, check a recently published article and back-search for important texts. Third, consider getting your bearings by accessing a handbook or encyclopedia (e.g. the Handbook of student engagement; the Handbook of educational psychology; the Handbook of sociology of education; the Handbook of education policy research; the Handbook of qualitative research in education; the Handbook of urban education; the Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and nationalism, etc.). Fourth, forward search using a major article.

Course Expectations

Readings and Class Discussion

Because this class meets only once a week, the reading load for each class is relatively heavy. It is also a bit uneven (as real-world work tends to be), so scan the readings for each week to anticipate challenging weeks. The expectation is that your understanding will develop through your independent reading, class discussion, and writing. In order to benefit from class then, you must complete the readings, and bring copies with you to class. Our class discussions will serve not only to develop a coherent understanding of the literature, but you will also be practicing a fundamental skill of both practitioners and academics: the capacity for substantive, analytic conversation.

Tests, Term Paper, and Presentation

The tests and term paper are an essential element of the learning experience in ADMPS 3003, and this course is an excellent opportunity for you to simultaneously hone your analytic thinking and writing skills.

This course has two tests, a mid-term and a non-cumulative final (covering material in the second half of the course). Each test is worth 20 points, and will include multiple choice, true-false, and short-answer items. Tests are not very common in the PhD program in our department. One reason tests are not common is that in your professional work you will be asked to write, teach, discourse with your colleagues, etc., you mostly won’t be asked to take tests! Yet, the material in this course lends itself well to tests. It is possible for me to create tests that are representative of the course content in each half of the course, and the tests allow students an additional opportunity to demonstrate mastery. But you shouldn’t expect too many tests in your other courses (e.g. in my courses, I include tests in Disciplined Inquiry, but not Educational Reform or Sociology of Education).

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The term paper is a structured paper in which you will use the social theories from this course to analyze Hollywood narratives of schooling and youth development. Select from 1 to 3 films from Appendix (A), which are major films from the 1980s. The list is broken down into Suburban, Urban, Private, and Foreign films, which tend to have different emphases (Bullman, 2005). You might choose to concentrate on one genre/type, or contrast two or more. Explain the action of the narrative using one or more theories and concepts from class. What message does the movie-going public take away from this film? Does the film reflect theoretical understandings of schooling and youth development; How so (or not)?

I recommend the following structure for your term paper (12–22 pages):

1. Introduce your overall thesis, the central theories/concepts, and the film(s) you will analyze (1-2 pages)

2. Provide an elaborated summary of the social theories and concepts (2–5 pages)3. Provide a descriptive summary of the film(s): the plot, the setting, the characters (2–3

pages), see Appendix B4. Now return to your thesis, analyzing the film (5–10 pages)5. Provide a summary discussion, which might include: a succinct summary of your

argument; implications for policy, practice, or teaching; sources of limitations/uncertainty in your argument; connections to other literatures-lines of inquiry (1–2 pages)

Note that this structure is an example of “cyclical writing.” The author presents their research question and thesis statement (the answer to their research question) very early in the paper—even in the first paragraph. The overall effect is to have the research question kept in mind as the paper progresses through each section. As new evidence is presented, the author links that evidence to their thesis statement.

As an example of analyses of Hollywood films about schooling, see Appendix C.

You will have some intermediate assignments due in support of this paper (see course schedule table). The first is a list of possible films and possible theories (briefly discussing why you think those might be relevant to those films). This is due on 9/27, and you should do some perusing of material in the second-half of the course for ideas. For example, the theories/concepts in Sessions 11–14 might be very useful, so you may need to skim ahead. The second intermediate assignment is to have your films selected and summarized by 11/8 (part 3 of the paper), so that you can focus on analysis and writing in the remainder of the semester.

On the last day of class, you will give a short presentation on your film analysis term paper, 10–15 minutes long, with time left for questions and discussion. You should prepare a PowerPoint (or similar) presentation.

