Syllabus
Content:
1. Education and society – role of education for individuals and for society, political, economic and social functions of educational systems, past and present, current issues: competitiveness vs. social cohesion, preparation for labour market vs. citizenship education, globalization, individualization.
2. Theoretical approaches in sociology of education – functionalism, conflictualism, interactionism, contemporary theories and systemic approach in sociology of education, school as an institution and organization (neo-institutionalism).
3. School as an organization and institution – Neo-institutionalism and World Culture Theory and its critiques. Sociology of curriculum and the hidden curriculum; relationship of power and curriculum, organization of education (early selection, tracking/streaming.
4. Social stratification and educational inequalities – social inequalities and education, educational mobility, theory of social and cultural reproduction (P. Bourdieu, B. Bernstein), Rational Action Theory, the concept of equal opportunities in education and the theory of justice. Overview of the basic foreign and domestic research into educational inequalities. Race, ethnicity and gender in education. International and national indicators of equity in education.
5. Education of disadvantaged students – fair educational systems, positive discrimination / affirmative action – its defence and criticism, policy measures to support education of socio-culturally disadvantaged students, education of Roma.
Annotation
This course will introduce the students to the basic theories of sociology of education and findings of major sociological research on education. The emphasis will be on understanding the relationship between education (as a process and as a result) and society, in both directions: how society affects the form of school education and how education may contribute to the development of society and employment of the individual.
We will particularly focus on equal opportunities in education, mechanisms of reproduction of educational inequalities and the possibilities of intervention in the support of disadvantaged students.