Leticia Marteleto

Course Overview:

 This seminar introduces students to key theoretical and empirical work in education. Although you would find certain foundational readings in this course, the readings for this course reflect my intellectual history and orientation toward educational stratification and social demography. In contemporary societies, schools and families are the most important social institutions for children’s education. However, the ways in which schools and families affect education are contingent upon contexts such as educational systems, public policy, and demographic change.

Educational stratification and social demography of schooling are large fields of research that covers a wide array of themes. This year we will focus on studies of inequality of educational opportunity and outcome in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In addition to the main theoretical and research frameworks in the field, each week we will discuss comparative and case study readings that explore specific themes.

 As a graduate seminar, this class relies heavily on your participation. I will seldom lecture, and when I do my lectures will be brief and most likely methodological in nature (enough information to get you through the readings!). The substantive work of this course falls to you. I expect you to complete all of the readings on time, submit summaries in a timely fashion (described below), and attend every class unless you have a very legitimate reason for not attending (illness, religious, family emergency, etc.). Small groups of students will take turns leading our discussions.

Description:

The main goal of this course is to introduce students to key theoretical and empirical work in social and economic inequality within the dynamics of social change in developing nations. While we discuss conceptual, theoretical and methodological aspects in social and economic inequality, we also focus on the ways in which social systems maintain and/or challenge social inequality, with a focus on Brazil. We will draw comparisons with the United States as a way to apply the concepts learned. How are resources differentially allocated and how we allocate resources based on race, class, gender and family aspects? How do race, class, and gender affect individuals? How are inequalities and their consequences experienced within the realm of social change? A second goal of the course is to teach students skills that will enable them to more easily read academic work and write clearly and concisely.

Grading and Requirements:

Students will practice reading academic research, do class exercises, write case studies, and complete a research paper that will aid them in these goals.

Restricted to students in the Maymester Abroad Program; contact the Study Abroad Office for permission to register for this class. Class meets May 29-June 29. Taught in Bela Horizonte, Brazil. Students must consult with Study Abroad Program Coordinator as travel and orientation dates may be in addition to these dates.

Course Overview:

 This seminar introduces students to key theoretical and empirical work in educational inequality and stratification with an international focus. Demography of education is a large field of research that covers a wide array of themes. This year we will focus on studies of inequality of educational opportunity and outcome in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In addition to the main theoretical and research frameworks in the field, each week we will discuss comparative and case study readings that explore specific themes.

Students will be evaluated on the basis of several assignments (described below) and class attendance and participation.

Grades will be calculated as follows:

Class attendance, participation and preparation

5%

Analytical memos

15%

Take-home exam

20%

Discussion leader

20%

Final project

Presentation (10%) + Final paper (30%)

40%

Summary and Goals:

The main goal of this course is to serve as a practical guide to a launching professional career in social demography.  We will spend the semester participating in activities and discussions aimed at providing concrete, practical advice and assistance for getting ahead.  Some topics we will cover are: collaboration, authorship, research ethics, presenting at professional meetings, publishing, grants, conducting international research, and interviewing for jobs.  For one hour of the course, we will be joined by colleagues throughout the University for the Population Research Center Brown Bag Seminar. Most weeks, this lecture will be followed by lunch and an informal meeting with the brownbag speaker.  Students are welcomed to repeat the course.  

Requirements:

For credit, students are required to regularly attend class meetings, participate in class discussion, attend the weekly Brownbag Lecture, and meet with the speaker.  All absences must be cleared, preferably in advance.  To prepare for class discussion, students will be required to read occasional articles and websites and/or prepare materials for class.  The listed readings are to be completed prior to our meeting.  

Credit will be determined as follows:

Consistent attendance and participation are required for credit. 

