Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ACA5033

 
TITLE Critical Pedagogy and Social Practice

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education

 
DESCRIPTION The study-unit will cover foundational concepts, principles and practices in critical pedagogy such as problem-posing and dialogic education (as opposed to banking education), transformative education, ‘conscientizaςāo’ (conscientization), cultural circles and emancipatory community development.

Students will be invited to critically engage with key works of scholars in the field such Paulo Freire, Ira Shor, Antonia Darder, Ramon Fletcha, Tom Inglis, Peter McLaren, Jack Mezirow, Stephen Brookfield and Gert J. Biesta.

The discussion will review policies that resonate with or contradict these foundational notions and scholarly works, whilst fostering the scrutiny of the political basis of all educational undertakings. The study-unit will also explore possible bridges between educational dialogue and interactive art processes in which co-production replaces production.

Study-Unit Aims:

The study-unit aims to:
1. Expose students to concepts, principles, practices, policies that emerged from the works of scholars in the field of Critical Pedagogy;
2. Sensitize students to the political nature of education and pedagogy and related implications, particularly in social practice that has an artistic dimension;
3. Foster dialogue and interactive art processes in social practice.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
1. Describe basic concepts and principles relevant to the study of Critical Pedagogy;
2. Recall policies relevant to the study of Critical Pedagogy;
3. Discuss critically the political nature of education and pedagogy;
4. Review salient aspects, implications, strengths and limitations of educational dialogue and interactive art processes in social practice.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
1. Analyze concepts, principles and policies characterizing a given scenario or excerpt from a Critical Pedagogy standpoint;
2. Explain political forces and dynamics underpinning case examples or case studies related to the deployment of arts in education an/or social practice;
3. Relate educational 'dialogue' and interactive art processes to co-production.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Biesta, G.J.J. (2006). Beyond Learning: Democratic Education for a Human Future. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.
- Borg, C., Cauchi, B. & Mayo, P. (2006). Museum Education as Cultural Contestation. In Borg, C. & Mayo. P. Learning and Social Difference (pp. 75-90). London: Paradigm Publishers.
- Brookfield, S. (1993). Breaking the code: Engaging practitioners in critical analysis of adult educational literature. In Studies In The Education Of Adults, 25(1), 64 - 91. (Will be uploaded on VLE).
- Brookfield, S. D. (1991). Developing Critical Thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
- Craig, G., Mayo, M., Popple, K., Shaw, M. & Taylor, M. (Eds.). (2011). The Community Development Reader: History, themes and issues, Bristol: The Policy Press.
- Freire, P. (1993). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Penguin.
- Freire, P. & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. Westport: Bergin & Garvey.

Supplementary Readings:

- Bell, B, Gaventa, J. & Peters, J. (1990). We Make the Road by Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change – Myles Horton and Paulo Freire. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
- Borg, C. (Ed.) (2013). L-Edukazzjoni hi Politika: ġabra ta’ kitbiet ta’ Paulo Freire (Education is Politics: a collection of writings of Paulo Freire). Malta: Horizons.
- Borg, C. & Mayo, P. (2007). Public Intellectuals, Radical Democracy and Social Movements: a Book of Interviews. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
- Freire, P. (2000). Cultural Action for Freedom. Boston: Harvard Educational Review.
- Freire, P. (1998a). Teachers as Cultural Workers - Letters to Those Who Dare Teach. Boulder: Westview Press.
- Freire, P. (1998b). Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy and Civic Courage. Maryland: Rowman & Littlfield Publishers, Inc.
- Freire, P. & Faundez, A. (1989). Learning to Question: A Pedagogy of Liberation. Geneva: WCC Publications.
- McLaren, P. & Allen, R.L. (1998). Review of Paulston R., ed., ‘Social Cartography: Mapping Ways of Seeing Social and Educational Change. In Comparative Education Review 42(2), 225-228. (Will be uploaded on VLE).

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Peter Mayo
Raphael Vella (Co-ord.)

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit