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,4NC01E

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Spring Semester 1989 ?

Instructor:

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Dr. Comel Hamm

Fort St. John and

Dawson Creek

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to philosophy of education. As such it is intended to provide

prospective teachers as well as others interested in education an opportunity to examine a variety of

educational problems from a philosophical perspective. The central concern of the course is to

elucidate the nature of education as a phenomenon distinguishable from such activities as training,

schooling, and socialization. It should enable one to think more clearly and critically about a host of

problems, issues, and concepts in education. There are no pre-requisites for the course. A brief

course outline follows:

A. The Nature of Philosophical Issues in Education

1.

What are philosophical problems in education?

2.

What role does philosophy have in solving educational problems?

B. The Language of Education

1. Meaning and definitions in education.

2.Slogans and metaphors in education.

3. Problems of vagueness, ambiguity, and emotive uses of language.

C. The Nature of Education

1. The concept 'education'.

2.

The concepts 'teaching' and 'learning'.

3. Cognitive education and education of the emotions.

4. The aims of education.

5. Education, curriculum, and the nature of knowledge.

6. The means-ends.

D. Moral Dimensions of Education

1. Freedom and authority in education.

2. Discipline and punishment in education.

3.

Conditioning and indoctrination.

4.

The justification of content in education.

5.

Values and moral education.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Tutorial participation.

2. Examination on required readings.

3.

One or more short papers.

TEXTS

P. H. Hirst & R.S. Peters, The Logic of Education, RKP, 1970.

C. M. Hamm, Philosophical Issues in Education: An Introduction (copies available from instructor).