Course info

Schooling and social change – comparative pedagogical and sociological perspectives, 7.5 Credits, is a master-level course to be delivered during summer 2018 as part of Linnaeus University Summer Academy. The course is designed to help students understand the complexities of schooling from educational and sociologies perspectives; to critically examine assumptions upon which curriculum and didaktik education traditions are built upon; to analyze and compare the relationship between schooling and society from sociological (such as critical, reproduction, and neo-institutional) theories; and to apply educational and sociological perspectives on education in developing and implementing education policies in modern education systems. We know that developing, reforming and managing education systems is a recurring task for every government and society everywhere in the world, not the least due to international large-scale assessments like PISA etc. The course examines the relationship between education and society from comparative educational and sociological perspectives, and explores the ways through which we ended up with education systems and schools we currently have. More specifically, the course dissects and challenges the assumptions that various educational (such as curriculum and didaktik) and sociological (such as critical, reproduction, and neo-institutional) theories are built upon and how they shaped and continue to shape schooling in 21^st century. Relying on recent literature and professors from Sweden and a visiting professor from the US, the goal of the course is to enable students develop understanding about why we have the schools we have and critical insights to shape the future of education locally and globally.