tlJUCATjON 4.5b

EDUCATIONAL THEORY AND THEORY CRITICISM 

Summer 1979 ? 

S.C. de Castell 

May 7 - June 15 

?

623 Building 1 

i; ? 

Th. 4:30-8:30 ? 

291-3627 

The central concerns of this course will be (1) the nature of 

educational theory, and (2) the relation between educational theory 

and practice. Works in philosophy, psychology, and sociology which 

have had a significant impact on educational theorizing will be read 

and discussed. The critiques of eucational theories will be 

approached from the perspectives of both philosophical analysis 

and sociological theory, with particular attention being paid to the 

presuppositions of the theories examined, about the nature of the 

child, society, and knowledge. 

The intended outcome of the course is that students will be 

able to formulate and defend criteria for educational theories, 

develop a coherent view of the relation between theory and practice 

in education, and will have acquired, as a result of their investi- 

gations into the major educational theories of the past, the 

conceptual and methodological tools to critically evaluate currently 

emerging educational theories. 

OUTLINE: 

1. The Nature of Educational Theory: 

1)

What is "theory"? What is "educational theory"? 

2)

The theory-practice nexus. 

2. The Major Theories: 

1)

Education as knowledge of the good: Plato 

2)

Education and human nature: Rousseau 

3)

Progressive education for "growth": Dewey 

4)

Liberal educational theory: Hirst, Peters, et al. 

3. Empirical Contributions to Educational Practice: 

1)

Conditioning and learning: Skinner 

2)

The Importance of Psychoanalytic theory for education: 

Freud. 

3)

Learning and Cognitive Development: Piaget. 

4. Sociological Perspectives on Educational Practice: 

1)

Education as 

socialization: 

Durkheim 

2)

Education as 

Indoctrination: 

Marxist Critiques: ? 

Althusser 

3)

Educational 

Theory and Social 

Change: ? 

Young ? 

et ? 

al.

REQUIREMENTS: 

Students will be asked to read extensively and to attend 

twelve sessions of four hours each. Each session will involve 

a lecture by the instructor, a student-presented expository paper, 

and a short critical paper, to be followed by discussion. Each 

student will be asked to prepare for the group, one short expOsitory, 

paper, and one short critical paper. A full length critical essay 

is to be submitted in the second week of June. There will be no 

examination for this course. 

List of Indicative Readings: 

1.

P.H. Hirst, "Educational Theory" in J.W. Tibble (ed) The Study 

of Education London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1966. 

2.

D.J. O'Connor, "The Nature of Educational Theory" in Proceedings 

of the Philosophy of Education Society ofGreat Britain 1972 

3.

S.C. de Castell 

?

H.S. Freeman, "Education as a Socio-Practical 

Field: The Theory-Practice Question Re-Formulated" in Journal 

ofPhilosophy of Education, London, 1978. 

4.

Plato: The_Republic,Penguin Paperback Edition 

$-. J.J. Rousseau, EmileJ.M. Dent 

?

Sons Ltd, Everyman Lib. London 

1969. 

6

?

J. Dewey, Democracy and Education,The Free Press, Collier MacMillan 

Canada Ltd., 1964. 

P.H. Hirst, 

"Liberal Education and the Nature of Knowledge" in 

J.W. Tibble 

(ed) 

?

The Study of Education, ? 

Routledge and Kegan 

Paul, London 1966 

8. B.F. Skinner, Walden 11 

9.

S. Freud, "The Case of Little Hans" in the Pelican Freud Library, 

Penguin Books, U.K. 

JO. J. Piaget, The 

Language: 

Thought of The Child. 

'11. B. Durkheim, Education and Sociology, The Free Press, Collier 

MacMillan Canada Ltd., Toronto 1968. 

12.

Bowles ? 

Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America, Routledge and 

Kegan Paul, London 1976. 

13. L. Althusser, "Idealogy and Idealogical State Apparatuses" 

Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays, New Left Books, London 1971 

14.

M. Young and G. Whitty, Society, State and Schooling, The Falmer 

press, U.K. 1977 

15.

I. Illich, De-Schooling Society, Calder and Boyars, London 1971. 

16. P Friere, Education for Critical Consciousness, The Seabury Press, 

N.Y. 1973. 

.2. ? 

.

paper, to be followed by discussion. Each student will be asked to prepare 

for the group, one short expository paper, and oheshortcritica1 paper. A 

full length critical essay is to be submitted in the second week of June. 

There will be no examination for this course. 

List of Indicative Readings: 

1.

P.H. Hirst, "Educational Theory" in J.W.Tibble (ed) The Study of Education 

London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1966 

2.

..D.J.00onnor, "The Nature of Ecluc.ational Theory" in Proceedings of the 

Philosophy of Eduaation Society of Great Britain 1972 

3.

S.C. de Castell & H.S. Freeman, "Eduaation as a Socio-Practical Field: 

The Theory-Practice Question Re-Formulated" in Journal of Philosophy of 

iEducation , London.1978j 

4.

Plato: The Republic Penguin Paperback Edition 

?

6. ?

J. J.-Rousseau, Emile J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, Everyman Lib. London 1969 

?

.

?

J. Dewey, Democracy and Education The Free Press, Collier MacMillan 

Canada Ltd. 1964 

?

. ?

P.H. Hirst, "Liberal FkIua.tion and the Nature of Knowledge" in J.W. Tibble 

(ed) The Study of Education, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London 1966 

?

B. F. Skinner, Walden 11 

. S. Freud, "The Case of Little Hans" in 

fl.

P.mAiciu,

?

lO.

?

J. Piaget, ? 

1cv34 4

lud,

0"td4

1. E. Duritheim, Education and Sociology The Free Press, Collier MacMillan Canada 

Ltd., Toronto 1968 

.. Bowles & Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America Routledge and Kegan Paul, 

London 1976 

13.

L. Althusser, "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses" Lenin and Philosophy 

and Other Essays New Left Books, London 1971 

14.

N. Young and G. Whitty,Society, State and Schooling The Falmer Press, U.K. 1977 

l. I. Illich, De-Schooling Society Calder and Boyars, London 1971 

16.

p. Friere, ? 

r+--1

--nsini,sness,

The SeaburY press, N.Y. 1973 