Description:

The main goal of this course is to introduce students to social demography, the study of social causes and social consequences of population processes. Social demographers are interested on the social origins of population change and the meaning and implications of population processes. While we will introduce the main conceptual and theoretical aspects of social demography, we will focus on the social demography of Latin America and Africa. Social demography encompasses a remarkably diverse scope of research questions—some questions we will cover in this course include:

• Why do women live longer than men?
• Why do people have fewer children now than in the past?
• Why do people have fewer children in developed than in less developed countries?
• Why population explosion is not a realistic problem anymore?
• What is brain drain?

A second goal for this course is to encourage students to think sociologically about the antecedents and implications of demographic processes in different societies. The third goal for this course is for students to become critical consumers of demographic information and critical thinkers about social demography.

Grades:

Grades will be based on five exams, which are a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. We will have one exam for each of our themes: mortality, fertility, migration, families and households, and age and sex composition/population change over time. The exams are not cumulative. Each exam will contain 20 questions, with each question worth 1 point.

A=93-100; A-90-92; B+=87-89; B=83-86; B-=80-82; C+=77-79; C=73-76; C-70-72; D+=67-69; D=63-66; D-=60-62; F < 60.

Required Textbook:

Weeks, J. R. 2008. Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues, 10th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Additional readings will be posted on the Blackboard site for the course.

Course Overview:

 This seminar introduces students to key theoretical and empirical work in the demography of education. Demography of education is a large field of research that covers a wide array of themes. This year we will focus on studies of inequality of educational opportunity and outcome in Latin America and Africa. In addition to the main theoretical and research frameworks in the field, each week we will discuss comparative and case study readings that explore specific themes.

Course Requirements and Evaluation:

In this class I use Blackboard—a Web-based course management system with password-protected access at http://courses.utexas.edu—to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, and to submit assignments. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 Readings

This is a graduate-level seminar designed to acquaint students with some of the major topics in the demography of education. The course is not designed to achieve complete coverage of the existing literature. We will instead explore more deeply into a selection of topics central to the field.

Articles

All articles assigned will be available in the Blackboard site for this course.

Books

Books will be on hold in the library. In addition, a copy of all required chapters will also be available in the Blackboard site for this course.

Assignments and Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the basis of several assignments (described below) and class attendance and participation. All written assignments should be in Microsoft Word format and typed in 12-point font, preferably Arial or Times New Roman.

1. Attendance, preparation and participation: Attendance and tardiness is used in determining the grades. Readings and discussions are a crucial part of the course. Students are expected to complete all readings, and participate actively and thoughtfully in class discussions. All students are expected to complete all the required readings before the class period for which they are assigned and to come to class prepared to discuss them.

2. Analytical memos (2 pages): Students will choose a group of weeks to write their memos based on that week’s readings. These memos will provide an opportunity for students to offer critical commentary and to pose questions for in-class discussion on the assigned readings. Memos should address at least one of the following questions: What are the main questions addressed in the readings? What are the conceptual strengths and weaknesses of the articles? What is the value of the analyses of the readings for the field? Memos should also contain at least three questions to promote in-class discussion. These memos are due midnight the Saturday before class on Monday on the Blackboard site for this course. No late memos will be accepted.

3. Discussion leader: Students will be assigned to lead a 40/45-minute discussion integrating the week’s readings to an assigned country. Students will lead this activity once during the course and should frame their discussion based on the guidelines on page 11. Students should send me their top two preferences in rank order in the first day of class and I will assign students on that basis. The presentation materials should be posted on the Blackboard class website by midnight the Friday before class on Monday.

4. Final project: Students are asked to present their final project in two forms: (1) a 15-20 minute in-class presentation and (2) a written research proposal (not to exceed 15 double-spaced pages). Students are asked to submit a written outline of their final project in-class on a date TBA. The final written assignment is due on a date TBA.

The final project should include an extensive review of the literature on the topic, clear hypotheses/research questions, justification of the proposed research and relevance of the potential findings. The proposal should also contain a detailed description of the data and methods that will be used. The final project for this class might serve as the basis of a dissertation proposal, a grant proposal to support dissertation work or a paper for a conference and journal publication.

We will spend time in class during the semester discussing the nature of the final project. Students will also meet in groups during class to provide and receive feedback on their final project. I am available to discuss your final projects during office hours and by appointment.

