A formulation of educational questions dealing with the contemporary ecological crisis. A systematic study of human cosmology will enable the consideration of educational questions in terms of the role of human beings in relation to the natural world, and will foster the educational vision and creativity necessary for ecological survival and renewal. Situating English studies in relation to other social discourses, the course examines this area of cultural study in terms of its gender, race, class, and ethnic dynamics as these pertain to texts, teachers, and learners. In particular, theories of discourse and genre, feminist aesthetics, and recent theories of language and subjectivity are considered as alternative positions from which to make sense of textuality, literacy, and the language of the classroom. The value of ethnography as a research method lies in its holistic view of the particular culture, cultural situation or cultural event under study.
Critical ethnography is fundamentally concerned with questions of education and inequality.
It seeks not only to describe conditions of inequality, but also aims towards creating change in the conditions it describes. In this course we will inquire into the concerns of critical ethnography and learn about conducting and writing critical ethnography by reading and discussing studies that explore the relationship between education and ethnicity, gender, class, race and minority languages. Master's Level Supervised experience in an area of fieldwork, under the direction of faculty and field personnel. Inquire at the department office at least two months before the beginning of term. Specialized, individual study, under the direction of a member of the teaching staff, focusing upon topics of particular interest to the student.