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Formatting Written Work

By formatting your term paper carefully and using accepted copy-editing standards, you can assure the reader is able to focus on the substance of your work. In this class we will use the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, which is what the American Educational Research Journal (among others) requires! You should know though, that this is not the only style used in education research, so you may at some point in your career be required to use a different style, such as the American Sociological Association (ASA) style, which is derived from the Chicago Manual of Style. ASA style has the interesting feature of spelling out authors’ first names in the reference list! In addition to APA, please note some guidelines to make it easier for me and other folks who read your work to take notes and leave comments for you:

○ Times New Roman, 12 point font ○ One inch margins on all sides ○ Page numbers○ Left alignment with default spacing between words and letters○ Double spaced lines with only one hard return between indented paragraphs○ Give your paper a substantive title (describing the novel content in your paper not the

name of the assignment)

Grading

Graded Assignments Test 1: 20%Test 2: 20%Film Analysis Term Paper: 50%Presentation 10%

Use of CourseWeb Technology

We will utilize CourseWeb technology to support our progress in several ways. First, we will utilize CourseWeb to share information, including the course readings and additional handouts that might be needed (e.g. primers on concepts, recent educational data reports, writing tips,

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etc.). Second, CourseWeb will be the depository for class assignments. Details will be provided in class on using dropboxes on CourseWeb.

Additional Policies

Departmental Grievance ProceduresThe purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. When a student in ADMPS believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (3) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer. [Professor Michael Gunzenhauser is the Associate Dean and Integrity Officer.]

Academic IntegrityStudents in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

Disability AccommodationIf you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services no later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call (412) 648–7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Disability Resources and Services office is located in 140 William Pitt Union on the Oakland campus.

Statement on Classroom RecordingTo ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.

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Course Outline

Week 01: Educational Inequality, an OverviewWeek 02: Occupational Status and EducationWeek 03: Macro Theories of Stratification I, Functional and Conflict TheoriesWeek 04: Macro Theories II, Elite/Ruling Class Theories and Ecological-

Evolutionary TheoriesWeek 05: Macro Theories III, Status CompetitionWeek 06: Problems of Collective ActionWeek 07: Cumulative AdvantageWeek 08: Cultural CapitalWeek 09: Social CapitalWeek 10: Family Structure/Child-RearingWeek 11: Self-Concept, Motivation, and School IdentificationWeek 12: Developmental and Life Course TheoryWeek 13: Social Groups and SchoolingWeek 14: Non-Cognitive SkillsWeek 15: Presentations

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CALENDAR: ADMPS 3003, Fall 2016Session

Date/Day Readings Activities & Assignments

First Two Sessions: Educational Inequality and Status Attainment

1 08/31/16 Wednesday

Educational Inequality, an Overview

Reardon, S. F. (2011). The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and poor: New evidence and possible explanations. In G. J. Duncan & R. J. Murnane (Eds.), Whither opportunity: Rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances (pp. 91–116). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Bailey, M. J., & Dynarski, S. M. (2011). Inequality in postsecondary education. In G. J. Duncan & R. J. Murnane (Eds.), Whither opportunity: Rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances (pp. 117–132). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Montt, G. (2011). Cross-national differences in educational achievement inequality. Sociology of Education, 84, 49–68.

+ Skim the following readings:

Aud, S., Fox, M., and KewalRamani, A. (2010). Chapter 3: Achievement. In Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups (NCES 2010-015). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Aud, S., Fox, M., and KewalRamani, A. (2010). Chapter 6: Post-Secondary Education. In Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups (NCES 2010-015). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S.

1. Read syllabus2. Complete readings and prepare for class discussion [EVERY WEEK!]

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Government Printing Office.

Optional Readings:

Note: This literature is too voluminous to get anywhere near listing even the most influential studies. But the good news is that the Whither Opportunity edited volume is probably the place to start right now. So I’ve listed a few classics, and two of my articles. The Montt and Kelly (2016) piece is a good place to start for a super general overview.

Jencks, C. and colleagues. (1972). Inequality: A reassessment of the effect of family and schooling in America. New York: Harper Colophon Books.

Fischer, C. S. and colleagues. (1996). Inequality by design: Cracking the bell curve myth. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Jencks, C., & Phillips, M. (Eds.). (1998). The black-white test score gap. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Long, D., Kelly, S., & Gamoran, A. (2012). Whither the virtuous cycle? Past and Future Trends in Black-White Inequality in Educational Attainment. Social Science Research, 41, 16–32.

Diprete, T. A., & Buchmann, C. (2013). The rise of woman: The growing gender gap in education and what it means for American schools. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Montt, G. & Kelly, S. (2016). Educational Inequality. In Stone, J., Rutledge, Dennis M., Rizova, Polly S., Smith, Anthony D., & Xiaoshuo Hou. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism (pp. 1–6). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

2 09/07/16 Wednesday

Occupational Status and Education

Wyatt, I. D., & Hecker, D. E. (2006). Occupational changes during the 20th century. Monthly Labor Review, 129(3), 35–57.

