Semester: Fall

Offered: 2021

This course focuses on the epistemological, methodological, and pedagogical uses of critical race theory (CRT) in the examination and deconstruction of race-based educational disparities and inequalities in K-12 and postsecondary education. The overarching goals of the course will be to examine the utility of CRT as a theoretical framework in (1) interrogating the factors that cause racial educational disparities; (2) exploring why inequalities exist and persist; and (3) determining sustainable remedies to these disparities and inequalities. The course will begin by looking at CRT's roots in critical legal studies. The course will then explore CRT's more recent applications in the realm of education, which has its roots in examining the experiences of African-Americans and others society deems as Black. In doing so, students will confront the intra and interpersonal challenges and strengths of multiple socially constructed race groups by examining the branches of CRT that focus on people of color, including Latinos, Asians, and Native Indians, and the use of CRT to examine Whiteness. Students will also investigate issues of epistemology and research methodology in CRT, which will ultimately be useful as they then examine the experiences of students of color in the K-12 and higher education realms through a CRT lens, and the potential uses of CRT in research, teacher education, and the teaching and learning process writ large.