EDUC 167. Education, Race, and the Law

This course explores the struggle for racial equality in education through examining federal and state lawsuits. We will look at changing ideologies about race and inequality, moving from the notion of "separate but equal" in Plessy v. Ferguson, to "separate as inherently unequal" in Brown v. Board of Education, to today's school funding lawsuits which strategically sidestep the use of race as a legal argument. Students will develop theoretical frameworks, drawn from the fields of legal anthropology and critical race theory. Since this is a community-based learning (ESCH) course, fieldwork and research is a major component of the course. In addition to readings, assignments, and class time, students will conduct interviews with lawyers and judges from past school funding lawsuits. Students will also partner with local groups that are active in the campaign for school funding to learn about and contribute to advancing racial equality in education.
Prerequisite: EDUC 014 and one other educational studies course.
Social sciences.
2 credits.
Eligible for ESCH, BLST.
Catalog chapter: Educational Studies.
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/educational-studies.

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