A734: Cultural and Social Inequality in Higher Education

College education is perceived as the “great equalizer,” especially for students who come from low-income and racially-ethnically marginalized communities. Yet, studies have contested this view by demonstrating how universities have institutional policies, practices, and structures to maintain social inequality. In this module, students will be introduced to theoretical and empirical studies on the role of social class and culture in higher education in the United States. The aim of this course is to examine the different ways that higher education institutions have shaped practices and structures that segregate students by class, race, ethnicity, and/or citizenship among others. Studying higher education in relation to the broader society (i.e., taking a sociological lens) is critical in understanding how universities maintain their status quo despite the growing initiatives in creating equitable and inclusive campuses.

By learning about and engaging with sociological theories and frameworks, students will understand how inequity issues in colleges are interconnected to other social policies and cultural conditions in our society. In addition to research studies, students will also read current news and opinion articles, and examine current issues using a sociological lens. Students will be asked to critically examine universities’ dominant practices, including established initiatives and programs, and develop new approaches that challenge the status quo. In this course, students will expand their views of higher education institutions as a context beyond educational institutions and analyze them as social organizations that both influence and are influenced by social conditions. Finally, while examining factors creating inequality, students will also learn about critical frameworks and tools to think in new ways of addressing inequities as agents of change in higher education.