This study seeks to extend observations on critical citizenship education by examining what the edutainment Comics Uniting Nations, which presents the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), may tell us about the UN view of imagined agency and citizenship, and subsequently, its broader view of development. Given that the SDGs’ message within the comics targets a global audience, the research work in this thesis puts the comic Heroes for Change to the test by surveying how the minority community in Gaza, occupied Palestine feel and situate themselves in the SDGs’ universal message. This is done via interviews with representatives who work with the youth in Gaza at local NGOs. The main discursive and visual analytical tools are postcolonial critical literacy in international development initiatives, soft vs critical theories of citizenship, and superhero semiotic and panel rhetoric organization. The result of this work shows that while the comic uses a universal and convivial citizenship discourse, it misses being a bottom-up designed agenda and hence misses distinguishing between marginalized and ordinary citizens. Also, the superhero metaphor echoes a problematic aspect in opening space for critical thinking and challenging the status quo, which calls to spark further debate on the limitations/potentials of superhero discourse as a communicative tool for radical development/social change.

Utbildning i medborgarfostran utformas på många olika sätt runt om i världen beroende på länders politiska, sociala och kulturella kontext. Denna uppsats syftar till att jämföra hur Frankrikes och Sveriges ämnesplaner inom medborgarfostran skildras utifrån Europarådets (2016) beskrivning av demokratiska kompetenser. De två ämnena som undersöks är medborgerlig och moralisk utbildning i Frankrike och samhällskunskap i Sverige och studien jämför hur ländernas ämnesplaner framställer aspekterna: värderingar, attityder, färdigheter samt kunskaper och kritisk förståelse. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys och via tillämpningen av Europarådets (2016) ramverk analyseras och jämförs ämnesplanerna med varandra. Studiens resultat visar fler skillnader än likheter i ländernas ämnesplaner. Den främsta likheten gäller ändock den stora omfattningen av textinnehåll som går att relatera till aspekten kunskaper och kritisk förståelse. Därtill har båda länderna framställt innehåll angående kommunikativa förmågor, kritiskt synsätt, demokratiska begrepp och processer, mänskliga rättigheter, medias påverkansroll och gruppmekanismer. Den tydligaste skillnaden länderna emellan upptäcks dock vara att de franska ämnesplanerna i mycket större utsträckning betonar värderingar och attityder som ska förmedlas. Dessutom fokuserar man mer i medborgerlig och moralisk utbildning på nya deltagarformer, medborgarplikt, hot mot demokratin och miljöansvar. Å andra sidan observeras det att man i samhällskunskap i större omfattning beskriver innehåll som behandlar globalisering, samhällsfrågor och historiska förutsättningar för nutidens problem. Ländernas ämnesplaner och deras skildring av demokratiska kompetenser verkar således skilja sig åt mer än vad de överensstämmer.

This diploma thesis deals with a school assessment. It is divided into two parts, the theoretical and the practical one. In the theoretical part, first of all, the Montessori pedagogy and its principles like a freedom of children, beforehand prepaired surroundings or principals of the age heterogeneity are clarified. Further on the didactical material, used in those types of schools, is discussed. The last part of this chapter deals with the position of teachers and adults at school. Next there is a chapter about the assessment. It circumscribes the definition, functions and types of the assessment used in schools. Last, but not least, the forms of the assessment, which means classification by marking or a word evaluation. The second part is the practical one. It is aimed at finding the difference between the way of assessment in two types of primary schools, which means the Montessori primary school and an ordinary primary school and also at finding out, which types of assessment, concerned by the theoretical part, are used the most during lessons. For the research the method of observation and in-depth conversations with the teachers, at whose lessons the sitting in on a classes took place, were used. The outcome of this work was that both types of primary schools use different types of...

Särskolan skrevs in i skollagen 1985 och har sedan dess varit en skolform för elever med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar som inte anses kunna följa den ordinarie undervisningen. Sedan särskolans införande har verksamheten utvecklats till att närma sig den ordinarie skolverksamheten. Syftet med forskningsöversikten är att undersöka hur tidigare forskning beskriver hur samhällskunskapsämnet kommer till uttryck inom särskolan, samt vilka utmaningar lärare inom särskolan ställs inför i det kunskapsutvecklande arbetet. Nationella och internationella vetenskapliga publikationer som behandlar särskoleverksamheten och dess undervisning och utmaningarna med denna har valts ut och analyserats. I studiens resultat framkommer att samhällskunskapsämnet inte har någon egen särställning, utan genomsyrar hela undervisningen inom särskolan. Svårigheter som kan uppstå för lärare inom särskolan är att de saknar redskap för- och kunskap om att tillämpa styrdokumenten i praktiken. Vidare klargörs att lärare anser sig sakna viktig kunskap om och behövliga redskap för att tillämpa den likvärdiga bedömning och betygsättning som förväntas av dem. Resultatet visar också på en oenighet om vilket fokus och uppdrag särskoleverksamheten har och bör ha. Sammanfattningsvis har elevernas kunskapsutveckling fått högre prioritet och är ett kontinuerligt samtalsämne inom särskoleverksamheten. Dock redovisas och diskuteras också en oenighet om i vilken utsträckning kunskaps- eller omsorg och forstansperspektivet ska vara mest framträdande inom verksamheten. Samt frågan om samhällskunskapsämnet bör vara ett tydligt eget ämne eller om det bör genomsyra hela undervisningen inom särskolan.

