Christian Perring, Ph.D.
Office: 330A RC
Office Phone: (631) 244-3349
Office Hours: TWR 4:00-5:30 PM
Class time: T 5:30-7:30 PM
Email: perringc@dowling.edu (please put “EDU304” in the subject line of your email, and make sure your message contains your first and last names)
Home page: http://alien.dowling.edu/~cperring
We will also use some of the services available on Blackboard, at http://webclasses.dowling.edu
This course is designed to help students examine the diverse educational views that have affected, and are affecting, curriculum development in the United States. Students explore questions about the purposes, ends, and means of education, and assess their own philosophy through readings, discussions, and lectures.
Four central questions in philosophy of education are:
· What is the purpose of education?
· Which people in society should be educated?
· What are the ethical rights and responsibilities of teachers in relation to students, students’ families, and other teachers?
· What are the ethical rights and responsibilities of students in relation to teachers and other students?
There are many more specific issues with strong philosophical content, some of which we will address. These show that philosophy of education is not a separate field from other areas within the academic study of education, but rather is an examination of the debates of fundamental issues that underlie both educational policy and classroom practices. The questions we may cover include:
· What subjects should children be taught?
· Who should receive a free education?
· What are the responsibilities of society concerning the education of children with exceptional talent or special needs?
· Is it fair to stream or track classes with respect to children’s talent, or should classes consist of children of mixed ability?
· Should ethics and religious studies be taught in public schools?
· Is it possible and right to teach children to be virtuous or to become good citizens?
· Should education in the USA be multicultural?
· Should mathematics and science be taught as neutral truths or as culturally specific approaches to understanding the world?
· Is single-sex education ethical?
· Should parents or society have the most control in deciding what kind of education children receive?
· Should philosophy, logic or critical thinking skills be taught to children?
· Do teachers or education policy-makers need to have some understanding of philosophy in order to be good teachers?
There are many perspectives on these questions; the fundamental nature of education has been debated since the start of philosophy in the work of Plato and Aristotle, and there has been vigorous discussion by philosophers since then, especially in the twentieth century. It is essential for students of philosophy of education to have a grasp of the historical foundations of the subject. Consequently, a substantial portion of the course will be devoted to understanding the major thinkers in this field. Although their writing is often challenging for readers without a background in philosophy, there is really no adequate substitute for reading these primary sources. We will spend a considerable amount of time in class interpreting these texts and discussing their relevance to teaching in contemporary Western society. Indeed, it is essential in such a course as this that students understand the implications of the philosophical debate for real issues that teachers face in their everyday practice, so the second part of the course will also be devoted to considering controversial issues in teaching today. In portion of the course, the emphasis will be on enabling students to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different philosophical approaches concerning real life topics, and to formulate their own opinions. Ultimately, this course should help illuminate for students what it means personally for them to be teachers and their role in society.
All papers should be submitted via Turnitin.com or sent to me by email as an attachment in MS Word or RTF. I will give you information about how to use Turnitin.com. Note that I view any form of academic dishonesty very seriously, and if I find that you have engaged in any form of plagiarism or cheating I will fail you in this course and report my action to the Dean of Students.
|
Percentage of grade |
Work |
|
5% |
Attendance and participation. Each unexcused absence costs 1%. More than five absences mean you fail the class. Participation can be in class or on the class email discussion list through Blackboard. |
|
10% |
Presentation. 8-10 minutes. 2 people can join together to do a presentation, which should then be 15-20 minutes: they will get the same grade. I will give a list of possible presentation topics, and you must decide on your topic by the third class. You can also consult with me about creating your own presentation or debate topic. Presentations should present useful information to the class in a concise and accessible form; I much prefer that you present one aspect of an issue in detail rather than skim the surface of a wide range of issues. I prefer that you give handouts with information rather than use Powerpoint. Your presentation should not be just a list of facts, but should make a point that your peers can discuss. We will have a class email discussion list, and students can pose follow-up questions there. |
|
5% |
Various one page writing assignments. About 300 words. |
|
20% |
Midterm exam (take home) |
|
20% |
Final exam (not cumulative) (take home) |
|
10% |
First paper: 4 pages/1200 words. I will give out a choice of paper topics three weeks before the paper is due. The first paper will focus on the major thinkers in philosophy of education. |
|
30% |
Second paper: 10 pages/3000 words. I will give out a choice of paper topics a month before the paper is due. You can also create your own paper topic – if you do so, you need to show me your proposed topic in writing and get my approval at least 3 weeks before the paper is due. The second paper needs to include extended discussion of major thinkers in philosophy of education, showing how their ideas are relevant to controversies in education today. This paper also needs to demonstrate your ability to explain and justify your opinions on the chosen topic. |
Students are encouraged to attend talks in the Spring
Speaker Series, listed at http://www.dowling.edu/speakerseries
Required Books:
Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education: Selected Readings. Gerald L. Gutek (editor). Prentice Hall, 2001.
