FDN 2150 - Discourses in Democracy: The Effects of Policy on Lived Experiences (3)

When Offered: Spring; Summer Session
GEN ED: Integrative Learning Experience (Theme: “Critical Consciousness: Learning for Equity and Justice”)
Why does policy look different in real life than it does when policymakers and politicians talk about it? An example of this disconnect between policy discourse, policy, and educational realities can be seen when politicians and policies perpetually set out to change education while many perceive that education is still “failing.” In this course, we will consider the ways policy looks different depending on your perspective - how the building and understanding of policy knowledge is influenced by power. We will engage with the ideas, the concepts of democracy that we use - to understand how our thinking frameworks impact both how we understand an issue and how we then formulate responses. To root our collective understanding of ‘policy problems,’ the course will begin with a brief introduction to the policy world - considering educational as well as social, economic, and environmental issues. We will continue to think about the frameworks or discourses surrounding them, considering the policy documents and processes, but also the lived experiences of those affected to critically examine how policy and our frameworks for understanding policy can be a major driver in the reproduction of inequality. This course will focus on students developing a sense of how they fit into the discourses of democracy and what that means for their everyday practice to offer just and sustainable solutions.