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The thesis examines the governmental construction of national identity through its citizenship education policy in England, the country with heightened tensions in diversity and identity re-construction aligning with its mandatory citizenship classes since 2002. Theoretically framing the study on the Foucauldian post-structuralism, the thesis utilises Foucauldian-influenced ‘What is the problem represented to be?’ (WPR) method by Bacchi that presents the government as a problem-producer. Conducting qualitative research methods, the study analyses the current National Curriculum in England with the explanatory and foundational state documents of Crick and Ajegbo Reports. The thesis identifies that the government primarily aims to re-construct the inclusive and integrative national identity based on the acknowledgement of multiple identities and a plurality of nations in the citizenship education curriculum in England. The study, however, also reveals that the English citizenship education policy implicitly presents a few assimilationist elements in the national identity discourse through exclusion andunrepresentativeness of the ethnic and racial identities, hierarchical establishment between native English and minorities, and the division of ‘whites’ and ‘non-whites’. Comparatively examining the documents, the thesis, therefore, concludes that the government has a powerful position in socially and politically re- constructing the discourses, concepts, and meanings over time.

Klimatförändringarna är troligen den största utmaningen mänskligheten står inför. För den överskådliga framtiden, nuvarande och kommande generationer kommer att tvingas relatera till den genom hela sina liv. Det finns ett behov av att förbereda dem för de utmaningar klimatförändringarna innebär. Det här examensarbetet kommer att undersöka hur skolor kan förbereda elever för de utmaningar klimatförändringarna kommer innebära, både i form av anpassning till, och begränsning av klimatförändringarna. För att besvara frågeställningen presenteras de huvudsakliga konsekvenserna av klimatförändringarna, och analysen går sedan in i de mest relevanta aspekterna och frågar vad skolor kan göra för att förbereda elever för dessa aspekter. Analysen finner att skolor kan förbereda elever på en mängd olika sätt. Erfarenheterna från Lärande för hållbar utveckling, Undervisning för Globalt Medborgarskap och Fredsundervisning kan vara värdefulla i att stärka elever, underlätta internationellt samarbete, minska riskerna för konflikter, nära hållbara tankesätt och omorientera samhället mot hållbara lösningar. Att undervisa om de politiska aspekterna av klimatförändringarna, med ett särskilt fokus på frågorna om rättvisa i de globala klimatförhandlingarna, befinns vara viktiga i att stärka elever till att kunna influera de beslut som kommer forma deras framtid. Skolor kan även hjälpa till att förbereda elever för livsstilsförändringar och flera olika utmaningar kopplade till anpassningar till klimatförändringarna. Dessa resultat diskuteras sedan och frågan om vad som bör göras lyfts. / Climate change is arguably the greatest challenge facing humanity. For the foreseeable future, current and coming generations will be forced to relate to it throughout their lives. There is a need to prepare pupils for the challenges climate change poses. This thesis investigates how schools can prepare pupils for the challenges of climate change, both in terms of adaptation and mitigation. To answer this, the main consequences of climate change are presented and then the analysis delves into the most relevant aspects and asks what schools can do to prepare pupils for these aspects. The analysis finds that schools can prepare pupils in a wide variety of ways. Notably, the experiences of Education for Sustainable Development, Global Citizenship Education and Peace Education can be useful in empowering pupils, facilitating international cooperation, reducing risks of conflict, fostering sustainable thinking and reorienting society towards sustainable solutions. Teaching about the political aspects of climate change, with a specific focus on the issues of equity in the global climate negotiations, is found to be important in empowering pupils to be able to influence decisions that will shape their future. Schools can also help prepare pupils for lifestyle changes and various challenges of adaptation consequences. These results are then discussed where the question of what ought to be done is raised.

