OISE Courses
Course description same as LHA5800H.
Central issues in historical writing - theory and philosophy, bias and representativeness - are considered together with modes of presentation, forms and methods of research, and styles of argument. Students are introduced to the main issues in current educational history through an intensive reading of selected, exemplary texts. Emphasis is placed on the manner in which arguments are developed in social-historical studies on schooling and education. In this way, the influence of critical theory, discourse analysis, feminism, post-modernism, and post-structuralism on recent debates within the field is discussed with reference to the central problems of history of education.
The history of the family as it relates to child-rearing and education in Great Britain, France, the United States, and Canada.
This course investigates knowledge, knowing, and knowing subjects as they are represented in modern and postmodern educational theory and practices. The course is designed to facilitate educators' self-reflection on questions of learning and teaching, constructions of knowledge and knowers, and the implications of power/knowledge. Selected topics include: the impact of constructivism on teaching; problems of epistemic dominance and marginalization (Whose knowledge counts?); and representations of learning (styles; ability/disability).
This course focuses on the tension between freedom and authority as it affects both education and society at large. Traditional and contemporary philosophical theories of freedom and authority provide a context for examining the competing claims of libertarians (or progressivists) and authoritarians in education. This course does not presuppose extensive background in philosophy.
Recent debates in social theory, philosophy, and education regarding the meaning of modernity will be discussed. Theories of modernity and ''post-modern'' critiques of them will be reviewed. Experiences around the world of various types of crisis (human rights, ecological, cultural) may be considered.
This course explores the theoretical and practical aspects of democratic approaches to pedagogy by critically discussing selected writings of some of the major 20th century philosophers of education and educationists (e.g., John Dewey, Paulo Freire, Jane R. Martin, A.S. Neill, Bertrand Russell, bell hooks, and Iris Young). The exploration of this topic will also include a critical discussion of case studies arising from real classroom contexts.
This course is an overview of the field of philosophy of education. It focuses on selected major thinkers, such as Plato, Rousseau, Wollenstonecraft, Dewey, Peters, and Martin, with attention given both to classic texts and to contemporary developments, critiques, and uses of ideas from these texts. Emphasis is placed on the kinds of epistemological, ethical, and political questions that comprise the core of philosophy of education and that need to be addressed to the classic and contemporary literature.
This course will address the philosophical problems arising from the use of modern technology and its implications for theories of education and educational practices. The primary focus of the course will be on the nature of the relationship between humans, society, and technology. Among the issues that may be considered are: the nature and validity of technological determinism as a model of explanation of personal and social change; technological causation; the conceptual distinctions (if any) between humans and machines; the social, political, metaphysical, ethical, and epistemological commitments involved in the introduction and use of technology in education; the distinctions between human understanding and artificial intelligence; problems arising from the use of computers in education; and related philosophical issues in education. The selection of topics will depend on the interests and backgrounds of the members of the seminar.
This course examines in depth a topic of particular relevance not already covered in the regular course offerings in the department. The topics will be announced each spring in the Winter Session and Summer Session schedules.
This course examines philosophical dimensions of contemporary critical issues in educational practice. Issues selected vary each session (examples are: standardization and a common curriculum; common schooling and school choice; teacher testing and professional learning; safe schools and ''zero tolerance'' policies; and controversial issues in the classroom). The aim is to integrate our understanding of these issues as they are being played out in practice and uncover and analyze some of the underlying philosophical questions and stances.
This new offering introduces students to key issues regarding teaching philosophy to a range of ages and in a variety of contexts. One course aim is to allow students to tie philosophical thought more directly to teaching and learning in schools in a way that allows them to improve both student learning and their own teaching. Open to graduate students and teacher candidates in all disciplines, attention will be devoted to pedagogical practices such as differentiated instruction and teaching learners of diverse abilities and ages as it relates to philosophical thought. Literature from the Philosophy for Children (P4C) will be engaged and compared with strategies for teaching the adolescent learner. Candidates working in the publicly funded school system will also have an opportunity to explore topics and issues of particular relevance to their own educational aims and interests. Graduate students will be provided with opportunities to advance their own research through independent studies while benefitting from direct contact with teach candidates; teacher candidates will benefit from the expertise and research of graduate students. Course methods will include lectures, discussions, debates, small group activities, a library session, presentations on specific thinkers and foundational/reoccurring philosophical concepts and debates, and guest speakers from key areas of philosophical specialization. Important critiques of the philosophical canon from postmodernism, feminism, and postcolonialism will be raised throughout. A secondary aim of the course will be to allow teacher candidates to connect philosophy with their own approach to educational and cultivate a philosophy of education that will increase student engagement and learning.
An examination of the possibilities, promises, and problems with which sociological perspectives can enliven and enrich the understanding of the educational process. This course provides an introduction to and integration of theoretical and practical aspects of sociology in education.
An introduction to basic research methods appropriate for teachers and other students of sociology in education. General consideration will be given to technical problems with emphasis on the underlying research process and its practical implications for schools.