The final project is an essay that describes your understanding of the purpose of education in a democracy and who you think ought to decide about it. It consists of two parts:
1. An interview with a stakeholder in an educational community of your choice
2. A 4-5 page paper that describes the interview, and provides an analytical reflection on the purpose of education in a democracy, using the interview and the theoretical approaches and historical events we studied in class.
Your interview of a stakeholder should be brief (approximately 30 minutes), and concern the interviewees personal knowledge, experience, and opinion on the purpose of education in our democracy. You will describe the context of your interview in the first 1-2 pages of your paper. Be sure to note your interviewees responses to the questions about the purpose of education.
The remainder of the paper is reflective and should address all of the following questions (not necessarily in this order):
1. What do you believe is the purpose of education, and who decides (and ought to decide) that purpose in a democratic system? How has your understanding of education changed over the course of the quarter?
2. How does the interview inform (or not inform) your belief in this purpose, or your approach to education in the U.S.?
3. What historical narrative we studied in this course informs your understanding of our current condition of education? Connect to ONE historical context we studied, and explain the connection.
4. How do the theoretical approaches we discussed in class inform your understanding? Connect to ONE theoretical approach we studied, and explain the connection.
