Education, Citizenship and Social Justice recent issues

Service-learning in communication education: A case study investigation in support of a prisoners' human rights organization

Novek, E. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

This article offers a case study of a graduate class in communication research methods with a service-learning approach. Students were engaged in evaluating the public information campaign of a nonprofit organization exposing human rights abuses in US prisons. They gained hands-on experience in the use of a variety of basic research methods and offered their client insight into its current and potential audiences. With a community partner to serve, the students understood the importance of systematic research inquiry and its value to nonprofit organizations. The project demonstrates the value of service-learning in communication education and describes how best practices can be applied for the development of similar courses in the discipline.

A university service-learning assignment: Delivering the FAIR curriculum to K-12 students to promote social justice

Zimmerman, T. S., Krafchick, J. L., Aberle, J. T. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

A wide variety of universities are engaged in service-learning activities that create opportunities for K-12 students to interact with university students. Engaging students in their communities and working toward social justice in a variety of settings provides positive outcomes for communities, university students and the K-12 students involved. At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, college students have been working in K-12 school settings facilitating FAIR, a social justice and diversity curriculum. The FAIR curriculum is outlined and suggestions for how to utilize the curriculum as a service-learning assignment are provided. As a service-learning assignment, FAIR, is beneficial to the K-12 students and schools while engaging university students in social justice action in an experiential and meaningful way. Outcomes are presented from our use of this service-learning curriculum. Finally, we provide instructions and plans for implementation.

Sowing the seeds of citizenship and social justice: Service-learning in a public speaking course

Ransom, L. S. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

Students enrolled in two sections of the public speaking courses at a small liberal arts university were required to do 10 hours of service in a local not for profit agency. Student comments indicate that doing service-learning in these courses affected their self-perceptions and expectations as deaf persons in a local community. This article will also discuss the ways the university is responding to the service-learning pedagogy to encourage citizenship and social justice values for students who tend to be somewhat alienated from the surrounding community.

The education ideal of the democratic citizen in Germany: Challenges and changing trends

Buck, A., Geissel, B. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

This article draws on exploratory qualitative interviews with German education policy experts. We ask whether, as Germany faces new challenges, changes have occurred in respect of the education ideal of the democratic citizen; perceived implications for civic education and schooling are also drawn out. Interviews were conducted with senior employees at a variety of key institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Germany’s history in the 20th century is a key reference point for the education ideal of the democratic and critical citizen. Though many interviewees state that the importance of education for democratic citizenship remains unchanged, they perceive some shifts. In a changed Germany characterized by unemployment, declining prosperity, cuts to the welfare state — and in a globalized world — children and young people need to develop new competencies. The interviewed policy experts are divided in regard to the impact of these changes on civic education. The article contextualizes results drawing on education and political science research and literature.

The moral construction of the good pupil embedded in school rules

Thornberg, R. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

The aim of this field study was to investigate the hidden curriculum of school rules delimited to the moral construction of ‘the good pupil’ embedded in the system of school rules in two primary schools. According to the findings, the rule system mediates a moral construction of the good pupil to the children, and this actually includes two constructions: the benevolent fellow buddy and the well-behaved pupil. Furthermore, a picture of a final learning outcome of this hidden or implicit citizenship education of school rules emerges: the good citizen who (1) does good to others and does not harm others, (2) functions well in the society and lives by its laws and norms, and (3) takes responsibility and does her or his very best. Critical thinking and the possibility of questioning, critically discussing and abolishing explicit rules are not parts of this picture.

Erratum

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

Pykett, J. (2009) Pedagogical power: lessons from school spaces. Cooperation and Conflict, 4, 102–16. On p 112, the citation in the quotation, If you buy BBC Tell Me Why magazine for a year ... should read: (BBC Tell Me Why, n.d.: No. 4, p. 2, cited in Buckingham and Scanlon, 2001: 291)’ SAGE apologizes to the author for this error.

