Community Colleges as Cultural Texts: Qualitative Explorations of Organizational and Student CultureKathleen M. Shaw, James R. Valadez, Robert A. Rhoads Community colleges are positioned to play a critical role in the process of upward mobility in American society. Yet despite the open door accessibility of these institutions, the question remains as to whether or not community colleges enhance the social mobility of working class and minority students. The contradictory and often paradoxical nature of research on community colleges suggests that making generalizations about the sector as a whole is perhaps misguided. This book takes an important step toward developing a more nuanced understanding of the rich and varied cultures inherent in community colleges. The contributors approach this task by examining community colleges as cultural texts, using critical qualitative frameworks to address the question of whether, and how, community colleges confront the challenges of diversity and provide real opportunities for upward mobility. [Contributors include Marilyn Amey, Eusebio Diaz, Stanford T. Goto, Berta Vigil Laden, Dennis McGrath, Laura I. Rendón, Robert A. Rhoads, Kathleen M. Shaw, Armando Trujillo, James R. Valadez, and Bill Van Buskirk.] |
Contents
Community Colleges as Cultural Texts A Conceptual Overview | 1 |
Cultures of Support for AtRisk Students The Role of Social and Emotional Capital in the Educational Experiences of Women | 15 |
The Struggle for Mobility in the Contact Zone of Basic Writing | 39 |
Navigating the Raging River Reconciling Issues of Identity Inclusion and Administrative Practice | 59 |
Preparing for Work in a PostIndustrial World Resistance and Compliance to the Ideological Messages of a Community College | 83 |
The Politics of Culture and Identity Contrasting Images of Multiculturalism and Monoculturalism | 103 |
Be a Name Not a Number The Role of Cultural and Social Capital in the Transfer Process | 125 |
Defining the Self Constructions of Identity in Community College Students | 153 |
Celebratory Socialization of Culturally Diverse Students Through Academic Programs and Support Services | 173 |
Toward a New Vision of the Multicultural Community College for the Next Century | 195 |
Contributors | 205 |
207 | |
SUNY series Frontiers in Education | 211 |
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academic activities administrators African American basic writing campus career Cesar challenges chapter Cheleen Chicano civic engagement classroom community college students context counselor critical cultural capital culture and identity curriculum CWEP Delores and Christine dents describe develop diverse students emotional capital enrolled environment ethnic experiences faculty and staff faculty member feel four-year institutions gender goals groups help students high school higher education Hispanic individual instructor interaction interviews Karabel Latino leadership learning Mexican American minority monocultural multiple nontraditional students organization organizational organizational culture PAC's Palo Alto College pedagogical percent perspective politics positive postmodern practices Press Puente Project qualitative research racial Rendon response Rhoads Richard Rodriguez role sense skills social capital structure student population Suburban College success teachers theory Tierney tion tional transform understand University Urban College urban community colleges Valadez Weis women work-preparation program working-class York