Description

The main goal of this course is to introduce students to social demography, the study of social causes and social consequences of population processes. Social demographers are interested on the social origins of population change and the meaning and implications of population processes. While we will introduce the main conceptual and theoretical aspects of social demography, we will focus on the social demography of Latin America and Africa. Social demography encompasses a remarkably diverse scope of research questions—some questions we will cover in this course include:

Why do women live longer than men?

• Why do people have fewer children now than in the past?
• Why do people have fewer children in developed than in less developed countries?
• Why population explosion is not a realistic problem anymore?
• What is brain drain?

A second goal for this course is to encourage students to think sociologically about the antecedents and implications of demographic processes in different societies. The third goal for this course is for students to become critical consumers of demographic information and critical thinkers about social demography.

Grading and Requirements

Grades will be based on five exams, which are a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. We will have one exam for each of our themes: mortality, fertility, migration, families and households, and age and sex composition/population change over time. The exams are not cumulative. Each exam will contain 20 questions, with each question worth 1 point.

A=93-100; A-90-92; B+=87-89; B=83-86; B-=80-82; C+=77-79; C=73-76; C-70-72; D+=67-69; D=63-66; D-=60-62; F < 60.

Required Textbook

Weeks, J. R. 2008. Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues, 10th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Additional readings will be posted on the Blackboard site for the course.

Summary and Goals: The main goal of this course is to serve as a practical guide to a launching professional career in social demography.  We will spend the semester participating in activities and discussions aimed at providing concrete, practical advice and assistance for getting ahead.  Some topics we will cover are: collaboration, research ethics, publishing, grants, conducting international research, and interviewing for jobs.  For one hour of the course, we will be joined by colleagues throughout the University for the Population Research Center Brown Bag Seminar.

Requirements: Evaluation will be based on attendance and participation.

Description:

Course Overview:

The first goal of this course is to introduce students to social demography, the study of social causes and social consequences of population processes. Social demographers are interested on the social origins of population change and the meaning and implications of population processes for society at large. While we will introduce the main conceptual and theoretical aspects of social demography, we will focus on the demography of Latin America and Africa. Social demography encompasses a remarkably diverse scope of research questions—some questions we will cover in this course include:

•    Why do women live longer than men?
•    Why do people have children?
•    Why do people have fewer children now than in the past? Why do people have fewer children in developed than in less developed countries?
•    Why did the proportion of births occurring outside marriage increase remarkably in the last decades?
•    Why population explosion is not a realistic social issue anymore?

A second goal for this course is to encourage students to think sociologically about the antecedents and implications of demographic processes in different societies. The third goal for this course is for students to become critical consumers of demographic information and critical thinkers about social demography.

Class Structure:

Class meets three times a week. Students are expected to attend lectures and participate in class.

Monday classes will be a lecture of the topic assigned for that week. Wednesday classes will be for reflecting on the materials covered on Monday, using a Latin American country as a case study. Friday classes will generally be a review of the materials covered on Monday and Wednesday classes.

Grades:

Your grade will be based on five exams, which are a combination of multiple choice and short answer
questions. We will have one exam for each of our themes: sources of demographic information, mortality, fertility and contraception, mortality, migration, and population composition. The exams are not cumulative. Each exam will contain 20 questions, with each question worth 1 point.

Extra credit: You may write two 1-page reflections on any additional readings that will be
covered in class and posted on the Blackboard site for this class. Each reflection will be worth 2.5 points and can be handed to me in class on the week in which the reading was assigned.

Grading scale:
A: 90-100 points Excellent
B: 80-89 points Above Average
C: 70-79 points Average
D: 60-69 points Passing
F: <60 points Failing


Required Textbook:

Poston, D. and L. Bouvier. 2010. Population and Society: An Introduction to Demography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at the UT Co-op.

Additional readings will be posted on the Blackboard site for this course.