Hip-hop and the academic canon

Abe, D. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:23 PDT

Over the last 30 years, the hip-hop movement has risen from the margins to become the preeminent force in US popular culture. In more recent times academics have begun to harness the power of hip-hop culture and use it as a means of infusing transformative knowledge into the mainstream academic discourse. On many college campuses, hip-hop’s influence has begun to extend beyond the classroom. Hip-hop think tanks and archives have been established as instructors have recorded and released hip-hop albums. Hip-Hop based cultural groups have begun appearing, and several campuses have hosted hip-hop conferences. As hip-hop increasingly permeates the highest levels of the academy, its effectiveness as curriculum continues to gain credibility. Consequently, it has begun to seep down the educational ladder in the form of curriculum for high school and junior high students. This unique cultural movement continues to carve out a significant space for itself in the transformative academic movement.

Civil society, democracy and education

Kiwan, D. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

Some ideas on interrupting the right: On doing critical educational work in conservative times

Apple, M. W. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

In a considerable number of nations, `conservative modernization' has gained increasing influence. Neo-liberals, neo-conservatives, and new middle-class mangerialists have defined the terrain of educational policy and practice. In some nations as well, authoritarian populist religious conservative movements and ideologies have also become major actors in the struggles over what the ends and means of education are. I critically examine the contradictory alliance that has been built among these movements and ideologies. However, understanding the reasons behind the growing influence of these positions is not sufficient. I then discuss a number of strategies for interrupting their power, some of which may be risky but are worth being taken seriously if we are to engage in successful counter-hegemonic activity.

Pedagogical power: Lessons from school spaces

Pykett, J. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

While accounts of the so-called `Totally Pedagogised Society' (Bonal and Rambla) or `Public Pedagogy' (Giroux) have been important to our conceptions of civil society, democracy and education, lessons can be drawn from schooling which complicate this story and undermine any simple division between the state, civil society and non-governmental organizations, in relation to both formal education and the broader narratives of radical or critical pedagogy. This article develops an account of pedagogical power which values the inciting and enabling practices of pedagogy as the art of teaching. It then considers pedagogical forms of power both within formal state schooling in the UK and the pedagogical strategies employed by non-governmental organizations within and outside of the formal educational sphere — arguing that the latter does not automatically promote values of social justice and democracy.

A global conscience collective?: Incorporating gender injustices into global citizenship education

Arnot, M. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

This article explores the challenges to citizenship associated with globalization, focusing in particular on the growth of interest in human rights, cosmopolitanism and moral outrage in the context of increasing fragmentation, individualization and social inequality. It suggests that there is an interest in developing through global citizenship education a `global conscience collective' that would provide the basis of a new form of moral solidarity. In this context, there would be a major challenge of addressing the severe inequalities faced by women globally as a result of global exploitation, poverty, sexual and reproductive repression and violence. The agenda for schools teaching such a global citizenship education would be controversial in its focus on gender power relations.

Power, discourse, and learning global citizenship: A case study of international NGOs and a grassroots movement in the Narmada Valley, India

Shukla, N. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

The field of transnational contestation conceptualized as global civil society (GCS) is gaining academic interest as a political `counter-force' against the exigencies of globalization. However, social actors within GCS occupy unequal positions of power in relation to each other. This article examines how the discourses of transnational action generated by these actors are inflected by their different power positions and how these discursive activities provide spaces for learning divergent forms of global citizenship. This discussion is facilitated through a case study of a transnational campaign involving two unequal actors in GCS — a grassroots movement (NBA) in the Narmada Valley and supporting international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) in the West. It is argued that INGO discourses reiterated their power over NBA and provided a space for learning `vertical' forms of global citizenship. Contrastingly, NBA discursively subverted these asymmetries and promoted `horizontal' global citizenship. The article concludes by examining pedagogical implications of these findings for GCS.