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Kalleberg, A. (2011). Selections from Good Jobs, Bad Jobs (pp. 1–18, 61–71). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Daly, M., & Bengali, L. (2014). Is it still worth going to college? FRBSF Economic Letter, May 5, 1–6.

Blau, P. B., Duncan, O. D., & Tyree, A. (2014). The process of stratification. In Grusky, D. B. (Ed.), Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition (pp. 506–516). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. [Note: this is a condensed reading from Chapter 5 of Blau and Duncan’s (1967) The American Occupational Structure.]

Optional Readings:

In addition to lots of good stuff in the Grusky Reader:

Reich, R. B. (2008). Why the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. In L. Weis (Ed.), The way class works: Readings on school, family, and the economy (pp. 13–24). New York: Routledge.

Kalleberg, A. (2007). The mismatched worker. New York: W. W. Norton.

Nam, C. B., & Boyd, M. (2004). Occupational status in 2000: Over a century of census-based measurement. Population Research and Policy Review, 23, 327–358.

Macro Theories

3 09/14/16Wednesday

Macro Theories of Stratification I, Functional and Conflict Theories

Davis, K., & Moore, K. (2014). Some principles of stratification. In

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Grusky, D. B. (Ed.), Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition (pp. 28–30). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. [Note: this is reprint of an article first published in the American Sociological Review in 1945]

Cullen, J. B., & Novick, S. M. (1979). The Davis-Moore theory of stratification: A further examination and extension. American Journal of Sociology, 84, 1424–1437.

Wright, E. O. (2014). A general framework for the analysis of class structure. In Grusky, D. B. (Ed.), Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition (pp. 149–161). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. [Note: this builds on a 1980 article by Wright in Politics and Society]

Tilley, C. (1998) Chapter 1: Of essences and bonds. In Durable inequality. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Optional Readings:

There are many good theoretical pieces in the Grusky reader, and the Weis volume is a good resource. The Lane and Johnstone book is an example of the functionalist perspective in applied thinking on education. The Collins book prefaces session five, and is often paired with neo-Marxist theories as the other major line of the conflict perspective. The Halaby & Weakliem article below pertains to questions of relational vs. gradational theories of inequality.

Okun, A. M. (1975). Equality and efficiency: The big tradeoff. Washington; DC: Brookings.

Lane, J. E., & Johnstone, B. D. (2012). Universities and colleges as economic drivers: Measuring higher education’s role in the economic development. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

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Collins, R. (1979). The credential society. New York: Academic Press.

Weis, L. (Ed.). 2008. The way class works: Readings on school, family, and the economy. New York: Routledge.

Halaby, C. N. & Weakliem, D. L. (1993). Ownership and authority in the earnings function: Nonnested tests of alternative specifications. American Sociological Review, 58, 16–30.

Loury, G. C. (2003). The anatomy of racial inequality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard university press.

4 09/21/16Wednesday

Macro Theories of Stratification II, Elite/Ruling Class Theories and Ecological-Evolutionary TheoriesDomhoff, G. W. (2014). Who Rules America? In Grusky, D. B. (Ed.), Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition (pp. 297–301). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Cookson, P. W., & Persell, C. H. (1985). Chapter 10: Preps at play and in the power structure. In Preparing for power: America’s elite boarding schools (pp. 190–208). New York: Basic Books.

Moller, S., Alderson, A. S., & Nielsen, F. (2009). Changing patterns of income inequality in U.S. counties, 1970–2000. American Journal of Sociology, 114, 1037–1101.

+ read for overall understanding:

Weeden, K. (2002). Why do some occupations pay more than others? Social closure and earnings inequality in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 108, 55–101.

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Optional Readings:

In addition to articles on elites in the Grusky reader, first on elites, then ecological-evolutionary theory:

Giddens, A. (1973). The class structure of the advanced societies. New York: Harper and Row.

Domhof, W. (1978). The powers that be. New York: Vintage Books.

Robinson, R., & Kelly, J. (1979). Class as conceived by Marx and Dahrendorf. American Sociological Review, 44, 38–58.

Cammack, P. (1990). A critical assessment of the new elite paradigm.American Journal of Sociology, 101, 1333–1365.

Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, germs, and steel: the fate of human societies. New York: Norton.

Nielsen, F. (2004). The ecological-evolutionary typology of human societies and the evolution of social inequality. Sociological Theory, 22, 292–314.

Lenski, G. (2005). Ecological-evolutionary theory. Boulder, CO: Paradigm.

