The course argues that "it's all politics" — that politics extends well
beyond government and elections into everyday life. Identify one thing
you don't normally think of as political and make a brief case that it is.
What does treating it as a political question reveal that treating it as a
non-political one conceals?
Education is deeply political because decisions about what students
learn, what is left out, and how subjects are presented can reflect
particular values and priorities. This can be seen in history curricula that
emphasises certain national narratives while giving less attention to
other perspectives, or in economics classes that present particular
systems or ideas as natural and inevitable. These choices are not simply
about transmitting objective facts but shape how students understand
their society and their place within it.
Treating education as political reveals that schools are not neutral
transmitters of knowledge but institutions that help shape citizens and
reproduce particular ideas about society. It creates space to question
whose perspectives are represented, whose are left out, and who has
the power to make those decisions and push these narratives.
In contrast, treating education as non-political conceals the choices and
power behind the curriculum. It creates an illusion of objectivity, making
particular perspectives appear to be simply “the way things are” rather
than outcomes of debate, power, and negotiation. Recognising
education as political therefore allows us to question the status quo
rather than automatically accepting it as neutral or inevitable.