[MenTeach: Shaun Johnson has been working for many years on the topic of men teaching. He has offered a course about men teaching and continues to research and write about this topic. We’ve posted the introduction to his syllabus and have also attached the entire course outline.]
This course will investigate the lack of male teachers in the United States, especially in the elementary grades. A number of common issues emerge within the existing literature on men in education, which will divide the course into four major themes. Both instructor and participants will explore the following issues collaboratively with regard to the male teacher dilemma:
- Historical contributions and large-scale social changes
- Gender roles and the concept of masculinity
- Current status and experiences of male teachers
- Potential courses of action
Ultimately, we will not be focused on achieving a specific mastery of content, per se. The instructor and course participants will be engaged in a collaborative process where we attempt to define the issues ourselves based on the relevant literature. There are several major claims about men in education that we will take into consideration. However, it will be up to us to decide if those particular issues affecting the lack of male teachers contribute to development of our own courses of action.
The course will be organized in a very collaborative and participatory fashion. Assignments will focus on our collective interpretations of the dearth of male teachers, which will result in written reflections and a final inquiry project. Throughout our group understanding of the significant themes of the course, it will be up to each individual student to decide if any issue is actionable enough to warrant social change. Do we need more male teachers and on what grounds? If so, how can we achieve that goal?
Download the PDF attachment to see the entire Syllabus.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| IndianaUniversity_MenTeaching_Syllabus 2008 | 149.14 KB |