Alderson, A. S., & Nielsen, F. (2002). Globalization and the great U-turn: Income inequality trends in 16 OECD Countries. American Journal of Sociology, 107, 1244–1299.

Atkinson, A. B., Piketty, T., & Saez, E. (2014). Top incomes in the long run of history. In Grusky, D. B. (Ed.), Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition (pp. 59–72). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

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5 09/28/16Wednesday

Macro Theories III, Status Competition

Lareau, A. (2003). Chapter 3.The hectic pace of concerted cultivation: Garrett Talinger. In Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life (pp. 38–65). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Cookson, P. W. (2013). Chapter 4: The middle-class rite of passage. In Class rules: Exposing inequality in American high schools (pp. 69–78). New York: Teachers College Press.

Schleef, D. (2000). “That’s a good question!” Exploring motivations for law and business school choice. Sociology of Education, 73, 155–174.

Optional Readings:

Brantlinger, E. (2008). Playing to middle-class self-interest in pursuit of school equity. In L. Weis (Ed.), The way class works: Readings on school, family, and the economy (pp. 243–259). New York: Routledge.

Ehrenreich, B. (1990). Fear of falling: The inner life of the middle class. New York: Pantheon Books.

Schneider, B., & Stevenson, D. (1999). The ambitious generation: America’s teenagers, motivated by directionless. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Frank, R. H., & Cook, P. J. (1995). The winner-take-all society. New York: The Free Press. [this book also speaks to elite/ruling class theories]

**short description of possible films and theories you might use due in support of your Film Analysis Term paper on Tuesday 9/27 at 7:00 PM**

6 10/05/16Wednesday

Problems of Collective Action

Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons, Science, 162, 1243–1248.

Hechter, M. (1987). Chapter 3: A theory of group solidarity. In

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Principles of group solidarity (pp. 40–58). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Labaree, D. F. (2000) No Exit: Public Education as an Inescapably Public Good. In L. Cuban & D. Shipps (Eds.), Reconstructing the Common Good in Education (pp. 110–129). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

+ the social movement section in:

Delamater, J. D., Myers, D. J., & Collett, J. L. (2015). Chapter 17: Collective behavior and social movements. In Social Psychology, eighth edition (pp. 579–609). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Optional Readings:

Olson, M. 1965. The logic of collective action: Public goods and the theory of groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [or peruse Sandler’s 1990 Collective Action for an updated treatment in mathematical economics]

Elster, J. (1983). Sour Grapes: Studies in the Subversion of Rationality. Cambridge University Press.

Oliver, P. (1984). If you don’t do it, nobody will: Active and token contributions to local collective action. American Sociological Review, 49, 601–10.

Muller, E., & Opp, K. D. (1986). Rational choice and rebellious collective action. American Political Science Review, 80, 471–88.

Micro Theories

7 10/12/16 Cumulative Advantage

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WednesdayDiPrete, T. A., & Eirich, G. M. (2006). Cumulative advantage as a mechanism for inequality: A review of theoretical and empirical developments. Annual Review of Sociology, 32, 271–297.

Stanovich, K. E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360–407.

Kerckhoff, A. C. (1993). Chapter 9. Structural differentiation: Necessary evil or policy instrument. In Diverging pathways: Social structure and career deflections (pp. 197–224).

Optional Readings:

Merton, R. K. (1968). The matthew effect in science. Science, 159(3810), 56–63.

Allison, P. D., Long, J. S., & Krauze, T. K. (1982). Cumulative advantage and inequality in science. American Sociological Review, 47, 615–625.

Walberg, H. J., & Tsai, S.-L. (1983). Matthew effects in education. American Educational Research Journal, 20, 359–373.

Kieffer, M. J. (2011). Converging trajectories: Reading growth in language minority learners and their classmates, kindergarten to grade 8. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 1187–1225.

Schafer, M. H., Ferraro, K. F., & Mustillo, S. A. (2011). Children of misfortune: Early adversity and cumulative inequality in perceived life trajectories. American Journal of Sociology, 116, 1053–1091.

Antonelli, C., & Crespi, F. (2012). Matthew effects and R&D subsidies: Knowledge cumulability in high-tech and low-tech industries. Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia, Nuova Serie, 71, SPECIAL ISSUE PAPERS FROM THE XXII SIEP ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 5–31. [Contains

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discussion of “Virtuous” vs. “Vicious” Matthew effects]

8 10/19/16 Wednesday

Cultural Capital

DiMaggio, P., & Useem, M. (1978). Social class and arts consumption: The origins and consequences of class differences in exposure to the arts in America. Theory and Society, 5(2), 141–161.

