University of Pittsburgh
School of Education
Department of Administrative and Policy Studies
John C. Weidman, PhD, Professor of Higher and
International Development Education
5910 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
230 South Bouquet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-648-1772
Email: weidman@pitt.edu
http://www.pitt.edu/~weidman
ADMPS 3301: Social Theories and Education in Global
Context
Fall Term, 2014 (2151); Wednesday, 4:30-7:10 pm, 5702 WWPH
Office Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 2-4; also by appointment.
Catalog Description:
Students will explore a range of social theories that may be helpful in informing how they
understand and operate in educational institutions in local, national, and global economic, political,
and cultural contexts. By examining and comparing a variety of theories and contexts, students will
be encouraged to develop/refine their own theories of a) how and why society and education are
organized as they are; b) how and why education and/or society have or have not changed; and c)
how and why education and/or society should be changed.
Purpose of the Course:
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to theoretical perspectives that have
been applied to the study of social and educational change in comparative and international
context. It addresses the relationships among different theories as well as the linkages among
particular theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Key organizing principles
are drawn from the work of Rolland G. Paulston, a former professor at the University of
Pittsburgh and past president of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), on
social cartography. Students are encouraged to explore theories from a variety of national and
international sources. Those seeking credit for University Center for International Studies
(UCIS) programs must focus their term papers on a country or region in the particular program’s
geographical area.
Requirements and Grading:
1.
Reading and Class Participation: Seminar participants are expected to carefully read all
assigned readings identified for a particular class session as well as actively and
productively participate in class discussions. Come to class prepared to pose questions
and offer comments that will facilitate your and others’ deeper reflection on the issues
raised in the readings and the implications these have for policy analysis.
2.
Weighting of Class Participation and Written Assignments in Final Grade:
a.
b.
c.
d.
First Written Assignment. Proposal (3-5 pages) (15%)
Class Participation including Presentation of Supplement Reading and Leading
Discussion (15%)
Final Paper Providing the Conceptual Framework for a Research Topic (25-30
pages) (45%)
PowerPoint Presentation of Final Paper (25%)
Academic Integrity
Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on
Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the
semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level,
as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not
limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating
University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam,
including dictionaries and programmable calculators.
All students are required to read and sign the following statement. A signed copy must be
submitted to the instructor in order to complete the course.
Disability Services
If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom
modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services no
later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your
disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources
and Services, call (412) 648-7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Disability
Resources and Services office is located in 140 William Pitt Union on the Oakland campus.
Statement on Classroom Recording
To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures,
discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any
such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private
use.
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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Academic Integrity Guidelines
Student Agreement
I. Student Obligations
A student has an obligation to exhibit honesty and to respect the ethical standards of the
profession in carrying out his or her academic assignments. Without limiting the application of
this principle, a student may be found to have violated this obligation if he or she:
1. Refers during an academic evaluation to materials or sources, or employs devices, not
authorized by the faculty member.
2. Provides assistance during an academic evaluation to another person in a manner not
authorized by the faculty member.
3. Receives assistance during an academic evaluation from another person in a manner not
authorized by the faculty member.
4. Engages in unauthorized possession, buying, selling, obtaining, or use of any materials
intended to be used as an instrument of academic evaluation in advance of its
administration.
5. Acts as a substitute for another person in any academic evaluation process.
6. Utilizes a substitute in any academic evaluation proceeding.
7. Practices any form of deceit in an academic evaluation proceeding.
8. Depends on the aid of others in a manner expressly prohibited by the faculty member, in
the research, preparation, creation, writing, performing, or publication of work to be
submitted for academic credit or evaluation.
9. Provides aid to another person, knowing such aid is expressly prohibited by the
instructor, in the research, preparation, creation, writing, performing, or publication of
work to be submitted for academic credit or evaluation.
10. Presents as one’s own, for academic evaluation, the ideas, representations, or words of
another person or persons without customary and proper acknowledgment of sources.
