Education in MENA: KnowldgPol

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course explores the interplay of knowledge and power in the constitution of educational institutions and policies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as in defining appropriate and desirable forms of knowing, teaching and learning. In the course, we will examine a number of key questions related to education in MENA, namely: -How are educational institutions and “legitimate” forms of knowledge shaped by religious, economic, cultural and political forces? -How did colonization and other Western interventions shape education in MENA and what are its enduring effects? -How has the expansion of state-funded public schooling contributed to the processes of state formation and power consolidation in the region? What have been the unintended effects of these processes? -What are the primary debates, tensions and challenges related to educational developments in the region today? -How have global educational policies, assessments and measures come to shape educational policy in the region?