Lamont, M., & Lareau, A. (2011). Cultural capital: Allusions, gaps, and glissandos in recent theoretical developments. Sociological Theory, 6(2), 153–168

Kingston, P. W. (2001). The unfulfilled promise of cultural capital theory. Sociology of Education, 74, extra issue, 88–99.

Optional Readings:

DiMaggio, P. (1982). Cultural capital and school success: The impact of status culture participation on the grades of U.S. high school students. American Sociological Review, 47, 189–201.

Roscigno, V. J., & Ainsworth-Darnell, J. W. (1999). Race, cultural capital, and educational resources: Persistent inequalities and achievement returns. Sociology of Education, 72, 158–178.

Dumais, S. A. (2002). Cultural capital, gender, and school success: The role of habitus. Sociology of Education, 75, 44–68.

Roksa, J., & Potter, D. (2011). Parenting and academic achievement: Intergenerational transmission of educational advantage. Sociology of Education, 84, 299–321.

Lizardo, O., & Skiles, S. (2012). Reconceptualizing and theorizing “omnivorousness”: Genetic and relational mechanisms. Sociological Theory, 30(4), 263–282.

**Test One**

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9 10/26/16Wednesday

Social Capital

Granovetter, M. (1983). The strength of weak ties: A network theory revisited. Sociological Theory, 1, 201–233.

Coleman, J. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S121.

Furstenberg, F., & Hughes, M. (1995). Social capital and successful development of at-risk youth. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57(3), 580–592.

Optional Readings:

Uzzi, B. (1997). Social structure and competition in interfirm networks: The paradox of embeddedness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42, 35–67.

Dika, S. L., & Singh, K. (2002). Application of social capital in educational literature: A critical synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 72, 31–60.

Kim, D., & Schneider, B. (2005). Social capital in action: Alignment of parental support in adolescents’ transition to postsecondary education. Social Forces, 84, 1181–1206.

McDonald, S., & Elder, G. H. (2006). When does social capital matter? Non-searching for jobs across the life course. Social Forces, 85, 521–549.

10 11/2/16 Wednesday

Family Structure/Child-Rearing

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Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Chapter 6: The early experience of 42 typical American children. In Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children (pp. 119–140). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

McLanahan, S., & Sandefur, G. (1994). Chapter 2: How father absence lowers children’s well-being. In Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps (pp. 19–38). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Foster, E. M. (2002). How economists think about family resources and child development. Child Development, 73, 1904–1914.

Bradley, R. H., Corwyn, R. F., McAdoo, H. P., & Coll, C. G. (2001). The home environments of children in the United States Part 1: Variations by age, ethnicity, and poverty status. Child Development, 72(6), 1844–1867.

Optional Readings:

Guo, G., & VanWey, L. K. (1999). Sibship size and intellectual development: Is the relationship causal? American Sociological Review, 64, 169–187.

Bradley, R. H., Corwyn, R. F., Burchinal, M., McAdoo, H. P., & Coll, C. G. (2001). The home environments of children in the United States Part II: relations with behavioral development through age thirteen. Child Development, 72, 1868–1886.

Hofferth, S. L., & Sandberg, J. F. (2001). How American children spend their time. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 295–308.

Brooks-Gunn, J., & Markman, L. B. (2005). The contribution of parenting to ethnic and racial gaps in school readiness. The Future of Children, 15, 139–168.

Guryan, J., Hurst, E., & Kearney, M. (2008). Parental education and parental time with children. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 22(3), 23–46.

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Ramey, G., & Ramey, V. A. (2009). The rug rat race. National Bureau of Economic Research. Cambridge, MA.

Graves, S. L., & Wright, L. B. (2011). Parent involvement at school entry: A national examination of group differences and achievement. School Pyschology International, 32, 35–48.

Kaushal, N., Magnuson, K., & Waldfogel, J. (2011). How is family income related to investments in children’s learning? In G. J. Duncan & R. J. Murnane (Eds.), Whither opportunity? Rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances (pp. 187–205). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Sylva, K., Chan, L. S., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2011). Emergent literacy envrionments: Home and preschool influences on children’s literacy development. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (Vol. 3, pp. 97–117). New York: The Guilford Press.

Kornrich, S., & Furstenberg, F. (2013). Investing in children: Changes in parental spending on children, 1972-2007. Demography, 50, 1–23.

11 11/9/16 Wednesday

Self-Concept, Motivation, and School Identification

Schunk, D. H. (1991). Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26, 207–231.

