AAST/EDPS 104: RACE, PLACE, AND SCHOOLING: AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND EDUCATION - African American Studies

AAST/EDPS 104: RACE, PLACE, AND SCHOOLING:
        AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND EDUCATION
                                        Spring 2019
Instructor: David Stovall
Day and Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:45am
Place: 219 Behavioral Sciences Building (BSB)
Office Location: 1219 University Hall
Office Hours: by appointment
Office Number: 312.413.7522
Email: dostoval@uic.edu or mfs8837@gmail.com (both are routed to each other)

Course Overview: This course seeks to examine the social, political, cultural, and economic
contexts that have influenced the education of African-Americans in the United States in the 20th
and early 21st centuries. Paying specific attention to urban areas (most notably Chicago), the
course seeks to place the education of African-Americans in the context of race and place (i.e.
cities). Additionally, the study of educational initiatives in urban areas with African-American
youth can provide a broader understanding of national and global educational trends that can
impact other racialized/marginalized groups.

To give “teeth” to the education of African-American youth in urban areas, the course seeks to
give participants the opportunity to engage current educational and social movements throughout
the city. In short, the aim is to use the study of the education of African-Americans as a tool in
developing new approaches to address pressing issues and concerns in education.

Required Readings

Course Readings: All course readings will be available on UIC Blackboard

Course Requirements

NOTE: It is CRITICALLY important that all class participants complete the readings for
the week AND participate in weekly discussions. This is vital for the class to progress.

Participants will also be graded on the following requirements: 1) attendance that will be taken at
the beginning of every class 2) 6-8 page research paper on an aspect of the education of African-
Americans 3) Two short response assignments to class readings and 4) community observation.

The Research Paper. The research paper should be a 6-8 page document (references not
included) situated around a topic relevant to the education of African-Americans in U.S. cities or
suburbs. Participants should venture beyond the assigned readings to discuss a topic of their own
interest.

Response Paper. Students are required to complete a 2-3 page response paper to a set of selected
readings in the class. Full description of the requirements for the response paper will be posted
on Blackboard.

Community Observation. You will be required to attend at least one community event that is
directly connected to African-Americans and Education. A two-page summary of the event will
be submitted. I will periodically list a number of community events that you can attend.
However, you are not limited to the events I announce in class. If you choose an event of your
own, it MUST be related to African-Americans and Education. The observation should include
the time and place of event, the speaker (or speakers), the name of the event, your descriptive
observations of the event, and whether or not you found the event to be informative.
OBSERVATIONS ARE DUE ON MARCH 21st.

There are a number of websites you can use to find community events at UIC and in the city.
The following list is not exhaustive, but is meant to serve as an example of sites you can explore
to find community events.

Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy www.uic.edu/cuppa/irrpp/news/news.html

Social Justice Initiative www.sji.uic.edu

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization www.lvejo.org

Teachers for Social Justice www.teachersforjustice.org

Illinois Coalition for Justice, Peace and the Environment www.icjpe.org

Caucus of Rank and File Educators www.coreteachers.com

Chicago Independent Media www.chicago.indymedia.org

Blocks Together Chicago www.btchicago.org

Chicago Teachers Union www.ctunet.com

Chicago Activism www.chicagoactivism.org

                                      ADA Considerations
UIC strives to ensure the accessibility of programs, classes, and services to students with
disabilities. Reasonable accommodations can be arranged for students with various types
of disabilities, such as documented learning disabilities, vision or hearing impairments, and
emotional or physical disabilities. If you need accommodations for this class, be sure to
register with the Office of Disability Services, 1190 SSB, 413-2183, and let your instructor
know your needs.
                                       Academic honesty

Some students are clearer than others on the norms of academic integrity, and in
particular, what counts as plagiarism. Whole books have been written on the topic of
academic ethics. A useful treatment of forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism,
can be found at www.uic.edu/ucat/catalog/GR.shtml#qa (see guidelines for academic
integrity, specifically). Please familiarize yourself with the forms of academic dishonesty as
recognized by the University, and the College of Education procedures in place for cases of
academic dishonesty. If you have any questions about whether a particular activity
constitutes academic dishonesty, you can ask me, or contact UIC Office of the Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Reading Schedule and Assignments
NOTE: Schedule is subject to change!

January 15: Overview and Introduction

January 17: Woodson, “The Seat of the Trouble,” “How We Missed the Mark,” “How We
Drifted Away from the Truth,”

January 22: NO CLASS

January 24: Shujaa, “Education and Schooling: You can have One without the Other.”

January 29: Carl, “Good Politics is Good Government: The Troubling History of Mayoral
Control of the Public Schools in 20th Century Chicago
Assignment #1 (Education vs. Schooling) Due

January 31: Danns, “Chicago High School Students’ Movement for Quality Public Education.”

February 5: Betancur, “The Politics of Gentrification: The Case of West Town in Chicago.”

February 7: Keels, Burdick-Will and Keene, “The Effects of Gentrification on Neighborhood
Public Schools.”

February 12: Lipman and Hursh, “Renaissance 2010: The Reassertion of Ruling-Class Power
Through Neoliberal Policies in Chicago

February 14: Shedd, “And We are Not Saved: Safe Passage Through a Changing Educational
Landscape.”

February 19: Ewing, “Mourning”
Assignment #2 (Response Paper) Due

February 21: Tresser, “Why This Book?”, Martire “A Guide to Reading the City of Chicago
Budget”

February 26: Tresser, “TIFS-Billions of the Books”

February 28: Caref, Hainds, Jankov, and Bordenkircher, “Twelve Months Later: The Impact of
School Closings in Chicago

March 5: Moore and Williams, “Birth of the Blackstone Rangers”.

March 7: Coates, “The Case for Reparations.”

March 12: Todd-Breland, “Community Control”

March 14: Todd-Breland, “Building Independent Black Institutions”

March 19: Dean and Caref, “Abandonment or Revival?: What to Expect from a New High
School in Englewood.”

March 21: Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and Collaborative for Equity and
Justice in Education, “Dyett High School and The 3 D’s of Corporate School Reform:
Destabilization, Disinvestment and Disenfranchisement.”
Community Observations Due

March 26: SPRING BREAK

March 28: SPRING BREAK

April 2: Caref, Hainds, Hilgendorf, Jankov, and Russell, “The Black and White of Education in
Chicago’s Public Schools”

April 4: Voyce, “Failed Policies, Broken Futures: The True Cost of Zero Tolerance In Chicago.

April 9: NO CLASS

April 11: Noonan, Farmer, and Huckaby, “A Sea of Red: Chicago Teachers Union Members
Reflect on how the Social Organizing Model of Unionism Helped Win the Union’s 2012
Contract Campaign.

April 16: Todd-Breland, Corporate School Reform: Magnets, Charters, and the Neoliberal
Educational Order

April 18: Office of the Inspector General, “Review of the Chicago Police Department’s
Management of School Resource Officers”

April 23: North, “More Than Words?: Delving into the Substantive Meaning(s) of Social Justice
in Education

April 25: Chicago Teacher’s Union, “A City That Works: CTU Recommendations to Improve
Post-Secondary Outcomes for Students

April 30: Ginwright, “Black Youth Activism and the Role of Critical Social Capital in Black
Community Organizations.”

May 2: Final Paper Check-In

May 7: FINAL PAPERS DUE 5PM