Prof. Jody Cohen at Bryn Mawr has revised EDUC 260 Multicultural Education to support Tri-Co Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies this spring. The Tri-co Course Guide includes this description:
An investigation of education as a cultural event that engages issues of identity, difference, and power. The course explores a set of key tensions in the contested areas of multiculturalism and multicultural education: identity and difference; peace and conflict; dialogue and silence; and culture and the individual psyche. Students will apply theory and practice to global as well as specific, localized situations — communities and schools that contend with significant challenges in terms of equity and places where educators, students, and parents are trying out ways of educating for diversity and social justice. Fieldwork of two to three hours per week.
Prof. Cohen explains that the course emphasizes multiculturalism and the study of power as central to education, peace, and justice.
The course is structured to recognize and explore a set of key tensions within and surrounding the contested areas of multicultural and peace and conflict education:
- identity/sameness and diversity/difference
- dialogue and silence
- peace and conflict
- culture and the individual psyche
We examine these tensions in terms of a range of conceptual frameworks which point to such matters as the issue of power in pedagogy and curriculum; the role and problematics of dialogue in teaching and learning; and the challenges and promise of addressing conflict, e.g. ethnic and religious tensions, and promoting peace via education. We apply theoretical constructs to broad as well as specific, localized situations — communities and schools that contend with significant challenges in terms of equity and where educators, students, and parents trying out ways of educating for diversity and social justice.
The class meets Monday / Wednesday 2:30pm-4:00pm.
[Note: Enrollment is limited to 25 students with priority given to students pursuing certification, the Bi-Co minor in Educational Studies, or the Tri-Co Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies concentration.]