In this course we will use schools, mostly in the United States, to investigate the contradictions and possibilities of education. This course is organized to first provide some basic facts of education and its organization in the United States, then to convey some orienting perspectives, and then to consider some specific issues in education. As for the last section, one sad fact is that it is impossible to exhaust the possible issues in education one might consider. I have chosen to consider tracking, the experience of teaching, the political economy of American education, immigration, affirmative action, complexities of community colleges, and challenges of social change. Many interesting and important issues exist that we cannot discuss; it is hoped that the foundation provided here, and the illustrative analyses of the particular issues we do consider, will provide a solid basis for additional work on the sociology of education for any so inclined. At the same time, the works we cover provide a good grounding in some abiding and contemporary issues in education.

The aim of these efforts is, therefore, threefold. As one might imagine, one course aim is that students learn particular substantive facts about education. A second aim is that students learn a range of theoretical perspectives analysts have developed for considering education and society. A third aim is that students become adept at evaluating evidence bearing on the relation between substantive facts and theoretical perspectives. The first aim is important, but it is the second and third aim that sets our work apart and makes it a college-level course. Consequently, the point is not only to learn facts, but also and most important, to be able to marshall those facts to evaluate other claims, and to sensitively weigh evidence.

"Conduct, Advantages, and Disadvantages of Quantitative Analysis."