`Active learning for active citizenship': Democratic citizenship and lifelong learning

Annette, J. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

This article explores to what extent citizenship education for lifelong learning should be based on a more `political' or civic republican conception of citizenship as compared to a liberal individualist conception, which emphasizes individual rights, or a communitarian conception, which emphasizes moral and social responsibilities. It also considers how people are finding new ways to engage in civic participation which can provide the basis for certificated or accredited lifelong learning for democratic citizenship. It examines, in particular, the `Active Learning for Active Citizenship' programme, which was funded by what was previously the Civic Renewal Unit of the Home Office and the possibility of a learning democratic citizenship based on the theory and practice of deliberative democratic engagement.

Learning global citizenship?: Exploring connections between the local and the global

Mayo, M., Gaventa, J., Rooke, A. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:25:35 PDT

This article identifies historical connections between adult learning, popular education and the emergence of the public sphere in Europe, exploring potential implications for adult learning and community development, drawing upon research evaluating programmes to promote community-based learning for active citizenship in UK. The research findings illustrate the relevance of the global and indeed the regional levels, when addressing concerns with active citizenship, locally. The article then moves on to examine experiences of global citizen advocacy coalitions, experiences from which participants have been drawing differing lessons about global citizenship. Finally, the conclusions raise questions about the scope for adult learning and community development in the current policy context, shaped so significantly by neo-liberal agendas. Social movements in general and popular education movements, more specifically, would seem to have vital roles to play, facilitating adult learning for critical democratic engagement with the structures of governance, locally and beyond, internationally.

Understanding young people's citizenship learning in everyday life: The role of contexts, relationships and dispositions

Biesta, G., Lawy, R., Kelly, N. — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:52:01 PST

In this article we present insights from research which has sought to deepen understanding of the ways in which young people (aged 13—21) learn democratic citizenship through their participation in a range of different formal and informal practices and communities. Based on the research, we suggest that such understanding should focus on the interplay between contexts for action, relationships within and across contexts, and the dispositions that young people bring to such contexts and relationships. In the first part of the article we show how and why we have broadened the narrow parameters of the existing citizenship discourse with its focus on political socialization to encompass a more wide-ranging conception of citizenship learning that is not just focused on school or the curriculum. In the second part of the article we describe our research and present two exemplar case studies of young people who formed part of the project. In the third part we present our insights about the nature and character of citizenship learning that we have been able to draw from our research. In the concluding section we highlight those dimensions of citizenship learning that would have remained invisible had we focused exclusively on schools and the curriculum. In this way we demonstrate the potential of the approach to understanding citizenship learning that we have adopted.

Asking questions about participation

Davies, I., Flanagan, B., Hogarth, S., Mountford, P., Philpott, J. — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:52:01 PST

We raise questions about young people's participation in light of findings from a project (`Democracy through Citizenship') funded by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Limited, and managed by the Institute for Citizenship. Following a six-month feasibility study the project took place over a three-year period in one local authority in the north of England, finishing in 2005. We sketch the context relevant to the development, generally, of citizenship education in England and, more particularly, the precise approach to the teaching and learning of democracy desired by key personnel within the project. We outline the research methods that were used to collect and analyse data during the project. By drawing from case studies of project activities we ask questions about young people and participation within and beyond schools.

Social capital and citizenship lessons in England: Analysing the presuppositions of citizenship education

Kisby, B. — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:52:01 PST

This article examines the impact of the concept of social capital on the citizenship education initiative in England through its influence on the normative content of the policy, as embodied in the report of the Advisory Group on Citizenship (AGC) — which was one of the immediate causes of the inclusion of citizenship in the National Curriculum in 2002. It argues that the policy is underpinned by what it describes as a hybrid `republican—communitarian' model of citizenship (the model implicitly advanced by the US political scientist Robert Putnam in his work on social capital), which emphasizes the value of political participation by citizens and the extent to which this participation is reliant on community membership. The article argues that the model of citizenship advanced by the AGC embodies crucial tensions between its republican and communitarian elements and by its being situated within the context of an uncritical acceptance of the boundaries prescribed by neo-liberal economic orthodoxy, which necessarily undermines the community attachments that the citizenship education policy seeks to promote.

