Learning objectives
The course aims to achieve the following goals, in line with the "Dublin descriptors":
1.1. To know themes, problems and theories of contemporary epistemology of education.
1.2. To know the different linguistic forms that the pedagogical discourse assumes, with the relative features.
2.1. To apply the epistemological knowledge in the analysis of scientific research, identifying the theoretical assumptions, the methodological implications, the consequences on the operational level.
2.2. To recognize different epistemological approaches within those cultural products that talk about education (newspaper articles, novels, films, scientific articles and books...).
3. To formulate reasoned judgments on the conditions of verification or falsification of pedagogical texts.
4. To adequately communicate, in oral and written form, one's own knowledge on pedagogical epistemology and their applications.
5. To deepen one's learning skills in the field of educational sciences, thanks to new knowledge and skills on the metatheorical level.
Prerequisites
The course requires the prior knowledge of terms, concepts, and theories of Theory and history of education. Problems, currents, and figures of philosophy of science are considered as a useful background for the understanding of the subject.
Course unit content
The course, aimed at students in the last year of the master degree in Design and Coordination of Educational Services, aims to help them in rethinking and reinterpreting their whole academic path from a metatheoretical and epistemological point of view.
Some of the main questions that contemporary pedagogical epistemology has faced will be presented: in particular, on the point of view and the specific object of pedagogy, on its multiplicity of forms, linguistic styles and methods, on the interactions between pedagogy and other social sciences, and on the praxis-theory-praxis relationship. The theoretical position of Sergio De Giacinto will be the main point of reference.
Furthermore, in form of seminar, pedagogical texts of various kinds will be analyzed, in order to understand their characteristics and differences on an epistemological level.
Full programme
Bibliography
See on the Italian version of this page.
Teaching methods
Lectures, reading and discussion of texts, epistemological analysis of scientific articles, group works.
Assessment methods and criteria
The final evaluation will take place through an oral examination, which also considers the term papers carried out by the students.
The questions concern the concepts of the epistemology of education, the connection between terms, concepts, theories, and trends, and the epistemological analysis of cultural products with educational topics.
The examination which shows, with proper language and terminology, the understanding of the basic concepts is considered sufficient. The appropriate reference to authors and trends, the connection or comparison between theories, and the application of theory to practice (and vice versa) are elements that concur to determine a grade above satisfactory.
Other information
Starting from May 2022, students who have taken this course in remote years with prof. Bardulla, are requested to take the exam with prof. Felini, adopting the program presented in this page plus (if their program is of 12 credits) chapters 1 to 3 of S. De Giacinto, Educazione come sistema (Brescia, La Scuola, 1977).
