Prerequisite course for this course is: ET605E Education: Pedagogical Relations
The aim of the course is for the student to be able to develop knowledge of the relationship between the philosophy of science, theory and research methodology. In addition, the student will deepen their knowledge of different research methods, academic writing genres and research ethics.
The course contains both theoretical and practical exercises in different research methods relevant for the field of educational theory. Phenomenological, hermeneutic, post-colonial, and feminist theories will be discussed and how these areas connect to different positions in the philosophy of science and different methodological traditions. In addition, ethical matters relevant to the various dimensions of the research process will be addressed, as well as academic reading and writing as a central aspect of methodology in educational theory.
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to
- apply different theoretical perspectives to the exploration of empirical methods, and discuss how these derive from different premises in the philosophy of science;
- problematise ethical issues and power relationships in the research process, and relate this to a critical discussion concerning research methodology;
- critically explore and apply different academic writing styles and genres.
The course is based on regular lectures, seminars and practical exercises. There will be opportunities for feedback between the students throughout the course.
Written exam with oral presentation. This test examines all learning outcomes.
The course coordinator will provide information about grading criteria at the start of the course.
It must be possible to distinguish between individual performances for all assessments.
Barad, Karen (2003). Posthumanist Performativity: Toward an Understanding of How MatterComes to Matter. Signs 28 (3): 801–31 (30 p)
Eco, Umberto (2015). How to write a thesis. Cambridge, Massachusettes: MIT Press (200 p)
Friesen, Norm, Henriksson, Carina & Säevi, Tone (2012). Hermeneutic Phenomenology inEducation: Method and Practice. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers (pp. 1-54, 107-140) (88 p)
Kohn, Margaret and Reddy, Kavita (2017). Colonialism. In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), TheStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2017 Edition) (available online) (20 p)
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty (1988). Can the Subaltern Speak? In Nelson, Cary andGrossberg, Lawrence (eds.), Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture. Basingstoke:Macmillian Education, pp. 271–313 (42 p)
Additional 200 pages will be distributed during the course.
Students who participate in or complete a course must be given the opportunity to share their experiences and provide feedback on the course via a course evaluation issued by the University. The University will compile the course evaluations and provide information regarding the results and any measures taken as a result of the course evaluation. Results will be made available to the students. (Higher Education Ordinance 1:14).