Urdan, T., Ryan, A. M., Anderman, E. M., & Gheen, M. H. (2002). Chapter 3: Goals, goal structures, and avoidance behaviors. In Midgley, C. (Ed.), Goals, goal structures, and patterns of adaptive learning (pp. 55–84). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Voelkl, K. E. (2012). School identification. In Christenson, S. L., Reschly, A. L., & Wylie, C. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Student Engagement (pp 193–218). New York: Springer.

**Descriptive summary of the film(s): the plot, the setting, the characters (2-3 pages) in support of your Film Analysis Term Paper due on Tuesday 11/8 at 7:00 pm**

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+ skim to get the gist:

Seaton, M., Marsh, H. W., & Craven, R. G. (2010). Big-fish-little-pond effect: Generalizability and moderation—Two sides of the same coin. American Educational Research Journal, 47, 390–433.

Optional Readings:

Covington, M. V., & Beery, R. G. (1976). Self-worth and school learning. Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Espenshade, T. J., Hale, L. E., & Chung, C. Y. (2005). The frog pond revisited: High school academic context, class rank, and elite college Admission. Sociology of Education, 78, 269–293. [a follow-up to Attewell’s 2001 study]

Goldsmith, P. R. (2011). Coleman revisited: School segregation, peers, and frog ponds. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 508–535.

Anderman, E. M., & Patrick, H. (2012). Achievement goal theory, conceptualization of ability, intelligence, and classroom climate. In Christenson, S. L., Reschly, A. L., & Wylie, C. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Student Engagement (pp 173–191). New York: Springer. [This chapter summarizes research on goal theory (e.g. mastery vs. performance goals), which is closely related to Dweck’s widely read studies on beliefs about intelligence as fixed or malleable (“mindset”)].

12 11/16/16 Wednesday

Developmental and Life Course Theory

Harter, S. (1999). Chapter 2: The normative development of self-representations during childhood. In The construction of the self: A developmental perspective (pp. 28–58). New York: The Guilford Press.

Wigfield, A., Byrnes, J. P., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Development during

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early and middle adolescence. In Alexander, P. A., & Winne, P. H. (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology, second edition (pp. 87–114). New York: Routledge.

Crosnoe, R. (2011). Chapter 7: How teenagers know what they know and why it matters. In Fitting in, standing out: Navigating the social challenges of high school to get an education (pp. 130–173). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Optional readings:

Chall, J. S. (1983). Stages of reading development. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Elder, G. H. (1998). The life course as developmental theory. Child Development, 69, 1–12. [A looking back at the data behind Elder’s 1974 book, Children of the Great Depression]

Kaplan, D., & Walpole, S. (2005). A stage-sequential model of reading transitions: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 551–563.

Smith, M. C., & Reio, T. G. (2006 ). Adult development, schooling, and the transition to work. In Alexander, P. A., & Winne, P. H. (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology, second edition (pp. 115–138). New York: Routledge.

Crosnoe, R., & Riegle-Crumb, C. (2007). A life course model of education and alcohol use. Journal of health and social behavior, 48, 267–282.

Shernoff, D. J. (2013). Chapter 8: Connecting to “the what:” Engaging approaches to traditional subject matter. In optimal learning environments to promote student engagement (pp. 175–206). New York: Springer. [beginning on p. 178, Shernoff presents a very general developmental model of engagement]

Thanksgiving break: November 23-27th: Optional material on the IQ debate

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Possible reading materials: but don’t monopolize the thanksgiving dinner-table discussion!

Fischer, C. S. and colleagues. (1996). Inequality by design: Cracking the bell curve myth. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Devlin, B. et al. (1997). Intelligence, genes, and success. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Huang, M-H. (2001). Cognitive abilities and the growth of high-IQ occupations. Social Science Research, 30, 529–551.

Guo, G., & Stearns, E. (2002). The social influences on the realization of genetic potential for intellectual development. Social Forces, 80, 881–910.

Bouchard, T. J., & McGue, M. (2003). Genetic and environmental influences on human psychological differences. Journal of Neurobiology, 54, 4–45.

Nisbett, R. E. (2009). Intelligence and how to get it: Why schools and cultures count. New York: Norton.

Branigan, A., McCallum, K. J., & Freese, J. (2013). Variation in the heritability of educational attainment: An international meta-analysis. Social Forces, 92, 109–140.

Nielsen, F., & Roos, J. M. (2015). Genetics of educational attainment and the persistence of privilege at the turn of the 21st century. Social Forces, 94, 535–561.