Meets with LAS 381

Description

This seminar introduces students to key theoretical and empirical work in the sociology of education. Sociology of education is a large field of research that covers a wide array of themes. This year we will focus on studies of school access, educational attainment, educational achievement and school effectiveness in Latin America and Africa. In addition to the main theoretical and research frameworks in the filed, each week we will discuss comparative and case study readings that explore specific themes such as the roles of schools and families in shaping educational outcomes; education and the transitions to adulthood; education, stratification and inequality (gender, ethnicity and race).

Readings: This is a graduate-level seminar designed to acquaint students with some of the major topics in sociology of education. The course is not designed to achieve complete coverage of the existing literature. We will instead explore more deeply into a selection of topics central to the field. I use blackboard to distribute course materials.

Assignments and Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the basis of several assignments (described below) and class attendance and participation. All written assignments should be in Microsoft Word format and typed in 12-point font, preferably Arial or Times New Roman.

Evaluation: Grades will be calculated as follows:

Class attendance, participation and preparation    15%
Analytical memos    25%
Discussion leader    20%
Final project    40%

Please check back for updates.

Sociology of Education

SOC396L (46792)

& LAS381 (41048)

Fall 2009

Class Meeting:            Wednesday, 3:00pm-6:00pm, BUR 214

Professor:                         Leticia Marteleto

E-mail: marteleto@prc.utexas.edu

Office Address:            BUR562 and MAI2416

Office Phone:                        232-6316 (BUR) and 471-8302 (MAI)

Office Hours:                        Wednesdays 11:00-12:00 @ BUR562, or by appointment

Course Overview:

This seminar introduces students to key theoretical and empirical work in the sociology of education. Sociology of education is a large field of research that covers a wide array of themes. This year we will focus on studies of school access, educational attainment, educational achievement and school effectiveness in Latin America and Africa. In addition to the main theoretical and research frameworks in the filed, each week we will discuss comparative and case study readings that explore specific themes such as the roles of schools and families in shaping educational outcomes; education and the transitions to adulthood; education, stratification and inequality (gender, ethnicity and race).

Course Requirements and Evaluation:

In this class I use Blackboard—a Web-based course management system with password-protected access at http://courses.utexas.edu—to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, and to submit assignments. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Readings

This is a graduate-level seminar designed to acquaint students with some of the major topics in sociology of education. The course is not designed to achieve complete coverage of the existing literature. We will instead explore more deeply into a selection of topics central to the field.

Articles

All articles assigned will be available in the Blackboard site for this course.

Books

Books will be on hold in the library. In addition, a copy of all required chapters will also be available in the Blackboard site for this course.

Assignments and Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the basis of several assignments (described below) and class attendance and participation. All written assignments should be in Microsoft Word format and typed in 12-point font, preferably Arial or Times New Roman.

1. Attendance, preparation and participation: Attendance and tardiness is used in determining the grades. Readings and discussions are a crucial part of the course. Students are expected to complete all readings, and participate actively and thoughtfully in class discussions. All students are expected to complete all the required readings before the class period for which they are assigned and to come to class prepared to discuss them.

1. Analytical memos (2 pages or less): Students will choose a group of weeks to write their memos based on that week’s readings: (1) 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 or (2) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. These memos will provide an opportunity for students to offer critical commentary and to pose questions for in-class discussion on the assigned readings. Memos should address at least one of the following questions: What are the main questions addressed in the readings? What are the conceptual strengths and weaknesses of the articles? What is the value of the analyses of the readings for the field? Memos should also contain at least three questions to promote in-class discussion. These memos are due midnight the Monday before class on Wednesday on the Blackboard site for this course. No late memos will be accepted.

IUSSP analytical memo (2 pages or less): Find, in the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population—IUSSP—conference website (www.iussp.org/marrakech2009/index.php), two papers related to this course and prepare an analytical memo based on them. The guidelines for this memo are the same as the usual analytical memos described above. This memo is due midnight on 09/30 on the Blackboard site for this course.

