This course will examine the purposes and roles of schooling in society. We will examine issues of inequality, race, class and gender, cultural transmission, and social change in K-12 and higher education. We will explore issues of socialization, stratification, the social organization of schools and classrooms, learning and community, and the uses of both formal and hidden curriculums. We will also give particular focus to issues of schooling in a democratic society and reforms conceived of as “democratic education.” We also will explore the role and experience of various participants in schooling. Finally, we will examine contemporary issues in schools and the possibilities for change in school and change in society. The class format is structured for active participation and engaged learning and all students in this seminar class are expected to be active participants in class discussions, learn and exercise good dialogic skills, and make presentations on class readings, topics, and papers.