First Year Students

The Great Equalizer?
Social Inequality and American Public Education



Simpson Colloquium SC-101 W   - The Great Equalizer? Social Inequality and American Public Education – a look at the impact of gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation on public schooling in America
T TH  9:40- 11:10AM

Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery.   --Horace Mann

Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to, convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.    
--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787.

This course will explore the interconnectivity between American Public Education (PK-12), long viewed by many American founders as the great equalizer and lynch-pin of democracy, and inequity of opportunity due factors including one’s gender, gender-identity, and sexual orientation. Students will be asked to critically analyze this relationship and connect it to the short and long-term impact on our collective shared community.

As a citizen and taxpayer within our American democracy, a clear understanding of this complex and problematic relationship, is essential. Further, empowerment of course participants as educated and active citizens, will be central to the course’s purpose. This is a vital component of a liberal arts education which concerns not simply what one knows or can do, but moreover who one becomes as a human being in relation to others.

Meet Your Professor
Patricia Woodward-Young, Ph.D.
Professor of Education

Patricia A. Woodward-Young, Ph.D. is Professor of Education at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. She has been at Simpson since 1991. She currently teaches human relations in teaching, foundations of education, elementary methods of science and health education, and Simpson Colloquium. She also coordinates student teaching.

Prior to coming to Simpson College, Patti taught at the upper elementary levels in Tennessee, New Jersey, and Iowa. She has two daughters, three dogs, and two cats. Her passions are for equity in education, democracy in education, and embracing genuine student engagement through authentic pedagogy. She hopes that all Simpson College students will realize their potential as a force for positive change in our world.

Contact information:Patti Young

Patricia A. Woodward-Young
Wallace Hall 309
Simpson College
701 North C Street
Indianola, IA 50125

515.961.1564 (office)
515.988.0980 (cell)

patti.young@simpson.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanie MullenMeet Your Desintation Leader
 Jeanie Mullen

Hello Everyone!

I will be the Destination Leader for the Simpson Colloquium course “The Great Equalizer?” I will be a senior in the fall and absolutely LOVE it here at Simpson! I plan to graduate in May 2013 with a degree in Honors Mathematics major and minors in Secondary Education and Eonomics.  I was raised on a farm in the middle of nowhere…otherwise known as Fonda, IA.  Leaving home was both exciting and scary, yet I am now able to call Simpson my home and can’t imagine myself anywhere else. Coming from such a small high school, I was able to participate in just about any extracurricular I wanted to, including dance, cheerleading, golf, speech, play, NHS, student government, and my church religious group.

This level of involvement has carried over to my time here at Simpson, where I have had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities, as well as receive a quality education. Some of my activities include Pi Beta Phi, Football & Basketball Cheerleading, Student Alumni Association, Math Club, Phonathon, Upward Bound, Omicron Delta Kappa, Student Support Services, and volunteering through Religious Life Community. Sure, it makes for a busy lifestyle, but these activities have helped me to grow as a person as well as meet some of my best friends.  I have even had the chance to go to New Orleans in 2011 to present research at the Joint Mathematics Meeting, the largest annual mathematics meeting in the world! (Nerdy I know).

In the little spare time I do have, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, checking out the latest movies, dancing, working out, watching the Food Network , and catching up on some much needed sleep! There is never a dull moment!

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding classes, Simpson, or life in general. I am more than happy to help you out and want to make your transition to Simpson as seamless as possible. I look forward to meeting each of you! 

Meet Your Writing FellowMichelle Stolz
Michelle Stolz

Hello everyone!

I am the Writing Fellow for the Simpson Colloquium course “The Great Equalizer?” I will be a sophomore in the fall. I am majoring in Elementary Education and Spanish with endorsements in special education and reading. I grew up on a farm outside of Portsmouth, Iowa (a town of less than….maybe 250 people) and graduated from Harlan Community High School. I stayed busy during my four years at HCHS. I took piano lessons for eight years. I was a cheerleader and involved in our FFA chapter. I was a part of the church group and volunteered at the elementary school.

Being a sophomore I am still working on building my involvement in college. I work at Fareway and also am a lab technician in the computer labs. I am a Wesley Service Scholar and volunteer at Irving Elementary. I also take part in Education Club meetings when I get a chance. Recently, I joined Alpha Delta Lambda, an honors society for freshmen. I take advantage of the little down time that I have. I spend more time on YouTube and Facebook than I’d like to admit. I enjoy a good nap or a sub from Jimmy John’s. I love hanging out with my friends and have an unhealthy obsession with penguins. I’m always listening to music and am a bit of a concert junkie.

If you have any questions or comments about Simpson, your classes, or anything in between, feel free to e-mail me at michelle.stolz@my.simpson.edu. I will be happy to help you out with whatever you need! I remember the crazy months leading up to college. It is overwhelming and exciting, all at the same time. I love it here at Simpson, and hope that you will too. College is a huge step, and you don’t have to go through the transition alone. I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know you better throughout the upcoming semester.

Last Updated: 4/16/12