Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
No Banner module data is available
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Description This module is dedicated to one of the areas of learning that inform the multi-disciplinary subject known as education: the history of education. It analyses the work of two historians of education, Richard Aldrich and Sherri Rae Colby. In his early work, Aldrich set out to define 'the duties' of the historian of education. He spoke about the historian's duties to both the living and the dead. It was important, he said, to discover the truth about the past and to give a voice to marginalized people from times gone by. However, Colby thinks that historians of education should apply insights from the philosophy of history to their work. She has a particular interest in the work of Paul Ricoeur. As she explains, '...Ricoeur invites us to consider meaning making in education: how it is conceived, for what aims, and how and for what reasons some ideas endure while others do not'. Colby agrees with Ricoeur that history is a necessarily selective meaning making activity. But what to leave in and what to leave out of our historical narratives? To answer those questions she accepts that we need an 'ethics of memory'. Aldrich's more recent work identifies a new and unexpected task for historians of education: 'the shaping of possible, probable and preferable futures'. We have a good idea, he says, about what might emerge in future societies and classrooms. Some of it is exciting, but there are also things to avoid at all costs, and the history of education can help steer society in the right direction. The module will also discuss the work of the French historian Pierre Nora who is associated with the New History model used in French schools. New History pays as much attention to how historians work as it does to analyzing 'traces' of the past. By introducing students to these alternative ways of approaching the history of education, the module hopes to support the development of creativity and innovation in student teachers. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of perspectives on the value of history of education and the function(s) it serves. 2. Demonstrate creativity and innovation in the application of ideas drawn from course material. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Questioning the value and function of history of education in the seminar room Each week for the first six weeks, the module will focus on a recommended text. It will situate it in context, explain any new terms and ideas, and analyze its main arguments. Students are invited to raise questions and objections and to seek clarification at any stage. Every week for the final six weeks students will lead the discussion. To facilitate this, 2/3 small groups will present their work and receive feedback from their peers. Presentations will take the form of recorded narratives in the style of the Guestbook Project. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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Other Resources
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