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Simon Fraser University ?

Faculty of Education?

EDUC 497-4 (2008-1)?

International Educational Systems

Instructor: Eugenie Samier

Time: Wed. 16.30-20.20

Office: EDUC 8638

Location: 8620B ?

Telephone: 291-4483

Office Hours: Wed. 14.30-16.30

E-mail: esarnier@sfu.ca

DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to introduce students to the purpose, goals, structure and

functioning of educational systems internationally, including legal provisions, political

and economic conditions, and important social, political, and cultural factors influencing

their practices and societal purpose. The central focus is on the role of various

institutions and groups such as government, governing bodies, administrative staff,

teachers, and other participants in education, including the role that other societal sectors

may play in shaping educational theory, policy, and provision of resources. These will be

discussed in comparison with Canadian educational practice. Course material and

assignments will focus on current issues and problems affecting professional practice,

such as: access and opportunity; accountability and authority; teacher training and

professionalism; commercialisation; internationalisation and globalisation; pseudo-

philosophies of education; distributed learning; virtual education; and leadership

practices.

REQUIRED READINGS

Crossley, M. and Watson, K. (2003) Comparative and International Research in

Education: Globalisation, Context and Difference. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

Kubow, P. and Fossum, P. (2007) Comparative Education: Exploring Issues in

International Context. 2' ed. Prentice-Hall.

A list of website documents and thematic bibliography on relevant topics will be

provided at the first class.

ASSIGNMENTS

The term paper is intended as an opportunity to conduct a more detailed examination of a

feature of the selected educational system of personal interest (a list of proposed paper

topics will be discussed on the first day of class). The assignment will be composed of a

number of specific requirements that will be integrated into the final paper:

1. Presentation Paper ?

20%

Term Paper Proposal 15%

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3. Article Review

15%

4. Tenn Paper

35%

5. Participation

15%

The general requirements of the Term Assignment components are as follows:

Presentation and Presentation Paper: will be a 15 to 20 minute presentation for class

discussion of a draft of the presentation paper. The presentation paper is an 8-10 page

overview description of the educational system in the country selected for the term's

course work. A guideline of features to assist in this assignment will be handed out in the

first class (20%). DUE DATE: the week after presenting in class.

Term Paper Proposal: will include a 2 page detailed outline in narrative form that will

identify the major theme, the approach taken, and various aspects of the theme to be

developed, accompanied by a 2 page bibliography using both monograph and periodical

literature. It is recommended that you email a draft of this assignment to me for

preliminary feedback approximately 1 week before the due date. (4

pp.

total)

(15%)

DUE DATE: 3 October.

Article Review: 3-4 page review of 3 articles from the academic journal (peer

reviewed) literature on the central topic of the Term Paper. It is strongly recommended

that the search for articles be started early on and notes towards the review be developed

as the course progresses and material relevant to this assignment is covered. Guidelines

for writing article reviews will be distributed on the first day of class (15%). DUE DATE:

7 November.

4. Term Pa

er: 10-12 page paper drawing on material discussed in class, feedback on

preceding assignments, as well as additional material found through documentary

research

(35%).

DUE DATE: 5 December.

There are two options available for this paper:

detailed work on a selected aspect of one non-Canadian educational system

a comparison of a selected aspect of a non-Canadian educational system with the

Canadian educational system or another non-Canadian system

5. Participation: includes discussion in class on assigned readings, and preparation and

discussion of presentation papers.

(15%)

All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced (12 point Times New Roman or

10 point Courier), with one inch margins all around, and with formal footnoting and

reference section (you may use any standard university-accepted formatting style: APA,

MLA, Harvard, Cambridge, etc.). Please do not put a cover on the paper--just use a cover

page and staple once in the top left corner. Also it is conventional in academic papers not

to put borders or any other graphical embellishments on the pages--the text should be the

main focus of the paper, supplemented with illustrative graphs, charts, diagrams or other

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images. You may submit papers electronically.

This course is designed so that human subject research is not required apart from

information already in the public domain. Please note that any human subject research

involving questionnaires, interviews or collecting other field data requires an approval

from the SFU Office for Research ethics.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Sep

5: ?

Introduction.

Sep 12: Kubow/Fossum Chs 1, 2; Crossley/Watson Chs 1, 2.

Sep 19: Research week on selection of country for term paper and topic for

presentation paper.

Sep 26: TBA

Oct 3: Kubow/Fossum Chs 3, 4,

6; Crossley/Watson Ch 3; Term Proposal Paper

due.

Oct 10: Presentations.

Oct 17: Presentations.

Oct 24: Presentations.

Oct 31: Kubow/Fossum Chs 7, 8.

Nov 7: Crossley/Watson Ch 4; Article Review due.

Nov 21: Crossley/Watson Chs 6, 7

Nov 28: Crossley/Watson Ch 8.

Dec

Term Paper due.