RACE, SPACE AND URBAN SCHOOLS

Many people don’t think of themselves as having attended segregated schools.  And yet, most of us went to schools attended primarily by people who look very much like ourselves.  In fact, schools have become more segregated over the past 30 years, even as the country becomes increasingly racially diverse.  In this class, we will use public schools in New York as an example to examine the role race plays in shaping urban spaces and institutions.

We will begin by unpacking the concept of racialization, or the process by which a person, place, phenomenon, or characteristic becomes associated with a certain race. Then, we will explore the following questions: What are the relationships between city schools and their local contexts?  What does it mean to be a “neighborhood school”?  How are spaces inside of schools racialized?  We will use ethnographies, narrative nonfiction, and educational research to explore these questions from a variety of perspectives.  You will apply what you have learned to your own experiences and to current debates over urban policies and public schools.

This course will extend your understanding of key anthropological and sociological perspectives on urban inequality in the United States, as well as introduce you to critical theory.