Readings in Humanities and Social Sciences (Education, English)I-E1
| Numbering Code | U-LAS03 10004 SB48 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ First semester | |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Seminar | |
| Target Year | 2nd year students or above | Target Student | For all majors | |
| Language | English | Day/Period | Wed.3 | |
| Instructor name | Jeremy Rappleye (Graduate School of Education Associate Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course |
Understanding education requires an expansive worldview: the ability to compare across contexts, think broadly, and understand ideas and research from around the world. One key to this is a strong grasp of English. This course will systematically introduce students in the field of education to academic level English focused on a range of timely topics in education. It will also help students think about what it means to be a 'global jinzai' - Is it only speaking English? Or something deeper? |
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| Course Goals |
By the conclusion of the course, students will feel comfortable reading and discussing relatively high-level English language texts in the field of education. The course will be arranged around one of the most dominant trends in education policymaking today: PISA and the puzzle of East Asia's high-performance. Students first read a text, then discuss it informally, and finally debate utilizing the newly learned vocabulary and material. The goal is for students to acquire the ability to discuss both the theoretical-philosophical and practical-pedagogical dimensions of education with confidence and accuracy. In addition to this overarching goal, this course aims to achieve several lesser goals. These include the following: - Familiarize students with common vocabulary, argumentative structures, and modes of discourse frequently utilized in qualitative and/or theoretical studies within educational research, particularly sociology, anthropology, and comparative education (students interested specifically in improving their English on more quantitative and/or empirical themes should enroll in the Fall semester of this course) - Provide insights into how non-Japanese scholars discuss and think about core themes in educational research. Given different historical, linguistic, social, and cultural contexts, quite often the ways that educational research is ‘framed’ is different within Japan and outside of Japan. This course will offer students a window on mainstream approaches to educational research outside of Japan, thus helping students prepare for not only a different language (English), but also different modes of thinking about education. - To give students a familiarity with issues surrounding international education comparison, specifically focused on promise and perils of international tests such as the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) |
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| Schedule and Contents |
I. Introduction (2 classes) II. Finland Education Model (2 classes) III. Japanese Model (2 classes) IV. Singapore Model (2 classes) V. Shanghai Model (2 classes) VI. Canada Model (2 classes) VII. Comparisons, Review (2 classes) Final Examination (1 class) Feedback (1 class) (Total: 15 classes, 1 Feedback session) |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | Classes will be focused on (i) close reading of the main text of the course (Cleverlands by Lucy Crehan) and (ii) debate of the issues in the text. Acquiring advanced writing skills is not a focus of this class. Grading will based on weekly attendance and active participation (45 points), evidence of advanced preparation (15 points), reflection paper (5 points), and a final examination (35 points). Students who are absent more than four times will not be given credit. | |||
| Course Requirements | None | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Students are required to read before each class. The approximate workload is 15-25 pages of semi-academic English text. Students must learn (i) new vocabulary and (ii) new ideas at the same time. I expect students to study for 2-3 hours each week outside of class. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References | The primary textbook for this course will be Cleverlands: The Secrets Behind the Success of the World's Education Superpowers (Crehan, 2016, ISBN:978-1783522736). | ||
