Key Ideas in Education

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This module explores the role of education in preparing us for a democratic way of life. Drawing on a range of philosophical and sociological thinkers, it facilitates a careful engagement with some of the most pressing questions of our time: 1. How can we live with others radically different to ourselves? 2. Can we learn conscience, empathy and agreeable disagreement? 3. What are the social barriers to participation and voice? 4. Are students free? 5. Are students equal? 6. And what is the role of the school/the university in the development of a thoughtful citizenry? In responding to these questions, students will be introduced to classic as well as contemporary thinkers. They will discover the work of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Dewey, Hannah Arendt, Judith Butler, Ronald Dworkin, Matthew Lipman, Martha Nussbaum, and Stanley Cavell.