Philosophy in Classroom Teaching: Bridging the Gap. Second Edition. David A. Jacobsen. Prentice Hall, 2003.
Recommended Reading.
Philosophical Foundations of Education, Seventh Edition. Howard A. Ozmon and Samuel M. Carver. Prentice Hall, 2003.
Philosophy of Education. Nel Noddings. Westview Press, 1995.
The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Education. Nigel Blake, Paul Smeyers, Richard Smith and Paul Standish (editors). Blackwell Publishing, 2003.
The War Against Boys Christina Hoff Sommers, Touchstone, 2000.
Democratic Education, Amy Gutmann, Princeton University Press, 1999.
Dowling College Library also has online access to the full text of articles in the Journal of Philosophy of Education. This is a valuable resource, and I recommend you use it when writing your papers. You can see the Table of Contents for this journal at the publisher's website: click here.
Personal
Information You Need to Supply
Course Schedule:
It is ESSENTIAL that you do the reading before class, and
consider it carefully.
|
Feb 4, 2003 |
IntroductionReading: Jacobsen Chs 1 & 2 |
First one-page writing assignment. Topic:
what does a Master’s Degree in Education signify, and why is it
valuable? (Send your answers to me by
email as an attachment in Word or RTF by Monday Feb 10).
|
|
Feb 11 |
Plato, Aristotle and AquinasReading: Gutek Chs 1, 2, & 4; Jacobsen Ch 3. |
Second one-page writing assignment. Topic:
describe a situation you have experienced as a student or teacher where an ethical
or philosophical question arose. I
prefer difficult cases where the answer is not already obvious.
|
|
Class cancelled: |
|
First paper topics given out |
|
Feb 25 |
John Calvin and Johann Amos ComeniusReading: Gutek Chs 6 & 7Descartes, Bacon and LockeReading: Jacobsen Ch 4. |
Presentation on the Protestant Reformation Presentation
on Science and the Enlightenment
Third one-page writing assignment. Why do you think that the New York State should provide a free education to children? |
|
Mar 4 |
Jean Jacques RousseauReading: Gutek, Ch 8; Jacobsen Ch 5 |
Presentation on Rousseau’s Sophie, Emile's future wife.
|
|
Mar 11 |
Thomas Jefferson and Mary WollstonecraftReading: Gutek, Chs 10 & 11 |
Presentation on Education in 18th Century America
First paper due. Second paper topics given out |
|
Mar 18 |
John Stuart MillReading: Gutek Chs 15; |
Presentation topics: The Legal and Moral Status of Children in 19th
Century America To What Extent Does Modern Education Train Children to be Workers? How Does Capitalism Exert an Influence in Today’s Classrooms? Take home midterm exam given out |
|
Mar 25 |
Marx, Owen, and Spencer Reading: Gutek, Chs 13 & 16; Jacobsen Ch 6 & 7. |
Presentation topics: American Social Darwinism in the Early 20th century The History of Special Education in America Take home midterm exam due |
|
Apr 1 |
William James and John DeweyReading: Gutek, Ch 18; Jacobsen Ch 8. |
Presentation on American Education in the early 20th
Century
|
|
Apr 8 |
Civil Rights and Gender IssuesReading: Gutek Chs 17 & 21 |
Presentation topics: American Education Before Desegregation Desegregation: the Legal History A Survey of the Effects of Desegregation on American Education Should Boys and Girls Be Treated
Differently in the Classroom?
|
|
Apr 15 |
Existentialism, Postmodernism, Critical TheoryReading: Jacobsen Chs 9 & 10 |
Presentation topics: What is Critical Theory? A Summary of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed What Need is There for Multiculturism? What Role is There for Moral Education
in the Classroom?
Feminist Approaches to Philosophy of Education |
|
|
Spring Recess |
|
|
Apr 29 |
Philosophy in the ClassroomReading: TBA |
Presentation topics: What is Critical Thinking? Epistemology in Science and Humanities Should Creationism or “Big Bang Theories” be Taught in Public School? Talking with Students About the Meaning
of Life
Second paper due. |
|
May 6 |
ConclusionsReading: TBA |
Presentation and Debate topics: What Rights Do Children Have? Should Schoolchildren Have A Right to Free Speech? What Rights Do Teachers Have? Should Teachers Tell Students About Their Personal Beliefs? Should Good Teachers Love Their Students? Take home final exam given out |
|
May 13 |
|
Take home final exam due. |