Public forum for teachers, parents and researchers
Hosted by the
Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL)
with the generous support of the Gordon Cook Foundation
What is citizenship education,
and what is it for?
Friday 22 nd March 2013
10 am to 4.45 pm
In Macrobert 266
at the University of Aberdeen
Citizenship has been seen in recent years as a remedy for ills as diverse as social and economic
inequality, terrorism, fundamentalism, anti-social behaviour and the crisis of representation. It was
introduced as a statutory subject in the English National Curriculum for 11-16 year olds in 2002,
following the recommendations of the Crick Report in 1998, and more than 300,000 young people
have attained GCSEs or ‘A’ levels in Citizenship Studies. Examples of pupils’ practical Citizenship
projects initiated through the Curriculum include establishing recycling programmes, forming
student action groups to address bullying, or campaigning to lower the voting age to 16. In Scotland,
citizenship has not been introduced as a school subject, but the Curriculum for Excellence is geared
to producing “responsible citizens” as well as highlighting “global citizenship” as a major theme.
The Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL) at the University of
Aberdeen is best known for its pioneering work in rethinking the concepts of citizenship, civil society
and rule of law, but it is now hosting a project designed to improve the delivery of education for
citizenship, especially by developing curriculum materials, working closely with schoolteachers,
NGOs, and local and national government.
The topic for the March forum was agreed at an initial workshop held in December,
attended by CISRUL and other University of Aberdeen researchers, as well as by representatives of
the Montgomery Development Education Centre and the Gordon Cook Foundation. It was evident
from discussion that “citizenship education” can mean several different things and serve several
different ends. We agreed that it was essential to distinguish and decide among those meanings and
ends, before we develop plans for curriculum materials.
The forum will begin with presentations by academic experts on citizenship education in
Scotland and other countries, but much of the day will be set aside for engaging with teachers and
others interested in shaping the future direction of education for citizenship in Scotland.
Programme
Morning
9.30
Tea, coffee and biscuits
10
Introduction
10.15 Liz Curtis Lecturer in Education at U Aberdeen as well as CISRUL regular, co-author of
“Science, citizenship and sustainability: a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to
learning and teaching in Higher Education to address issues of sustainability”
10.25 Nick Morgan Education Scotland officer responsible for Global Citizenship
10.35 Hamish Ross Deputy Head, Institute for Education, Teaching & Leadership, U Edinburgh, coeditor of Democratic Citizenship in Schools: Teaching Controversial Issues, Traditions &
Accountability (2012)
10.45 Initial discussion
11.25 Alan Britton University Teacher in Social Justice, Place and Lifelong Education, U Glasgow,
author of “The citizenship teacher and controversial issues” (2012) and other articles
11.45 Dina Kiwan Associate Professor in Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies, American U
Beirut, author of Education for Inclusive Citizenship (2008)
11.55 Sally Anderson Lektor, Department of Education, Aarhus U, author of Civil Sociality: Children,
Sport and Cultural Policy in Denmark (2012)
12.05 Further discussion
12.55 Sandwich lunch
Afternoon
1.45
Susan Jenkins, Montgomery Development Education Centre
1.55
Cathy Francis (St Thomas RC Primary, Keith)
2.05
Roseleen Shanley (Aberdeen City Council/Bucksburn Academy)
2.15
Initial discussion
2.55
Josephine Martin (Headteacher, St Peter’s RC Primary, Old Aberdeen)
3.05
Paul Rorie (PT Humanities, Northfield Academy)
3.15
Further discussion
3.45
Breakout sessions
4.15
Final discussion
4.45
End of session
Registering for forum
There will be no charge and a sandwich lunch and refreshments will be provided to all. Please email
Tracey Connon to reserve a place (t.connon@abdn.ac.uk). We would prefer participants to stay for
the whole day, but understand that some will only be able to come for part of the day.
Academic workshop on Saturday morning
The forum will be followed on Saturday morning by a workshop which is open to the public, but will
have a more academic focus. Teachers are welcome to stay for the workshop.
Being in society
The first Saturday morning session will address different ideals of ‘being in society’ and how these
are conveyed to children and others.
9.15
Tea, coffee and biscuits
9.45
Sally Anderson (Education, Aarhus)
Sally Anderson will discuss the principle of engaging in voluntary association with others, in
the light of her book Civil Sociality: Children, Sport and Cultural Policy in Denmark (2012)
which describes Danish policies toward the inclusion of all groups in association sports.
10
Trevor Stack (Director, CISRUL)
Trevor Stack has been working on citizenship in Mexico, including in Civics teaching, and will
talk of the notion of ‘living in society’ that has been central to Mexican Civics for many years.
10.15 Discussion
Human rights and citizenship
11.15 Dina Kiwan (Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies, AUB)
Dina Kiwan wrote an article “Human Rights and Citizenship: an Unjustifiable Conflation?” in
2005, discussing the right place for human rights in citizenship education.
11.30 Matyas Bodig (Deputy Director, CISRUL) is a legal theorist with a longstanding interest in
human rights.
11.45 Discussion
12.45 Sandwiches and end of workshop
Sponsorship
CISRUL is very grateful to the Gordon Cook Foundation for a generous donation toward the costs of
the event.
Host
The conference will be hosted by the University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society
and Rule of Law (CISRUL), whose mission is to produce conversation across the social sciences and
humanities on key concepts of the modern polity. Citizenship, civil society and rule of law are three
such key concepts, all three of some pedigree but enjoying a new lease of life, prescribed by bodies
such as IMF and United Nations, championed by social movements, and debated in the media and in
academic research, although we are also interested in related notions such as democracy, human
rights, multiculturalism and pluralism. We are distinguished by:

our conceptual approach, which contrasts with the often uncritical adoption of citizenship,
civil society and rule of law as catch-all slogans or as fix-all solutions; instead we ask
searching questions about the concepts themselves, not just to define them more clearly but
also to consider how they get deployed in practices – what the press, politicians and scholars
do with concepts like “citizenship”

our serious inter-disciplinary commitment, which goes beyond occasional encounters to aim
at full engagement between up to 8 or 9 disciplines, in which we take time to learn the
premises of each other’s disciplines in order to understand each other

our concern with public engagement, especially with regard to education for citizenship as
well as to stimulating public debate on hot topics such as energy

our global and historical reach that includes but goes beyond the usual focus on
contemporary Europe and North America, looking at medieval and early modern Europe but
also a range of contexts across Latin America, Africa and Asia.