11. Submits the work of another person in a manner which represents the work to be one's
own.
12. Knowingly permits one's work to be submitted by another person without the faculty
member's authorization.
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13. Attempts to influence or change one's academic evaluation or record for reasons other
than achievement or merit.
14. Indulges, during a class (or examination) session in which one is a student, in conduct
which is so disruptive as to infringe upon the rights of the faculty member or fellow
students.
15. Fails to cooperate, if called upon, in the investigation or disposition of any allegation of
dishonesty pertaining to another student.
16. Violates the canons of ethics of the student's professional discipline, as promulgated by
professional organizations and/ or regulatory bodies (e.g., American College of Sports
Medicine, American Educational Research Association, American Psychological
Association, and Pennsylvania Department of Education).
The alternative sanctions which may be imposed upon a finding that an offense related to
academic integrity has been committed are the following:
1. Dismissal from the University without expectation of readmission.
2. Suspension from the University for a specific period of time.
3. Reduction in grade, or assignment of a failing grade, in the course in which the offending
paper or examination was submitted.
4. Reduction in grade, or assignment of a failing grade, on the paper or examination in
which the offense occurred.
I have read and agree to follow these academic integrity guidelines.
Signed:_____________________________________________Date:______________________
Printed Name:_______________________________________
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Required Readings (Available on CourseWeb):
Baily, S. (2011). Trajectories of influence. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the
comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 217–233). Rotterdam,
Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Boshier, R. (2011). Kia kaha (stay strong). In Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its
application to practice (pp. 315–332). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Cheng, S. Y., Jacob, W. J., & Chen, P. (2011). Metatheory in comparative, international, and
development education. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative:
Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 295–314). Rotterdam, Netherlands:
Sense Publishers.
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of
Sociology, 94 (Supplement), S95-S120.
Collins, R. (1971). Functional and conflict theories of educational stratification. American
Sociological Review, 36 (No. 6, December), 1002-1019.
Dejaeghere, J., & Vu, L. (2011). Transnationalism and its analytic possibilities for comparative,
international, and development education. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.),
Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 269–291).
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Diffendal, E. A., & Weidman, J. C. (2011). Gender equity in access to higher education in
Mongolia. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing
theory and its application to practice (pp. 333–353). Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Epstein, E. H., & Carroll, K. T. (2011). Erasing ancestry. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.),
Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 31–48).
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Epstein, I. (2011). Sports as a metaphor for comparative inquiry. In J. C. Weidman & W. J.
Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice
(pp. 93–112). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Ginsburg, M. B., Chakufyali, P. N., Kalima, K., Mwaanga, B., & Tubman, W. (2011). Promoting
evidence-based policy planning and implementation in education in Zambia. In J. C.
Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its
application to practice (pp. 355–370). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Holmarsdottir, H. B. (2011). Mapping the dialectic between global and local educational
discourses on gender equality and equity. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond
the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 193–215).
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
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Jacob, W. J., Crandall, J. R., & Hilton, J. (2011). Emerging theories in comparative,
international, and development education. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.),
Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 69–91).
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Lee, M., & Friedrich, T. (2011). Citation network analysis of comparative education texts. In J.
C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its
application to practice (pp. 113–144). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
O’Dowd, M. (2011). Development and humanist concerns. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob
(Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp.
235–252). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Paulston, R. G. (1977). Social and educational change: Conceptual frameworks. Comparative
Education Review, 21(2/3), 370–395.
Paulston, R. G. (1990). Essay review: Toward a reflective comparative education? Comparative
Education Review, 34(2), 248–255.
Paulston, R. G. (1993). Mapping discourse in comparative education texts. Compare, 23(2),
101–114.
Paulston, R. G. (1997). Mapping visual culture in comparative education discourse. Compare,
27(2), 117–152.
Paulston, R. G. (1999). Mapping comparative education after postmodernity. Comparative
Education Review, 43(4), 438–463.