1. Discussion leader: Students will be assigned to lead a 40/45-minute discussion integrating the week’s readings to an assigned country. Students will lead this activity once during the course and should frame their discussion based on the guidelines on page 11. Students should send me their top two preferences in rank order in the first day of class and I will assign students on that basis. The presentation materials should be posted on the Blackboard class website by midnight the Tuesday before class on Wednesday.

1. Final project: Students are asked to present their final project in two forms: (1) a 15-20 minute in-class presentation and (2) a written research proposal (not to exceed 15 double-spaced pages). Students are asked to submit a written outline of their final project by midnight on October 14. The final written assignment is due by 2pm on December 15th.

The final project should include an extensive review of the literature on the topic, clear hypotheses/research questions, justification of the proposed research and relevance of the potential findings. The proposal should also contain a detailed description of the data and methods that will be used. The final project for this class might serve as the basis of a dissertation proposal, a grant proposal to support dissertation work or a paper for a conference and journal publication.

We will spend time in class during the semester discussing the nature of the final project. Students will also meet in groups during class to provide and receive feedback on their final project. I am available to discuss your final projects during office hours and by appointment.

Evaluation

Grades will be calculated as follows:

Week 1 (08/26): Introduction and Overview

Reminder: Analytical memos are due by midnight Monday on the Blackboard website for this course. Students should submit memos according to the group of weeks they selected: (1) or (2).

Theoretical perspectives, research frameworks and overall patterns of education in Latin America and Africa (weeks 2, 3 and 4)

Week 2 (09/02): Theoretical perspectives and research frameworks

Required readings:

• Buchmann, C. and E. Hannum. 2001. “Education and Stratification in Developing Countries: Review of Theories and Empirical Research.” Annual Review of Sociology 27:77-102.
• Bray, M. and R. Thomas. 1995. “Levels of Comparison in Education:  Different Insights from Different Literatures and the Value of Multilevel Analysis.” Harvard Educational Review 65(3): 472-490.
• Carnoy, M. 2007. Cuba’s Academic Advantage: Why Students in Cuba Do Better in School. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Chapter 1.
• Sadovnik, A. 2007. “Theory and Research in the Sociology of Education”. In A. Sadovnik (ed.) Sociology of Education: A Critical Reader. New York: Routledge.

Week 3 (09/09): Education in Latin America

Required readings:

• Carnoy, M. 2007. Cuba’s Academic Advantage: Why Students in Cuba Do Better in School. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Comparing academic performance in Cuba and other Latin American countries. Chapters 2, 3 and 4.
• Hyunjoon, P. and G. Sandefur. 2006. “Families, Schools, and Reading in Asia and Latin America.” In E. Hannum and B. Fuller. Children's Lives and Schooling across Societies: Research in the Sociology of Education v. 15.
• Vegas, E. and J. Petrow. 2008. Raising student learning in Latin America: The challenge for the 21^st century. Washington DC: The World Bank. Part 1, pp:1-33.

Week 4 (09/16): Education in Africa

Required readings:

• Buchmann, C.  2002. "Getting Ahead in Kenya: Social Capital, Shadow Education and Achievement." Research in Sociology of Education 13:133-59.
• Case, A., C. Paxson, and J. Ableidinger. 2004. “Orphans in Africa: Parental death, poverty and school enrollment.” Demography 41(3): 483-508.
• Hewett, P. and C. Lloyd. “Progress toward education for all: Trends and current challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa” In Lloyd, C. (editor), The Changing transitions to adulthood in developing countries. Washington DC: The National Academies.
• Lam, D., C. Ardington, and M. Leibrandt. 2008. "Schooling as a Lottery: Racial Differences in School Advancement in Urban South Africa." PSC Research Report No. 08-632. February 2008.

