TEAE 4300 / 5300 / 6300
Multicultural Education
3 Credit Hours

The purpose of this course is to aid students in becoming aware of, understanding, and being sensitive to the needs and interests of ethnic and cultural groups, with the underlying philosophy being that the differences and similarities that characterize individuals and groups should be cherished for their worth and cultivated for the benefit they bring to all people.

The student will be able to;

I) Determine an operational definition of the concept of multicultural education by viewing multicultural education as:

1) an educational system, 2) an economic system, 3) a political system, 4) an ecological system, and 5) an integrative system.

II) Describe the major goals of Multicultural Education in the context of:

1) Justice, 2) Understanding, 3) Equality, and 4) Equity.

III) Discuss critical questions in each module via discussion board in WebCT.

IV) Indentify methods of integrating a multicultural perspective into teaching or other activities and in the classrooms or work place.

V) Evaluate multicultural education as an instrument of change in educational systems and as an agent to promote human rights.

None.

Course Topics:

Multicultural Education Topics: Pre-read the text before working through the material of this course.

Module One: Foundations for Multicultural Teaching
1. Education in a changing society

2. Culture and the culture-learning process

3. Classrooms and schools as cultural crossroads

4. Intercultural development: considering the growth of self and students

Module Two: Creating Community

1. The classroom as a global community: nationality and region

2. Creating classrooms that address race and ethnicity

3. Developing learning communities: language and learning style

4. Religious pluralism in secular classrooms

Module Three: Creating Multicultural Classrooms

1. Developing a collaborative classroom: gender and sexual orientation

2. Creating developmentally appropriate classrooms: the importance of age and developmental status

3. Creating inclusive classrooms: the ability/disability continuum and the health dimension

4. Assessing progress: the importance of social class and social status

5. Tomorrow's classrooms

Specific Course Requirements:

A basic understanding of the use of WebCT, computers, and word processing.  The ability to use APA style for all citations.

Required Textbooks:

 

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain current textbook information for this course:

 http://rodp.bkstr.com

Supplementary Materials:

Various websites relating to multicultural education.

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Specific software requirements for this course are all available on the internet. Software that will be used includes but is not limited to Real Player, Media Player, and Acrobat Reader. When a new type of software is needed the instructor will post the website needed for download.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Testing Procedures:

This course contains three timed quizzes which will be taken at the completion of each module.  Students will be given a three-day time-period within which to complete the quiz tests.  Once the student clicks begin, the time period begins and the student must complete the test within the specified period of minutes.  All tests are open book/open notes.

Grading Procedures for TEAS 4300:

Assessment and student evaluation are related to content material.  These assessments include the following: (1) 3 papers @ 18 points each, (2) 3 quizzes @ 20 points each, (3) 2 multicultural assignments @ 10 points each, and (4) 11 discussion questions @ 6 points each.  The final grade will be determined by adding the earned points from all of the required activities listed above.

All assignments should be submitted on time. 

Assessment and student evaluation are related to content material.  These assessments include the following: (1) 2 papers @ 14 points each and 1 research paper at 26 points (2) 3 quizzes @ 20 points each, (3) 2 multicultural assignments @ 10 points each, and (4) 11 discussion questions @ 6 points each.  The final grade will be determined by adding the earned points from all of the required activities listed above.

All assignments should be submitted on time. 

Grading Scale:

180 - 200---A
160 - 179---B
140 - 159---C
120 - 139---D
119 or less---F

Assignments and Projects:

All assignments are due on or before the due date.  Late work will be accepted only in cases of emergencies and will be subject to point deductions for each day past the due date.

1.   Timed quizzes at the end of each module - Each student is expected to take a timed quiz which incorporates objectives related to that particular module. You are allowed a period of approximately three days within which the quiz can be completed. Each quiz is timed, thus at the end of the allotted time, you should have finished answering the question, saved the answer, and submitted the quiz. WebCT will not allow you to submit the quiz beyond the allotted time limit so do not click "begin" until you are ready actually ready to start the quiz and click submit prior to the end of the time limit.  Be sure to check the dates for taking the quizzes.
 

2.    Three Papers

3.   Participation in several multicultural activities.

Class Discussion:

Students must participate in all weekly discussions.  Questions will be posted each week and students will answer the questions and then respond to other postings from their classmates.   All postings should be quality postings, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the assigned readings. 

Punctuality:

All assignments, discussions, and quizzes must be completed by the due date.  Late work will not be accepted except in the case of documented emergencies and will be subject to point deductions. 

Please be aware that plagairism is against the law and will not be accepted.  The following site provides information regarding how to avoid plagairism:  Avoiding Plagairism

Participation is required. Students are expected to learn how to navigate in WebCT. Students are responsible for ALL course announcements posted to the web. NOTE: ALL EMAIL HAS TO BE SENT VIA WEBCT EMAIL. PERSONAL EMAIL HAS BEEN SUPPLIED FOR THE PURPOSE OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION OR WHEN NECESSARY.

Students are expected to address technical problems immediately and to observe course etiquette at all times.

Email:

• Always include a subject line.
• Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
• Use standard fonts.
• Do not send large attachments without permission.
• Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
• Respect the privacy of other class members

Chat:

• Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
• Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
• Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
• Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
• Be constructive in your comments and suggestion

Web Resources:

Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor

Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Telephone Support:

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637(toll free)

or go to their website at:

http://www.rodp.org/student_services.htm