250336 Utopias in education (S) (WiSe 2023/2024)

First used in a book by Thomas More (1516), the word "utopia" is commonly defined as an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The term, based on the Greek ou ‘not’ and topos ‘place’ (= no place), has known multiple interpretations, uses and modifications over time.
By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this seminar draws on literature, history, sociology, and philosophy to uncover the multiple meanings and importance of utopias and utopian thinking applied to the educational sphere. We will have a look at both classical and modern utopias in relation to education and school. We will then identify and analyse together current innovative or alternative projects in education, and aim to understand to which extent they are “(partially) realised utopias” (Ricoeur, 1976). Moreover, examples of intentional communities, utopian pedagogies (Freire, 1972), and progressive education will be discovered in detail.

During the semester, we will discuss questions such as:
• How did the image of ideal education change over time?
• How do the utopian experiments in education transform the contemporary societies?
• How can one understand educational utopias in countries from the Global South?
• To which extent contemporary inclusive education could be considered as a utopian project?

The seminar aims:
• to provide a shared space for reflexive thinking about present and future alternative practices in education.
• to allow the participants to discover and further build on forgotten ideas about teaching and learning.
• to support a thorough analysis of utopian discourses in/about education.

In dieser Veranstaltung findet ein Platzvergabeverfahren statt. Bitte informieren Sie sich hier über den Ablauf: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/erziehungswissenschaft/studium-und-lehre/einrichtungen/bie/faq-stundenplan

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen, notwendige Vorkenntnisse

Master of Arts: Voraussetzung ist die Einschreibung im Master of Arts Erziehungswissenschaft im WiSe 23/24

Master of Education: Voraussetzung ist die Einschreibung im Master of Education BiWi HRSGe, GymGe oder UFP im WiSe 2023/24