Managing Freedom in Preparation

Because we attempt to respect the agency of students in their own learning, we allow a choice of readings. Most of the classes have one or two required texts, and several recommended texts. Although all of this material is summarized enough on the site for you to follow class discussions, for a better than passing grade you will need to demonstrate what you have learned from your readings and discussions.

In most of the summaries, I have attempted to describe the material in plain and simple English. But many high school students could follow that. These are upper division college classes. They assume, and rightfully so, that you will engage in substantial reading. In the texts that I have chosen, I tried to provide a global perspective. We will cover the European perspective, the U.S. perspective, the Black perspective, the Latino perspective, and the perspective of other minorities. We cannot possibly cover all that in the hectic metropolitan environment of our lived realiity. My hope is that you will be able to select from both the recommended texts and the online readings material that will appeal to you.

Each week I put up many online readings that relate to the various issues we discuss in our classes. Some of these are geared to upper division and graduate students. I think it is important that you move beyond the traditional textbook fare to read some of the more challenging and exciting work being written on these issues. By allowing you an extensive choice in selecting your own readings, we hope that you will venture beyond the ordinary. That's where the fun of learning is.

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