Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - EDUC 921 G001

Seminar in Philosophy and Educational Theory (3)

Class Number: 2713

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Thu, 4:30–7:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Philosophical examination of issues related to the school as an educational institution with social and political connections. Issues examined include: the education/training distinction; the justification of education; compulsory curriculum; freedom and authority in education; equality of educational opportunity; legal-moral questions central to educational administration; teachers'/parents'/students' rights and duties; accountability; and the logic of decision-making. Students with credit for EDUC 831 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course proposes to explore various understandings of, and historical developments in, epistemology while also tracing how conceptual foundations filter into curricular design and instructional practices. It seeks to explore theory and form while asking questions about context, metaphysical and axiological underpinnings, the challenges of objectivity and relativism, the potentially untenable separation of ontology, the range and limits of adopted metaphor, and much more. The field is diverse and growing, as such, participants will be expected to read widely, to contribute actively to class discussions, and to develop their ability to think theoretically about epistemological issues of practical significance in their professional lives. 

Throughout the course we will be concerned with understanding the metaphors, contexts, and even values that underlie competing theoretical claims, to explore and better understand the varied epistemologies in circulation today (e.g. a tiny, but not limiting list might include: feminist, standpoint, Indigenous, constructivist, naturalistic, relational, virtue, idealist, place-based, values, pragmatic, social, poststructural, historical, empiricist, etc.) and to examine the roles of teachers, administrators and learners as a result of any particular theory of knowledge.  The fields of philosophy and philosophy of education are currently rich in varied and often conflicting and interconnecting theories of truth, what knowledge is, how meaning is made, the role of the material world, and much more.  And yet the form of enacted pedagogy can often run as an incomplete compliment to the espoused theories.  One focus for the course might be interrogating curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment conceptions as they are enacted in order to determine their consistency or deviation from any particular epistemic assumptions. A second focus might include how concepts of knowing and meaning change through various commitments to self, others, and the more-than-human world.  Any particular foci will likely be generated by the course participants themselves and the instructor encourages that kind of engagement in both the design and content thereof.

The class will be co-taught with EDUC 921. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, SFU requires all Fall courses to be taught online. The main weekly online session will take place on Thursdays from 16:30-19:20. In addition, each week there will be activities to complete in collaboration with one or more other members of the class. We will use Canvas to share writing and ideas in between classes.

Grading

NOTES:

This topic of grading/assessment is clearly a component of education writ large and of our concepts of knowledge and meaning in specific.  As such, it will become a part of the conversation to be had amongst participants throughout the course with a particular focus on it during our first evening together.

Two final submissions are expected.  The first will be directly related to the contents of the course, in whole or in part, and will likely take the form most amenable to the particular focus.  The second is of the participants own choosing.  Participants in the course will likely be asked to share work throughout the course and then provide at least one draft for feedback before submitting a full, “publish ready”, paper at the end of the course.  Participants will also be asked to take a leadership/facilitator type role at various points throughout our time together.

REQUIREMENTS:

Participants are expected to have prepared for class (readings, supplementary readings, other explorations).  Each student will be asked to take the lead and facilitate learning for others several times through the semester. In class, we will aim for a dialogical ethos of scholarship (whilst exploring what that might mean), openness to new and varied ideas, respect, critical collegiallity, shared learning where we co-construct knowledge, risk-taking and vulnerability. Participants will have opportunities to provide feedback to each other’s work as opportunities to engage in scholarly peer review. 

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

You will need a computer and Internet access that are adequate for full participation in the weekly Thursday class and for regular access to Canvas.

REQUIRED READING:

Shawn Wilson, Andrea V. Breen, Lindsay DuPré (Eds.) (2019). Research and Reconciliation: Unsettling Ways of Knowing through Indigenous Relationships. Canadian Scholars. ISBN 9781773381152 (softcover) | ISBN 9781773381169 (PDF) | ISBN 9781773381176 (EPUB).


A further list of readings will be generated as the course progresses, on the basis of participants’ interests and the instructor’s judgement and with reference to the course goals.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).