Families, schools, access to schooling and educational outcomes (weeks 5, 6, 7 and 8)

Week 5 (09/23): Is it schools or is it families? Or both? School effects versus family effects

Required readings:

• Baker, D. and G. LeTendre. 2005. “Symbiotic institutions: Changing global dynamics between family and schooling” in Baker and LeTendre. National Differences, Global Similarities World Culture and the Future of Schooling. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 
• Buchman, C. 2002. “Measuring Family Background in International Studies of Education: Conceptual Issues and Methodological Challenges” in A. Porter and A. Gamoran (editors). Methodological Advances in Cross-National Surveys of Educational Achievement. National Research Council. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
• Epstein, J. and M. Sanders. 2000. “Connecting home, school, and community: new directions for social research.” In M. Hallinan. Handbook of the Sociology of Education. Springer.
• Heyneman, S. and Loxley, W. 1983. “The effect of primary-school quality on academic achievement across twenty-nine high- and low-income countries.” American Journal of Sociology 88(6): 1162-1194.

Reminders: No class on 09/30 due to the IUSSP Conference

IUSSP Memo Assignment due on 09/30

Week 6 (10/07): Family factors and educational outcomes

Required readings:

• Arends-Kuenning, M. and Duryea, S. 2006. “The Effect of Parental Presence, Parents' Education, and Household Headship on Adolescents' Schooling and Work in Latin America.” Journal of family and economic issues 27(2): 263-87.
• Buchmann, C. 2000. "Family Structure, Parental Perceptions and Child Labor in Kenya: What Factors Determine Who is Enrolled in School?" Social Forces 78:1349-78.
  • Lloyd C., Blanc A. 1996. “Children’s schooling in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of fathers, mothers, and others.” Population and Development Review 22(2):265–298
  • Vegas, E. and Petrow, J. 2008. Raising student learning in Latin America: The challenge for the 21^st century. Washington DC: The World Bank. Chapter 5.

Reminder: Deadline for submitting an outline of the final project is 10/14

Week 7 (10/14): School factors and educational outcomes

Required readings:

• Case, A. and A. Deaton. 1999. “School inputs and educational outcomes in South Africa”. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 114(3): 1047-84.
• Fuller, B. 1987. “What school factors raise achievement in the third world?” Review of Educational Research, 57(3): 255-292.
• Lloyd, C., B. Mensch and W. Clark. 2000. “The effects of primary school quality on school dropout among Kenyan girls and boys.” Comparative Education Review 44(2): 113-147.
• Soares, F. 2004. “Quality and Equity in Brazilian Basic Education: facts and possibilities.” In Brock and S. Schartzman (eds.) Challenges of Education in Brazil. Oxford: University of Oxford Press.

Week 8 (10/21): School organization and school effectiveness

Required readings:

• Fuller, B. and P. Clarke. 1994. “Raising School Quality while Ignoring Culture?” Review of Educational Research 64(1): 119-157.
• Hanushek, E. and J. Luque. 2003. “Efficiency and Equity in Schools around the World.” Economics of Education Review 22(5): 481-500.
• Lee, V., T. Zuze and K. Ross. 2005. “School Effectiveness in 14 Sub-Saharan African countries: Links with 6^th graders’ educational achievement.” Studies in Educational Evaluation 31: 207-46.
• Somers, M., P. McEwan and D. Willms. 2004. “How effective are private schools in Latin America?” Comparative Education Review 48(1): 25-52. 

The interactions between education, vital events and work (weeks 9 and 10)

Week 9 (10/28): Schooling and the transitions to adulthood

Required Readings:

• Hannum, E. and B. Fuller. 2006. “Overview: Children’s Lives and Schooling across Societies.” E. Hannum and B. Fuller (editors) Research in Sociology of Education 15: Children’s Lives and Schooling across Societies. Boston: JAI/Elsevier Science.
• Filgueira, C., F. Filgueira and A. Fuentes. 2003. “School attainment and transitions to adulthood in Latin America.” In S. Duryea, A. Edwards and M. Ureta (editors) Critical Decisions at a Critical Age: Adolescents and Young Adults in Latin America. Washington DC: Inter-American Development Bank.
• Lloyd, C. “Schooling.” 2005. Pp.: 67-167. In C. Lloyd (Editor). Growing up global: The changing transitions to adulthood in developing countries. Washington DC: The National Academies.

