PHD906 Educational institutions as a space for Bildung

Contents and structure

The course is an elective component of the PhD programme "Studies about Bildung and Pedagogical Practices". It is aimed at students who want to widen their knowledge of theories on educational institutions as spaces for Bildung and pedagogical practices. In the course, theoretical concepts of educational institution are presented. Against this background Bildung it is critically analysed as space, transformation and mechanism. This implies not only the shaping of the human being within institutional practices, but also how the Bildung space (also informal spaces) as manifested in the material world, the subject curriculum, or in professional practices is designed. In exploring this, the relation between power and knowledge becomes central, including for example the questions: How do power relations create normality with regard to didactic practices? How is power inscribed in various aspects of teacher education and how is the research on education influenced by power? Those issues will be explored with reference to classical critical theories (e.g. Foucault, Bourdieu) and to ongoing international research. Here also examples of various strategies are provided in order to understand educational institutions as Bildung arena.

Learning Outcome

After completing the course, the student should have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student

• has a knowledge of the fundamental features and lines of development of educational institutions when they are researching these as arenas for Bildung
• has an understanding of how one can make choices regarding various methods of research regarding educational institutions as arenas for Bildung
• has an insight into how one can contribute to the change in understanding about how educational institutions function as arenas for Bildung

Skills

The student

• is able to identify and conceptualise institutional activities as a space for didactic practices and Bildung
• is able to formulate issues and conduct research concerning educational institutions as arenas for Bildung
• is able to handle various tools for documentation and dissemination of (educational) institutional activities as Bildung practices and research concerning this

General competencies

The student

• is able to identify current (including ethical) issues related to institutional activities, their development, their form of operations and possible consequences
• is able to participate in academic debates regarding operations in educational institutions and conditions for the changing of these, nationally and internationally
• is able to disseminate research into institutional activities as Bildung practices through various forms of dissemination, in reputable and suitable national and international forums

Entry requirements

None

Teaching methods

The course takes place as an intensive course over a period of five days. The lessons are provided as lectures, seminars, supervision and practical exercises (observations and institutional analyses). Student participation is expected during all parts of the course.

Compulsory learning activities

Individual oral presentation of a draft of an academic text (through the selection of examination form 1) or presentation of a draft of a video (through the selection of examination form 2).

Assessment

The student may choose one of the following two options:

• Individual academic text of around 3000-3500 words. References are not included in the word count. The text must be linked to the relevant issues of the course and must meet the formal requirements for academic publishing. The text will be assessed as a pass/fail (a passing grade is equal to an academic level equivalent to a grade B) by an internal and external sensor based on the learning outcome description for the course.
• Based on empirical close studies of institutional practice, students in groups (2-3 students) produce a research video of 3-4 minutes. A text of approximately 1500-2000 words is submitted with the video that accounts for the video’s target audience and discusses its potential to document defined and restricted aspects of institutional activities as Bildung practices. Technical assistance will be provided by the Media Centre (equivalent to 3 working days) for the production of the video. Any production costs are covered by the university. The assessment (as a pass/fail - a passing grade is equal to an academic level equivalent to a grade B) is made by an internal and external sensor based on the learning outcome description for the course.

Examination support material

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