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PH355 Philosophy of Education
Tutor: Michael Luntley
Room: S2.58
Office hour: Tuesday 11-12
Email: michael.luntley@warwick.ac.uk
Outline of module
The philosophy of eduction is a large area of applied philosophy. It is often taught in
Schools of Education, organised around an agenda appropriate for the professional
training of student teachers. This module will focus on a series of key questions
about education and a limited set of recent writings that probe those questions.
The questions are:
(i) What is the philosophy of education?
(ii) Why education? (what are the aims of education)
(iii) What should be taught? (what shapes the curriculum)
(iv) Where and how should education be organised?
(v) How does education occur?
(vii) How is education possible?
Background reading
For a single introductory book that will provide background on the above issues, see
D. Carr, Making Sense of Education Abingdon & New York: Routledge 2003. Copies
of the paperback edition of this will be available in the campus bookshop. You are
advised to get your own copy.
Most of the seminar readings will be taken from:
Harvey Siegel (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Education Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2009
This collection is expensive but is held in the library as an e-edition, so is freely and
easily accessible. In addition, all texts for seminar discussion, including those from
the Siegel collection, will be posted as pdf files on the module website.
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Draft program of lectures and seminar readings:
Roman numbering identifies topics by reference to the above list of questions.
References such as ‘Carr OxHdbk’ refer to the essay by Carr found in the Siegel
collection, Oxford Handbook in Philosophy of Education.
Week
Lectures
Seminar reading
1
1. Outline (i)
2. Background (i)
------------------
2
3. Aims (ii)
4. Aims (ii)
Carr in OxHdbk (i)
3
5. Curriculum (iii)
6. Curriculum (iii)
Nussbaum in OxHdbk (ii)
4
7 & 8. Organising education (iv)
Robertson in OxHdbk (iii)
5
9 & 10 models of development (v)
Kitcher in OxHdbk (iv)
6
reading week
7
11 & 12 Fodor’s paradox of learning (vi)
Moshman in OxHdbk (v)
8
13 & 14 The concept of initiation (v) & (vi)
Fodor LOT (vi)
9
15 & 16 Focussing on the learner (v)
Peters
10
17 & 18 Transformation and making sense
Carey pp.508-523
Lectures are on:
Tuesday, 10-11
room t.b.a.
Thursday, 10-11
room t.b.a.
There are weekly seminars starting in week 2 with each week having an assigned
read as per the above schedule. Sign up for a seminar group via reporttool. These
groups will not be available on reporttool until just before the start of term.
Essays:
One essay, of approx 2000 is required to be submitted, via the department’s online
submission system, by week 10.
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Some suggested readings by topics: (draft)
(i)
Carr, D. (2003) Making Sense of Education Chs 1- 5, 7, 8
Carr, D. (2009) ‘Curriculum and the value of knowledge’, in H. Siegel, ed. Oxford
Handbook in Philosophy of Education
Noddings, N. (2011) 3rd ed. Philosophy of Education, Chapters 1, 2
Standish, P. (2010) ‘What is philosophy of education?’ in Bailey, R. (2010) (ed)
Philosophy of Education: an introduction, London: Continuum Press pp.4-20
Phillips, D.C. (2010) ‘What is philosophy of education?’ in R. Bailey, et.al. The Sage
Handbook of Philosophy of Education London: Sage, pp.3-20
(ii)
Nussbaum, M. (2010) ‘Tagore, Dewey and the Imminent Demise of Liberal Education’
in Siegel, ed. Oxford Handbook in Philosophy of Education
(iii)
Robertson, E. (2010) ‘The Epistemic Aims of Education’ in Siegel ed. Oxford
Handbook in Philosophy of Education
Carr, D. (2003) Making Sense of Education, Chs. 9, 10
(iv)
Kitcher, P. (2010) ‘Education, Democracy and Capitalism’ in Siegel ed. Oxford
Handbook in Philosophy of Education
Carr, D. (2003) Making Sense of Education, Ch. 11
(v)
Moshman, D. (2010) ‘The Development of Rationality’ in Siegel ed. Oxford Handbook
in Philosophy of Education
Matthews, G (2010) ‘Philosophy and Developmental Psychology’ in Siegel ed. Oxford
Handbook in Philosophy of Education
Carr, D. (2003) Making Sense of Education, Chs.6, 7
On the concept of initiation:
Peters, R. S. ‘Education as Initiation’ …….
Siegel, H. (2012) ‘Education as initiation into the space of reasons’ Theory and
Research in Education 10 (2) 191-202
Bakhurst, D (2011) The Formation of Reason Oxford: Blackwell
Williams, M ……
(vi)
Fodor, J (1975)…..
Carey, S (2009) The Origin of Concepts Oxford: Oxford University Press, see Ch.13
and esp. 508-523
Luntley, M. (2012) ‘Training, training, training: the making of second nature and the
roots of Wittgenstein’s pragmatism’ …