SYLLABUS

Nämnden för forskning och utbildning på forskarnivå

LS 64-2012/720

Third cycle (postgraduate level)

Cultural perspectives on science education

Kulturella perspektiv på utbildning i naturvetenskap Credits: 3

The course was established by NFF 2012-05-14

The syllabus was approved 2012-05-14 by NFF to be valid from the autumn semester 2012.

Aim

The course aims to develop students’ understanding of education as a cultural practice. Focus is on how

social categories like sex/gender, class and race/ethnicity construct meaning inside educational

contexts. Science education will serve as an example, but the course aims to problematize education in a

more general perspective.

Knowledge prerequirements

Admission to postgraduate research program.

Intendend learning outcomesl

Following successful completion of the course, the doctoral student should be able to:

discuss conditions for identity construction in educational contexts

problematize cultural mechanisms for inclusion and exclusion in educational contexts and further discuss these from ethical and political perspectives

apply theories and concepts, presented within the course, on empirical data

Course description and contents

The central theme of the course is identity construction inside educational contexts, with focus on

science education. Theories in sex/gender, class and race/ethnicity will be used and discussed.

Working formats

The working formats are literature studies, seminars and lectures. The course language is English.

Malmö University's learning platform will be used.

Formats for the assessment of performance

The course will be examined through a written task, in which the student makes an analysis of

his/her own empirical research data. In this text the student will discuss conditions for identity

SYLLABUS

Nämnden för forskning och utbildning på forskarnivå

construction and cultural mechanisms for inclusion and exclusion in a specific educational

context. The text will be orally presented, reviewed and discussed at a seminar.

Grading scale

Pass and Fail

Literature

Arvola-Orlander, A. & Wickman, P.-O. (2011) Bodily Experiences in Secondary School Biology. Cultural Studies in Science Education, 6(3), 569-594. Beach, B. & Player-Koro, C. (2012) Authoritative knowledge in initial teacher education: studying the role of subject textbooks through two ethnographic studies of mathematics teacher education. Journal of Education for Teaching, 38 ( 2 ) s. 115-125. Brickhouse, N.W. (2001) Embodying science: A feminist perspective on learning. Journal of research in science teaching, 38 (3) pp 282–295. Brown, B. A., Reveles, J. M. and Kelly, G. J. (2005), Scientific literacy and discursive identity: A theoretical framework for understanding science learning. Science Education, 89, p 779–802. Carlone, H.B. (2003) Innovative Science Within and Against a Culture of ‘‘Achievement’’. Science Education, 87 (3) p 307-328. Carlone, H.B. (2004) The cultural production of science in reform-based physics: Girls’ access, participation, and resistance. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41, p 392-414. Cultural Studies on Science Education (2008) A special issue on conceptual change theory and sociocultural theories. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 3 (2) pp227 – 533 Hall, S. (1996) “Who need ‘identity’? I: S Hall & P. du Gay (eds) Questions of cultural identity. London: Sage. Lundegård, I. & Wickman, P.-O (2009) Identity transformation in education for sustainable development: A question of location. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 53(5), 461-479. Popkewitz, T. (2004) The alchemy of the mathematics curriculum: Inscriptions and fabrications of the child. American Educational Journal, 41 (4) p 3-34. Popkewitz, T. (2009b) Curriculum study, curriculum history, and curriculum theory: the reason of reason. Journal of Curriculum studies. 41 (3) p 301-319. Sadler, T. (2009) Situated learning in science education: socio-scientific issues as contexts for practice. Studies in Science Education, 45, p 1-42.

SYLLABUS

Nämnden för forskning och utbildning på forskarnivå

Optional thesis on the course theme, for example:

Arvola Orlander, A. (2011). Med kroppen som insats. Diskursiva spänningsfält i biologiundervisningen på högstadiet. [The body at stake: Discursive tensions in secondary school biology teaching]. Stockholm: Stockholm University. Danielsson, A. (2009) Doing physics – doing gender. An exploration of physics students’ identity constitution in the context of laboratory work. Uppsala: Uppsala University Jobér. A. (coming) Social Class in Science Class. Malmö University (coming 2012) Lundström, M. (2011) Decision-making in health issues. Teenagers' use of science and other discourses. Malmö: Malmö University and Lunds University. Besides this, scholarly articles might be added.

Course evaluation

The course will be completed with an individual written course evaluation which will be based on the

intended learning outcomes of the course. The course convenor will provide information in connection

with the completion of the course with regards to the results of the course evaluation and any

measures to be taken prior to the next time the course is offered. In connection with the course start,

the course convenor will notify students about what measures have been taken since the previous

edition of the course.