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    SPRING SEMESTER 1980
    EDUCATION 487 Special Topic:
    INSTRUCTOR: David Nyberg
    TIME: Monday evenings 4:30 -
    Power in Educational Thought
    8:30
    This course takes up the challenge of introducing power into the vocabulary
    of educational studies. If Bertrand Russell was right in claiming that
    "the fundamental concept in social science is Power, in the same sense in
    which Energy is the fundamental concept in physics, "then it must be seen
    as odd that the challenge has not been taken up before. One question to be
    answered is why such a fundamental concept, such a universal category of
    human social life has lain so completely neglected in education for so
    long.
    Discussion will concentrate on analyzing the essential attributes and several
    forms of power in ordinary social transactions. These attributes and forms
    will be put together and proposed as a new conception of power that has a good
    deal of relevance to the understanding of educational processes (curriculum
    design, the means of instruction, and evaluation) and has important implications
    for a renovation in the ethics of education.
    The course will conclude by linking the new conception of power with a logic
    of freedom that emphasizes the skills of diagnosing constraints, and by
    arguing that teaching these skills along with knowledge about power is both
    practically feasible and ethically incumbent on contemporary education.
    TOPICS:
    1.
    A survey of the best that has been written about power in philosophy,
    political science, sociology, and psychology.
    2.
    Personal and ethical ambivalence about power
    3.
    The very idea of power
    4.
    Forms of power in education
    S. Power and the logic of freedom
    6. Toward a renovated ethics of education
    SELECTED READINGS:
    These are some books and articles that students will find useful, and from which
    specific assignments will be drawn.
    Arendt, H. On Violence.
    Barry, Brian (ed.) Power and Political Theory
    Bell, David V.J. Power, Influence, Qjç1 Authority
    Berle, Adolph A. Power
    Berlin, Isaiah "The Quest
    ionMachiave11i". The New York Review, November
    4, 1971
    Cartwright, D. (ed.) Studies in Social Power
    Champlin, John R. (ed.) Power
    Clegg, Stewart Power, le and Domination
    Clegg, Stewart J]. Theoryof Power and Organization
    Coleman, James S. Power
    ?
    the.
    Structure of Society
    Lh1, Robert A. Modern Political Analysis
    (over)
    0
    Dahl, Robert A. "Power". International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences
    Feinberg, Joel "The
    I1e. ol
    &e
    Man",
    J.0 Educational Judgements, ed.
    James F. Doyle
    Jouvenel, Bertrand de ?
    Power
    La Boetie, Etienne de
    Me
    Politic
    o
    f Obedience: The Discourse of
    &Luntary Servitude
    Lasswell, Harold D. ,Power and Personality
    Lasswell, Harold D. and Kaplan, Abraham Power
    .Qlci.
    SQY_
    McClelland, David C. Power:
    ...
    Th
    e Inner Experience
    May, Rollo _Power a
    n
    d Innocence
    Merriam, Charles E. Political Power
    Milgram, Stanley Obf-di p nce
    -
    ta
    Authority
    Nagel, Jack H. The [scrintive Analysi of Power
    Nyberg, David Power Over Power
    Olsen, M. E. (ed.) Power .j
    a Societies
    Oppenheiin, Felix E. Dimensions of Freedom
    Plato Gorgia.
    Weber, Max The Theorvf Social ,
    ?
    Economic Organization
    Winter, David G.
    -
    Za
    Power Motive

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