COURSE SYLLABUS
Social Justice, 7.5 credits
Social Justice, 7,5 högskolepoäng
Course Syllabus for students Autumn 2022
Course Code:LSJR22
Confirmed by:Director of Education Jun 2, 2022
Valid From:Autumn 2022
Version:1
Education Cycle:Second-cycle level
Disciplinary domain:Social sciences
Subject group:PE1
Specialised in:A1N
Main field of study:Education

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

- account for historical and contemporary research examples of the conditions and changes within the Swedish educational system
- demonstrate a deepened understanding of how learning, digitalization and sustainability relates to social justice and sustainable education
- describe consequences of Swedish educational policy and practice in comparison with examples from other countries

Skills and abilities

- demonstrate and explain some of the research field’s central concepts and lines of argumentation
- summarize and account for central results from the research field
- produce and present scholarly texts and oral presentations

Judgement and approach

- relate contemporary examples of educational practices to political reforms in the present and past
- critically examine the theoretical models presented in the literature and evaluate their implications for its results

Contents

This course departs from the common idea of the Swedish educational system as a role model for social justice and equal opportunities in teaching and learning. The course’s main objective is to problematize this idea, by giving and comparing with examples of global educational systems and changes in educational policy and practice from different theoretical perspectives. Throughout the course learning, digitalization, and sustainability are in focus, with particular attention to historical and current challenges and tensions within the educational systems. These challenges and tensions are addressed through the three themes of the course:
• Social justice in policy and practice: educational reforms and their implications
• Social justice in teaching and learning: examples from teachers’ work and students’ conditions
• Social justice from different perspectives: theoretical approaches and their consequences for knowledge production

Type of instruction

The course is based on digital platforms and includes both online and campus lectures and seminars. Group and individual work are part of the course.
The teaching consists of lectures, seminars and exercises performed individually and in groups.
A learning management system is used.
Students who have been admitted to and registered for a course have the right to receive instruction/supervision for the duration of the time period specified for the particular course instance to which they were accepted. After that, the right to receive instruction/supervision expires.
The course is based on digital platforms and includes both online and campus lectures and seminars. Group and individual work are part of the course.

The teaching is conducted in English.

Prerequisites

A bachelor's degree (i.e., the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) with at least 90 credits in education or social science including independent work, i.e., a thesis or the equivalent. English proficiency is required.

Examination and grades

The course is graded A, B, C, D, E, FX or F.

Group presentation, 1.5 credits
Individually written paper, 6 credits

Registration of examination:
Name of the TestValueGrading
Group presentation1.5 creditsU/G
Individually written paper6 creditsA/B/C/D/E/FX/F

Course evaluation

The instruction is followed up throughout the course. A course evaluation is conducted at the end of the course. A summary and comments are published in the learning management system. The evaluation constitutes a basis for future improvements to the course.

Course literature

Bourdieu, P. (1989). Social space and symbolic power. Sociological theory, 7(1), 14-25.

Dovemark, M., Kosunen, S., Kauko, J., Magnúsdóttir, B., Hansen, P., & Rasmussen, P. (2018). Deregulation, privatisation and marketisation of Nordic comprehensive education: social changes reflected in schooling. Education Inquiry, 9(1), 122-141.

Fjellman, A-M., Yang Hansen, K. & Beach, D. (2018). School choice and implications for equity: the new political geography of the Swedish upper secondary school market, Educational Review, DOI: 10.1080/00131911.2018.1457009

Leighton, R. & Nielsen L. (2020). The Citizen in Teaching and Education, Student Identity and Citizenship, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, s XI, 364

Nussbaum, M. C. (2003). ”Capabilities as fundamental entitlements: Sen and Social Justice”. Feminist Economics 9 (2–3), 33-59.

Nylund, M., Rosvall, P. Å., & Ledman, K. (2017). The vocational–academic divide in neoliberal upper secondary curricula: The Swedish case. Journal of Education Policy, 32(6), 788-808.

Rose, N., O'Malley, P., & Valverde, M. (2006). Governmentality. Annu. Rev. Law Soc. Sci., 2, 83-104.

Rönnlund, M., Ledman, K., Nylund, M., & Rosvall, P. Å. (2019). Life skills for ‘real life’: How critical thinking is contextualised across vocational programmes. Educational Research, 61(3), 302-318.

Sainz, V., & Jacott, Liliana. (2020). What Do Secondary Education Students Understand About Social Justice? Students Representations of Social Justice in Different Regions of Spain, Interchange, 51:157–178 www.doi.org/10.1007/s10780-020-09389-y

Young, I. M. (2004) www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/young.pdf

Yuval-Davis, N. (2011) Power, Intersectionality and the Politics of Belonging. Institut for Kultur og Globale Studier, Aalborg Universitet. FREIA's tekstserie No. 75 www.doi.org/10.5278/freia.58024502

Please note that changes may be made to the reading list up until eight weeks before the start of the course.

Citing Sources – How to Create Literature References
http://ju.se/library/search--write/citing-sources---how-to-create-literature-references.html
The Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide – Jönköping University
Information about plagiarism at higher education institutions
Available in the learning management system