Paulston, R. G. (2000a). A spatial turn in comparative education? Constructing a social
cartography of difference. In J. Schriewer (Ed.), Discourse formation in comparative
education (pp. 297–354). Berlin: Peter Lang.
Paulston, R. G. (2000b). Imagining comparative education: Past, present, future. Compare,
30(3), 353–367.
Paulston, R. G., & Liebman, M. (1994). An invitation to postmodern social cartography.
Comparative Education Review, 38(2), 215–232.
Phillips, D. (2009). Aspects of educational transfer. In R. Cowen & A. M. Kazamias (Eds.),
International handbook of comparative education (pp. 1061–1077). Dordrecht: Springer.
Phillips, D., & Ochs, K. (2003). Processes of policy borrowing in education: Some explanatory
and analytical devices. Comparative Education, 39(4), 451–461.
Phillips, D., & Ochs, K. (2004). Researching policy borrowing: Some methodological challenges
in comparative education. British Educational Research Journal, 30(6), 773–784.
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Pluim, G. W. (2011). Theorizing the ngo through conceptual mapping. In J. C. Weidman & W. J.
Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp.
253–268). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Rodman, R. E. (2011). House of 1,000 windows. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond
the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 49–67). Rotterdam,
Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Rust, V. D. (1991). Presidential address: Postmodernism and Its comparative education
implications. Comparative Education Review, 35(4), 610–626.
Rust, V., & Kenderes, A. (2011). Paulston and paradigms. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob
(Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp.
19–29). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Sabina, L. (2011). Teacher, principal, professor? In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond
the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 145–151).
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Stromquist, N. P. (2011). A social cartography of gender. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob
(Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp.
173–192). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Weidman, J. C., & Bat-Erdene, R. (2002). Higher education and the state in Mongolia:
Dilemmas of democratic transition. In D. W. Chapman & A. E. Austin (Eds.), Higher
education in the developing world: Changing contexts and institutional responses (pp.
130–149). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Weidman, J. C., Jacob, W. J., & Casebeer, D. (2014). Conceptualizing teacher education in
comparative and international context. In A. W. Wiseman & E. Anderson (Eds.), Annual
Review of Comparative and International Education 2014 (pp. 115–145). Bristol, UK:
Emerald.
Weidman, J. C., & Jacob, W. J. (2011). Mapping comparative, international, and development
education: Celebrating the work of Rolland G. Paulston. In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob
(Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to practice (pp. 1–
16). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Yamada, S., & Liu, J. (2011). Between epistemology and research practices. In J. C. Weidman &
W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and its application to
practice (pp. 371–393). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Yamamoto, Y., & McClure, M. M. (2011). How can social cartography help policy researchers?
In J. C. Weidman & W. J. Jacob (Eds.), Beyond the comparative: Advancing theory and
its application to practice (pp. 153–170). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
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Class Sessions and Reading Assignments:
August 27
Introduction to the Course Content, Structure, and Assignments
Readings: Weidman and Jacob, Chap. 1; Rust and Kenderes, Chap. 2 in Weidman
and Jacob, 2011.
September 3 Classifying Theories of Social and Educational Change
Readings: Paulston, 1977.
September 10 Functional and Conflict Theories; Social Capital; Policy Borrowing
Readings: Collins, 1977; Coleman, 1988; Phillips, 2009; Phillips & Ochs, 2003,
2004.
September 17 Framing Social and Educational Change
Readings: Weidman & Bat-Erdene, 2002; Weidman, et al., 2013.
September 24 Mapping Comparative and International Education Theories and Perspectives
Readings: Paulston, 1993 and 1997; Paulston and Liebman, 1994.
[Term Paper Proposal Due]
October 1
The Postmodern Turn in Comparative and International Education
Readings: Paulston, 1999; Rust, 1991.
