Educational Policy Studies 400: Traditions in Philosophy of Education

Spring 2002

Professor Nicholas C. Burbules

Office: Education 379

Office phone: 244 - 0919

Office hours by appointment

Overview

This seminar is required for all students pursuing doctoral degrees in philosophy of education. Its purpose is to provide an in-depth review of some of the major schools of thought that have shaped the field in the last few decades, and to consider the ways in which they remain relevant and influential today.

The readings for this course will draw from both original philosophical works that may deal only tangentially with education, and examples of philosophical work in education that have been influenced by these perspectives. I have tried to balance both a diversity of perspectives within each tradition and a range of different traditions (positivism, conceptual analysis, pragmatism, existentialism, Marxism, liberalism, critical theory, and feminism) which dominated educational philosophy in the twentieth century and which continue to exercise influence, directly or indirectly, on the field today.

All readings for this course are included in two course packets available from Dup-It, 808 South Sixth. Students are expected to complete the readings for each week and be prepared to discuss them. As a seminar, this course is not based on lectures. My introductory comments will generally provide background, not recount the readings.

The class meets Thursdays 1:00 - 3:50 p.m. in room 323 Education.

Written assignments

Your project is to write two essays, each based on the following question:

Identify a contemporary essay in philosophy of education (book chapter, journal article, or published conference paper) - something published after 1990 - which you think has been centrally influenced by one of these traditions. Write an analysis of the piece that shows the ways in which it is continuous with this tradition, and the ways in which it is not. What has changed? What philosophical (or other) developments have influenced these changes?

Each essay should be approximately 6000-8000 words, and they should address different traditions. The first will be due March 28; the second on May 9.

Schedule of readings

Jan 17 Introduction to the course: What is "philosophy of education"?

Readings: Tables of content from various collections of readings

Jan 24 The roots of positivism

Readings: Schlick, "The turning point in philosophy"

Carnap, "The elimination of metaphysics"

Ayer, "The function of philosophy"

Feigl, "Aims of education for our age of science"

Scheffler, "Toward an analytic philosophy of education"

Jan 31 Ordinary language and conceptual analysis

Readings: Ryle, "Ordinary language"

Ryle, "Teaching and training"

Soltis, "Analysis: Its limits and uses"

Hirst & Peters, The Logic of Education (selections)

Feb 7 The analysis of teaching

Readings: Scheffler, "Teaching" and "Teaching and telling"

Green, "The structure of teaching"

Green, "A topology of the teaching concept"

Smith, "On the anatomy of teaching"

Feb 14 Criticisms of conceptual analysis

Readings: Peters, "What is an educational process?"

Peters, "Education as initiation"

Adelstein, "The wisdom and wit of R.S. Peters"

Martin, "The ideal of the educated person"

Laird, "The concept of teaching"

Feb 21 Beyond conceptual analysis

Readings: Archambault, "The concept of need"

Komisar & McClellan, "The logic of slogans"

Komisar, "'Needs' and the needs curriculum"

Fraser, "Struggle over needs"

Feb 28 Pragmatism

Readings: Dewey, "Democracy and education"

Dewey, "Experience and education"

Stuhr, "Democracy as a way of life"

Rosenthal, "The individual, the community, and the reconstruction of values"

Seigfried, "Validating women's experiences pragmatically"

Mar 7 Existentialism

Readings: Barrett, "What is existentialism?"

Morris, "Existentialism and education"

Baker, "Existential philosophers on education"

Greene, "Literature, existentialism, and education"

Bollnow, "Risk and failure in education"

Mar 14 Marxism

Readings: Cohen, "On the Marxist philosophy of education"

Pacheco, "Marx, philosophy, and education"

Dale, "Stalking a conceptual chameleon"

Apple, "On analyzing hegemony"

Giroux, "Marxism and schooling: The limits of radical discourse"

Mar 21 SPRING BREAK

Mar 28 Liberalism: Democracy and cultural pluralism

Readings: Strike, "A liberal view of education"

Peters, "Democracy and education"

Strike, "On the construction of public speech"

Callan, "Finding a common voice"

Feinberg, "Cultural difference and national identity"

Apr 4 AERA

Apr 11 Liberalism: The debate over equality of educational opportunity

Readings: Lieberman, "Equality of educational opportunity"

Ennis, "Equality of educational opportunity"

Burbules & Sherman, "Equal educational opportunity: Ideal or ideology?"

Howe, "Equality of educational opportunity as equality of educational outcomes"

Heslep, "A questionable resurrection"

Apr 18 Critical theory

Readings: Kellner, "Theory, politics, and history"

Horkheimer, "Traditional and critical theory"

Jacoby, "Social amnesia"

Kellner, Ideology, Marxism, and advanced capitalism"

Young, "The modern educational crisis"

Apr 25 Feminism and education

Readings: Martin, "The ideal of the educated person" (review)

Siegel, "Genderized cognitive perspective and the redefinition of philosophy of education"

Martin, "Taking Sophie seriously"

Arnstine, "The rest of us poor folk"

Walker and O'Laughlin, "The ideal of the educated woman"

Martin, "Bringing women into educational thought"

May 2 Summary and conclusions