Honors Junior Seminar – Topic: Urban Education
College Studies L689 Credits: 3
Marcella L. McCoy, Ph.D. - Instructor
PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY
Marcella L. McCoy, Ph.D. - Director
Course Description:This course will explore gender-separate education at the high school level where the curriculum focus is on career exploration. A secondary component of the course will examine the partnership of private organizations with public school management. Students will spend 12 hours at a gender-separate, career focused charter high school assisting teachers with in class instruction. The sites for the student service are Rhodes Young Women’s Leadership and Fitz Simons Young Men’s Leadership High Schools in North Philadelphia, where the gender separation is in its first year. (7 Students enrolled)
Texts
Articles on gender separate education in secondary schools, career education, and partnerships between public schools and private educational management organizations.
Datnow, Amanda and Lea Hubbard, Eds. Gender in Policy and Practice: Perspectives on Single-Sex and Coeducational Schooling. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002.
Sax, Leonard. Why Gender Matters. New York: Doubleday, 2005.
Suskind, Ronald. A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League. New York: Broadway Books, 1998.
Syllabus
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
|
Phase I Initial Research
|
|
| Week 1 |
Gender Article Summaries & Discussion – Course Pack |
| Week 2 |
Gender Survey Design & Interviews |
| Week 3 |
Gender Analytical Essays Due |
| Week 4 |
EMO Article Summaries & Discussion |
| Week 5 |
Site Visit & Schedule Set Up / Meet site faculty & Students |
|
Week 6 |
Research review & discussion |
| Week 7 |
Research Papers on EMOs due |
|
Phase II On Site Instruction (Data Collection) |
|
| Week 8 |
Post Career Education articles Summaries – Course Pack |
| Week 9 |
On Site / Post Site Reflections in Black Board Journal |
| Week 10 | On Site/ Post Site Reflections in Black Board Journal Black Board Discussion of A Hope in the Unseen |
| Week 11 |
On Site/ Post Site Reflections in Black Board Journal **Campus Lecture: Cedric Jennings, subject of A Hope in the Unseen |
|
Phase III Results/Analysis
Gender in Policy and Practice – resource text |
|
| Week 12 |
Discussion & Review of questions and results / Entries completed |
| Week 13 |
Results / Analysis Draft due addressing hypotheses & Questions |
| Week 14 |
Preparation for campus presentation of research/ site visits |
| Week 15 |
Campus Presentation |
| Week 16 |
Final |
Grading Policy:
Analytical Essay on impact of gender-separate education 20 %.
This assignment will require the class to design a query, conduct and analyze interviews /focus group, in addition to students’ assigned and independent readings.
Research Paper on private management of public schools 15%.
Students will review literature on private management debate, and results of this partnership in urban public school systems.
Site Instruction 20%
In place of meeting as a class, students will spend the course equivalent (3 hours/ week) at the sites assisting teachers and professionals with in class material / mentoring 11th graders on study skills and work ethics. Honors will cover transportation costs (bus tokens/ gas). Both schools are a 10-minute drive or a short bus ride from campus.
Journals 15%
Students will submit weekly journal entries via the course BB site of their On Site Instruction experiences. Entries should include any observations or experiences relating to the hypotheses, in addition to other relevant information and notable responses/ reflections on their participation.
Presentation 10%
Students will deliver a presentation to the campus community and Victory Schools based on the essay and research paper. The conclusion of the presentation will feature hypotheses and research questions resulting from their site participation.
Final Paper 20%
Students will use their preliminary research and reflect upon their participant observation at the schools to address the research questions posited in the presentation. The paper should consist of a critical analysis of their observations in response to the questions posed in the hypotheses.
Contact person: Marcella McCoy, MccoyM@philau.edu.