Testing citizenship and allegiance: Policy, politics and the education of adult migrants in the UK

Osler, A. — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:52:01 PST

This article examines recent UK government policy and proposals relating to immigration and citizenship, and the ways in which these policies are presented as means of securing allegiance and integration. From 1997, the incoming Labour government emphasized the importance of informed, active citizenship and social justice. From 2001, the emphasis shifted to community cohesion, with immigrants identified as a potential threat to cohesion. The article analyses the knowledge required of new settlers through the `citizenship test', introduced in 2005, and the assumptions made about immigrants and about British culture and society in the test. It critiques the concepts of `active citizenship', `earned citizenship' and `probationary citizenship' in the 2008 Green Paper, The Path to Citizenship . These policy proposals, if enacted, threaten migrants' employment opportunities, risk creating barriers to participation and undermining social cohesion. They place unrealistic demands on aspirant citizens, which are not placed on established citizens.

Bringing the Republic to life: Teaching Plato's Republic to first-year students

Brooks, T. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:55:09 PDT

I have taught Plato's Republic for several years although seminars on this text can be difficult and pose certain challenges, most especially with first year students new to university: the ancient Greeks seem a long way from the technocratic society we live in today. More importantly, the complexity of our relationship to each other as citizens and to the state has grown increasingly since the ancient world as well. Students find this revered book full of unfamiliar names, arguments, and styles of presentation and immediately become a bit frustrated. In this article, I provide a thorough, concrete example of how I have attempted to overcome this problem in my work using the seminar format. I have learned some useful tips for tackling this text and hope this article might be useful to others grappling with the teaching of abstract concepts and texts, opening the door for students to engage with a new civic awareness.

Democracy and robust hope: Queensland's education and training reforms for the future

Singh, M., Sawyer, W. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:55:09 PDT

A key aim of democratic public policy should be the provision of hope. It is often argued that a key element of hope is not only a drive for equity in the face of neo-liberal marketization, but also the opportunity for the practice of agency by (especially disadvantaged) citizens. Here we examine the relationship between democracy and hope in an educational context by discussing recent education and training reforms `for the future' (ETRF) in the Australian state of Queensland. We argue that these reforms have provided the opportunity for active democratic participation by young people and their communities in planning their futures and that they therefore provide an instance of what we have called `robust hope'.

Can schooling contribute to a more just society?

Apple, M. W. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:55:09 PDT

This article combines discussions of the politics of education with personal story telling to remind us why the continuing struggle over schooling — over what is and is not taught, over how it is taught and evaluated, over how students with different characteristics are treated, over how teachers and other school employees are respectfully dealt with, over how the relationship between schools and their communities can be democratized, and so much more — is absolutely crucial to the pursuit of social justice. Using the example of the book Democratic Schools , it suggests tactics for making critically democratic practices more visible. It also describes seven specific tasks that critical scholar/activists in education should perform if we are committed to challenging dominant relations in education and the larger society.

The politics of shame in intercultural education

Zembylas, M. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:55:09 PDT

Against a perspective of shame that would see it as something paralyzing, negative and destructive, I draw out a different account of the politics of shame in intercultural education. I explore the openings that are created for a productive politics of shame in the context of discussions surrounding intercultural education via tracing how different kinds of shame are evoked or rejected in collective imagination — both in politics and in education. My goal is to show that a rehabilitation of the political and ethical value of shame challenges the opposition between self and other, and that this act can be beneficial, particularly in educational settings. An effort to transcend the usual dichotomies around the pride/shame debate both in political and in educational discourses will tackle the cultural, political and educational uses of shame and help educators gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and implications of shame in intercultural education.

book review: Dewey's Dream: Universities and Democracies in an Age of Education Reform. Puckett, John L., Harkavy, Ira and Benson, Lee, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA, 2007. Pbk

Bergan, S. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:55:09 PDT