1311/30/16Wednesday

Social Groups and Schooling

Wells, A. S., & Crain, R. L. (1997). Chapter 5. The upwardly mobile: Black students who succeed in the suburban schools. In Stepping over the color line: African-American students in white suburban schools. (pp. 180–218). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Kelly, S. (2009). Social identity theories and educational engagement. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30, 449–462.

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Wright, S. C., & Taylor, D. M. (2007). The social psychology of cultural diversity: Social stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. In Hogg, M. A., & Cooper, J. (Eds.), The Sage handbook of social psychology: Concise student edition (pp. 361–387). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Optional Readings:

General overviews of inter-group conflictCollett, J., Kelly, S., & Sobolewski, C. (2010). Using Remember the Titans to teach sociological theories of conflict reduction. Teaching sociology, 38, 258–266.

Kelly, S. & Collett, J. C. (2008). From C.P. Ellis to school integration: The social psychology of conflict reduction. Sociology Compass, 2, 1638–1654.

Readings in Social Psychology

Taylor, D. M., & McKirnan, D. J. (1984). A five-stage model of intergroup relations, British journal of social psychology, 23, 291–300.

Wright, S. C., Taylor, D. M., & Moghaddam, F. M. (1990). Responding to membership in a disadvantaged group: from acceptance to collective protest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 994–1003.

Sachdev, I, & Bourhis, R. Y. (1991). Power and status differentials in minority and majority group relations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 21, 1–24. [an example of a study using the Tajfel type point allocation matricies to reveal bias; see Bornstein et al. in EJSP, 1983 for an example of an actual point matrix]

Mullen, B., Brown, R., & Smith, C. (1992). Ingroup bias as a function of salience, relevance, and status, an integration. European Journal of Social Psychology, 22, 103–122. [a meta-analysis of 137 experimental tests

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demonstrating in-group bias in both real and artificial groups]

Pettigrew, T. F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 65–85.

Friendship formation

Hallinan, M. T., & Williams, R. A. (1989). Interracial friendship choices in secondary schools, American Sociological Review, 54, 67–78.

Moody, J. (2001). Race, school integration, and friendship segregation in America. American Journal of Sociology, 107, 679–716.

Smith, T. W. 2002. Measuring inter-racial friendships. Social Science Research, 31, 576–93.

Mouw, T., & Entwisle, B. 2006. Residential segregation and interracial friendship in schools. American Journal of Sociology,112, 394–441.

Quillian, L., & Campbell, M. E. (2003). Beyond black and white: The present and future of multiracial friendship segregation. American Sociological Review, 68, 540–66.

14 12/7/16 Wednesday

Non-Cognitive Skills

Meisels, S. J., Atkins-Burnett, S., & Nicholson, J. (1996). Assessment of social competence, adaptive behaviors, and approaches to learning with young children. U.S. Department of Education: National Center for Education Statistics [Note 1: pay special attention to the SSRS assessment, in particular the “social skills” domain and skim the rest. Note 2: This is sometimes called “approaches to learning,” but that has a different meaning in the higher education literature]

**rough draft of Film Analysis Term Paper due on Tuesday 12/6 at 7:00 PM**

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Rose, M. (2004). Chapter 5. Reflective technique: Electrical wiring and construction. In The mind at work: Valuing the intelligence of the American worker (pp. 100–115). New York: Viking.

Rosenbaum, J. E. (2001). Chapter 8: Are noncognitive behaviors in school related to later life outcomes? In Beyond college for all: Career paths for the forgotten half (pp. 170–1920). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 1087–1101.

Heikkila, A., Niemivirta, M., Nieminen, J., & Lonka, K. (2011). Interrelations among university students’ approaches to learning, regulation of learning, and cognitive and attributional strategies: A person oriented approach. Higher Education, 61, 513–529.

Optional Readings:

Heckman, J. J. (2014). Skill formation and the economics of investing in disadvantaged children. In Grusky, D. B. (Ed.), Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective, 4th edition (pp. 412–416). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. [Note: this is a reprint of 2006 article by Heckman in Science]

Duncan, G. J., & Magnuson, K. (2011). The nature and impact of early achievement skills, attention skills, and behavior problems. In G. J. Duncan & R. J. Murnane (Eds.), Whither opportunity: Rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances (pp. 47–70). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Farkas, G. (2011). Middle and high school skills, behaviors, attitudes, and curriculum enrollment, and their consequences. In G. J. Duncan & R. J. Murnane (Eds.), Whither opportunity: Rising inequality, schools, and children’s

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life chances (pp. 71–90). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Heckman, J. J., & Rubinstein, Y. (2001). The importance of noncognitive skills: Lessons from the GED testing program. The American Economic Review, 91, 145–149.