October 8
Questioning Paulston’s Use of Postmodernism
Reading: Epstein and Carroll, Chap. 3 in Weidman and Jacob, 2011.
October 15
Social Cartography and Beyond
Readings: Paulston, 2000a, 2000b.
October 22
Social Cartography in Comparative and International Education Research
Readings: Rodman, Chap. 4; Jacob, et al., Chap. 5; Epstein, Chap. 6; and Lee and
Friedrich, Chap. 7 in Weidman and Jacob, 2011.
October 29
“Practical” Applications of Mapping
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Readings: Sabina, Chap. 8; Yamamoto and McClure, Chap. 9; and Pluim, Chap. 14
in Weidman and Jacob, 2011.
November 5
Mapping Gender
Stromquist, Chap. 10; Holmarsdottir, Chap. 11; Baily, Chap. 12; and O’Dowd,
Chap. 13 in Weidman and Jacob, 2011.
November 12 Mapping Comparative and International Education in Cultural and National
Contexts
DeJaeghere and Vu, Chap. 15; Cheng, et al., Chap. 16; and Boshier, Chap. 17 in
Weidman and Jacob, 2011.
November 19 International Perspectives on Mapping
Diffendal and Weidman, Chap. 18; Ginsburg, et al., Chap. 19; and Yamada and Liu,
Chap. 20 in Weidman and Jacob, 2011.
November 26 Thanksgiving Holiday: No Class
December 3 Class Presentations
December 10 Class Presentations
[Final Paper and PowerPoint Due]
2/9/2016 4:09:00 PM
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Figure 1. A Framework for Research
METHODOLOGY
Quantitative
Qualitative
TOPIC
Purpose
Rationale
Research Questions
CONCEPTUAL BASIS
RESULTS
Fundamental Issues
Literature Review
Theoretical Perspectives
Findings
Interpretations
Relationship to
Literature
Recommendations
STUDY DESIGN
Subjects
Data Collection
Data Analysis
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Figure 7.1
Higher Education in the New Millennium:
Social, Economic, Political and Educational Influences *
EDUCATIONAL
PATTERNS
Community Basis
Student-Centered
Cost Recovery
POLITICAL
PATTERNS
Pluralism
Democracy
Decentralization
Human Rights
HIGHER EDUCATION
Institutional Autonomy
Driven by Student Demand
Market-Based Fees
Limited Public Subsidy
Program Flexibility
Distance Education
SOCIAL
PATTERNS
Person Accountable
Limited Welfare
Private Services
ECONOMIC
PATTERNS
Market Economy
Private Enterprise
Private Property
Taxation
* Source: Weidman, John C. and Regsurengiin Bat-Erdene. “Higher Education and the State in
Mongolia: Dilemmas of Democratic Transition.” Pp. 129-148 in David W. Chapman and Ann E.
Austin (Eds.), Higher Education in the Developing World: Changing Contexts and Institutional
Responses. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002.
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Chart 1.
Contrasting Assumptions Underlying the Structural-Functional, Marxist-Conflict, and Interpretivist Theories of Society *
Theories/Society
Nature of Society
Nature of Elements in Society
Structural-Functional
Stable (Equilibrium)
Integrative
Function of Elements in Society
Basis of Social Structure
System Maintenance
Consensus (Values/ Norms)
Marxist-Conflict
Changing (Conflict)
Disintegrative
(Dialectical Basis)
System Modification
Coercion
Type of Change
Evolutionary (Incremental)
Revolutionary
Interpretivist
Fluid
Contingent (Meanings
Made by Individuals)
System Enhancement
Shared Patterns of
Meaning
Negotiated
Sources: Dahrendorf, Ralf. (1959). Class and Class Conflict in Industrial Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press (pp. 161162).
Feinberg, Walter & Soltis, Jonas F. (1992). School and Society. 2nd Edition. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia
University.
*Prepared by John C. Weidman, Professor of Higher and International Development Education, University of Pittsburgh
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