In this qualitative study, the experiences of high school students enrolled in the course Social Studies 2 regarding the European Union (EU) as a subject matter in social studies education were examined. The research questions guiding the study are: In what ways do students describe how the EU has been addressed as a content area in social studies education? And, how do students describe their expectations for teaching about the EU? To answer the research questions, six focus group interviews were conducted, involving a total of 28 students. The data was analysed using a hermeneutic approach. The results indicate that students had a somewhat basic understanding o the European Union, characterized by a focus on its institutions and the four freedoms within the union. Furthermore, the study’s findings reveal that students wish to learn more about the EU to participate in the European Parliament elections, specifically how they can influence the union and how it affects them. Suggested teaching methods include engaging with the EU through study visits, external lecturers, or simulation exercises. / I föreliggande kvalitativa studie undersöktes vilka erfarenheter gymnasieelever som läser kursen Samhällskunskap 2 har om EU som ämnesinnehåll i samhällskunskapsundervisningen. Frågorna som studien utgår från är: På vilka sätt beskriver elever att EU har behandlats som ett undervisningsinnehåll i samhällskunskapsämnet, och, hur beskriver eleverna sina förväntningar på undervisningen om EU kopplat till ett aktivt valdeltagande i valet till Europaparlamentet.? För att erhålla svar på forskningsfrågorna genomfördes sex stycken fokusgruppsintervjuer, totalt 28 elever medverkade i studien. Genom att utgå från en hermeneutisk teori analyserades datamaterialet. Resultatet visar att eleverna hade en översiktlig kunskap om den Europeiska unionen som präglas av ett fokus på dess institutioner och de fyra friheterna. Vidare framkommer det i studiens resultat att eleverna önskar lära sig mer om EU för att kunna delta i valet till Europaparlamentet, då främst hur de kan påverka unionen samt hur den påverkar dem. Förslag på undervisningsmetoder riktar in sig på att komma i kontakt med EU genom studiebesök, externa föreläsare eller simuleringsövningar.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Impressions and perceptions about Islām, particularly in a world where much of what is known about Islām has emerged from after the tragic devastation of the Twin Towers in New York, are creating huge challenges for Muslims wherever they may find themselves. Women as the more visible believers in Islām are, what I believe, at the forefront of the growing skepticism surrounding Islām. And central to the modern day debates and suspicious regard meted out to Muslim women today is her hijāb (head-scarf). Ironically, it would appear that the same amount of detail and attention that Islamic scholars have devoted to the role of women in Islām and how they are expected to conduct themselves is now at the centre of the modern day debates and suspicious regard. Yet, the debates seldom move beyond what is obviously visible, and so little is known about what has given shape to Muslim women’s being, and how their understanding of Islām has led them to practise their religion in a particular way. This dissertation is premised on the assertion that in order to understand the role of Muslim women in a cosmopolitan society, you need to understand Islām and Islamic education. It sets out to examine and explore as to whether there is commensurability or not between Muslim women and the notion of cosmopolitanism, and what then the implications would be for democratic citizenship education and Islamic education. One of the main findings of the dissertation is that the intent to understand Muslim women’s education and the rationales of their educational contexts and practices opens itself to a plurality of interpretations that reflects the pluralism of understanding constitutive of the practices of Islam both within and outside of cosmopolitanism. Another is that inasmusch as Muslim women have been influenced by living and interacting in a cosmopolitan society, cosmopolitanism has been shaped and shifted by Muslim women. By examining the concepts of knowledge and education in Islām, and exploring the gaps between interpretations of Islam and Qur’anic exegesis, I hope to demystify many of the (mis)perceptions associated with Muslim women, and ultimately with Islām. And finally, by examining how Islamic education can inform a renewed cosmopolitanism, and by looking at how democratic citizenship education can shape a renewed Islamic education, the eventual purpose of this dissertation is to find a way towards peaceful co-existence.

This thesis, Space, Curriculum Space and Morality, focuses on the two roles of the school, i.e. developing identities and transmitting knowledge. The latest curriculum reform commissions the teachers to transform the fundamental values of the curriculum to the separate subjects. The principal object of the school subjects is to contribute to the implementation of the curriculum goals, namely to educate and promote democratic citizens. Since the new course syllabi lack guidelines about subject content and method, the intention of this work it is to analyse in what way the teachers’ fill this curriculum space, which subject content the teachers choose in order to connect the curriculum goals to the course syllabi goals and, to the practical teaching of geography as a school subject. The understanding of the teachers’ choice of subject content is the overall aim of this thesis. The thesis can be placed within a curriculum theory tradition that regards education and its content as situated in a field of tension ultimately determined by social and political forces engaged in struggle. Within this tradition, an approach has been developed which examines the educational content of the school subjects as contingent. A curriculum historical analysis – supplemented by a text analysis of textbooks, a number of observations (81) of geography lessons in upper secondary school and the following qualitative interviews with geography teachers – shows that the teachers’ choice of content can be understood and explained by the strong selective traditions which have formed within the subject during 150 years. These selective traditions together form a school subject discourse which implies that the moral dimension is lost as the subject content is characterized by an essentialistic approach. The consequences of the findings can be discussed in relation to what content is excluded in the school geography education. Some examples are a gender perspective, issues regarding equality, ethnicity, solidarity, social justice and sustainable development. The issues that the school geography excludes contain ethical and moral considerations. If these issues were presented, they would relate to the fundamental values and the promotion of democracy, issues given strong prominence in the curriculum.