Tough, P. (2012). How children succeed: Grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character. Boston: Mariner books.

15 12/14/16Wednesday

Presentations **Test Two**

Final drafts of Film Analysis Term Paper due on CourseWeb Friday, December 16th at 5:00 PM

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Appendix A: Choose from this list of 1980s Hollywood films (analyzed in Bullman, 2005)

Suburban School Films Urban School Films Foreign School Films Private School Films

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Fame (1980) Puberty Blues (1981, Australia) Up the Academy (1980)

The Last American Virgin (1982) Class of 1984 (1982) Porky’s (1981, Canada) Taps (1981)All the Right Moves (1983) Teachers (1984) Gregory’s Girl (1981, Scotland) Class (1983)Risky Business (1983) Wildcats (1986) A Nos Amours (1983, France) Private School (1983)Valley Girl (1983) Stand and Deliver

(1987)Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987, France)

Making the Grade (1984)

16 Candles (1984) The Principal (1987) The Year My Voice Broke (1988, Australia)

Heaven Help Us (1985)

The Karate Kid (1984) Summer School (1987) Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)The Breakfast Club (1985) The Beat (1988) The Chocolate War (1988)Weird Science (1985) Lean on Me (1989) Dead Poet’s Society (1989)Better off Dead (1985)Tuff Turf (1985)Teen Wolf (1985)Just One of the Guys (1985)Pretty in Pink (1986)Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)Dangerously Close (1986)Hoosiers (1986)Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986)Lucas (1986)River’s Edge (1986)Three O’Clock High (1987)Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)Permanent Record (1988)Heathers (1989)Say Anything (1989)How I Got Into College (1989)

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Appendix B: Common characteristics/vocabulary of dramatic text1

Characters: Who the action involves Protagonist: The main character in the film, usually the character we are expected to empathize with or root for Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist in some way (can be the “bad guy” but does not have to be

evil) Foil Character: A character whose contrast with the main character makes the protagonist’s characteristics particularly

clear (e.g. Bertier’s girlfriend Emma in Remember the Titans) Anti-Hero: A protagonist with whom the audience identifies, but whom may have ambiguous morals, character

defects, eccentricities, or otherwise fall short of a traditional hero Caricature: Characters portrayed in an unrealistic, stereotypical fashion, often focusing on one exaggerated attribute

(called stock characters/figures when they recur in a genre) Setting: The place and time Plot: What happens

Conflict in films generally involves opposition between the protagonist and the antagonist (person to person), but this is sometimes minor compared to internal (psychological) or situational conflict. Conflict in films can include: beginning conflict (aka instigating action); rising action (where the conflict develops and becomes more complex); climax (the conflict reaches its peak); resolution (the conflict is resolved); falling action (loose ends are tied up)

Narration: Occasionally, a figure external to the story provides background information about characters or action

Monologue or Dialogue: What characters do or say, often constituting a particular scene Expositions: Background information about characters and action, sometimes in the form of a flashback Scenes: Episodes of action marked by a change of location or time Montage: A rapid sequence of related short images/scenes used to underscore a theme1 Adapted from: Duke, N. K., Caughlan, S., Juzwik, M. M., & Martin, N. M. (2012). Reading and writing genre with purpose in K-8 classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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Appendix C: Some works on social theory and film

Bullman, R. C. (2005). Hollywood goes to high school: Cinema, schools, and American culture. New York: Worth.

Collett, Jessica, Kelly, Sean, & Curt Sobolewski. Using Remember the titans to teach sociological theories of conflict reduction. Teaching Sociology, 38, 258–266.

Dalton, M. M., & Linder, L. R. (2008). Teacher TV: Sixty years of teachers on television. New York: Peter Lang.

Fisher, R., Harris, A., & Jarvis, C. (2008). Education in popular culture: Telling tales on teachers and learners. London: Routledge.

Kelly, S., & Caughlan, S. (2011). The Hollywood teachers’ perspective on authority. Pedagogies, 6, 46–65.

Powers, S., Rothman, D. J., & Rothman, S. (1996). Hollywood’s America: Social and political themes in motion pictures. Boulder, CO: Westview press.

Sutherland, J-A., & Felty, K. (2010). Cinematic sociology: Social life in film. Los Angeles, CA: Pine Forge Press.

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