Week 10 (11/04): Consequences of schooling: work and vital events

Required Readings:

• Anderson, K., D. Lam and A. Case. 2001. "Causes and Consequences of Schooling Outcomes in South Africa: Evidence from Survey Data" Social Dynamics 27(1): 37-59.
• Lloyd, C., C. Kaufman and P. Hewett. 2000. “The spread of primary schooling in sub-Saharan-Africa: Implications on fertility change.” Population and Development Review. 26(3): 483-515.
• Marteleto, L., D. Lam and V. Ranchhod. 2008. “Sexual Behavior, Childbearing and Schooling in Urban South Africa.” Studies in Family Planning 39(4):351-368.
• Morgan, S. and W. Morgan. 2004. "Educational Pathways into the Evolving Labor Market of West Africa." Research in Sociology of Education 14:225-45.

Education and Inequalities (weeks 11, 12 and 13)

Week 11 (11/11): Education, stratification and social mobility

Required readings:

• Barros, R. and D. Lam. 1996. "Income Inequality, Inequality in Education, and Children’s Schooling Attainment in Brazil." in N. Birdsall and R. Sabot (editors) Opportunity Foregone: Education in Brazil, Washington DC: The Inter-American Development Bank.
• Breen, R. and J. Jonsson. 2005. “Inequality of Opportunity in Comparative Perspective: Recent Research on Educational Attainment and Social Mobility.” Annual Review of Sociology 31: 223-43
• Farrell, J. and E. Schiefelbein. 1985. “Education and Status Attainment in Chile: A Comparative Challenge to the Wisconsin Model of Status Attainment.” Comparative Education Review 29(4): 490-506.
  • Torche, F. 2005. “Privatization reform and inequality of education opportunity: The case of Chile”. Sociology of Education 78(4): 316-343.

Week 12 (11/18): Education and gender

Required readings:

• Assié-Lumumba, N. and M. Sutton. 2004. “Global Trends in Comparative Research on Gender and Education.”Comparative Education Review 48(4): 345-352.
• Fuller, B. and X. Liang. 1999. “Which girls stay in school? The influence of family economy, social demands, and ethnicity in South Africa.” In C. Bledsoe, J. Casterline, J. Johnson-Kuhn and J. Haaga Critical Perspectives on Schooling and Fertility in the Developing World. Washington DC: National Academy Press pp. 181-215.
• Lloyd, C., M. Grant, and A. Ritchie. 2008. “Gender differences in time use among adolescents in developing countries: Implications of rising school enrollment rates” Journal of Research on Adolescence. 18(1): 99–120.
• Ma, X. 2008. “Within-School Gender Gaps in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy.” Comparative Education Review 52(3): 437-460.

Week 13 (11/25): Education and Race and ethnicity

Required readings:

• Kao, G. and J. Thompson. 2003. “Racial and Ethnic Stratification in Educational Achievement and Attainment.” Annual Review of Sociology 29: 417-442.
• Marteleto, L. 2009. Race and Educational Attainment in Brazil. PSC Research Report.
• McEwan, Patrick. 2008. “Can schools reduce the indigenous test score gap? Evidence from Chile.” Journal of Development Studies 44(10): 1506-30. 
• McEwan, Patrick. 2004. “The indigenous test score gap in Bolivia and Chile.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 53(1): 157-90.

Week 14 (12/02): Student Presentations

Final project due by 2pm on December 15th

Deposit: Blackboard website for this class

NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Important University Notices and Policies

University of Texas Honor Code

The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

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Documented Disability Statement

Students with disabilities who require special accommodations need to get a letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students (471-6259 voice or 471-4641 TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). This letter should be presented to the instructor in each course at the beginning of the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that time. Five business days before an exam the student should remind the instructor of any testing accommodations that will be needed.

Religious Holidays

Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. If you miss an examination, work assignment, or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. It is the policy of The University of Texas at Austin that you must notify each of your instructors at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates you will be absent to observe a religious holy day.