Duration
45h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
During this seminar, each session of which is devoted to the discussion of texts read beforehand, the school is questioned based on two central notions of the social sciences: the institution and the (social) construction of reality. In the manner of ethnographers of the school, the evidence of the school is questioned, seeking to "make the familiar strange" (Spindler, 1982). The challenge is to show how the school, which initially appears as an obvious fact - through its material existence, its walls, its notebooks, its spaces - is in fact revealed as an arrangement of devices located between an "inside" (subjectively conceived) and an "outside" (objectively perceived), and finally as a reality constantly replayed in interactions.
During the seminar, the school is considered from three complementary angles. First, as a place, made up of walls, objects, and materialities that give it immediate evidence. Second, as a set of devices, located at the intersection of "inside" and "outside," where the links between institutional prescriptions and routine pedagogical practices are woven. The school is also a reality constantly replayed in daily interactions, where actors produce the school order while being themselves framed by it. This circular dynamic allows us to think together about the institution of practices and the way in which these practices, in turn, establish the school.
The seminar concludes with a theoretical review: what do these surveys teach us about the educational institution? While they illustrate a stabilizing force, they also reveal its fragility and its ever-evolving character. The school "world" (Payet, 1997) thus appears as a collective social construction, constantly replayed and negotiated.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this teaching unit, the student will have demonstrated the ability to:
- deconstruct common-sense propositions presented in the form of evidence, preconceptions, beliefs, etc.;
- translate from a social problem to a sociological and/or anthropological issue;
- use scientific literature with an anthropological and sociological orientation on the topic of school and education to analyze a school-related issue;
- conduct documentary and bibliographic research on the chosen topic;
- read, synthesize, and extract from an article or theoretical work the elements useful for the theoretical analysis of a topic related to school and/or education, using a sociological and/or anthropological approach;
- write a written report;
- argue the chosen theoretical orientations.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Principles and foundations of the scientific method and social science methodology.
Major sociological and anthropological paradigms.
Proficiency in scientific English (Anglo-Saxon literature in the social sciences).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Discussion based on texts selected by instructors (available on eCampus).
Each week, students must read two texts that will be the subject of this discussion.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Attendance is mandatory given the nature of the learning process.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Reference bibliography given at the beginning of the course. This bibliography is completed by the students.
Written work / report
Further information:
Written work / report
Further information:
Production of an essay of approximately 4,000 words on a school topic assigned by the instructors, adopting a sociological and/or anthropological perspective. The chosen topic must draw on the concepts and readings covered and discussed during the semester.
The work must include references integrated into the text as well as a bibliography including at least ten scientific sources (books, book chapters, academic articles, etc.). Non-scientific documents may be used as additional resources, but they will not be counted toward these ten mandatory references.
The essay must be written in 12-point font and the pages must be numbered.
A critical and analytical essay requires a careful reading of the literature. It involves questioning authors, challenging theories, and testing one's own assertions. The analysis must show how the readings influenced one's thinking: did they challenge certain points of view or help strengthen them? While the essay may be rooted in personal inquiry, it must nevertheless constitute a theoretical contribution to the chosen field of research.
The quality of this report will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Formal presentation (spelling, syntax, readability, attention to detail, number of pages);
- Coherence of the argument and justification of theoretical orientations; Convincingness;
- Connections established with the topics covered and discussed in class;
- Digitization introduced into the problematization;
- Relevance of the bibliographic choices made.
Work placement(s)
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Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
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Contacts
Jean-François Guillaume, Professeur
Tél. : 04/366 35 03 Bureau 1.90 (Bât. B31, Sart Tilman)
E-Mail : jean-francois.guillaume@uliege.be
Edgar Tasia, Assistant
Tél : 04/366 35 03 Bureau 1.90 (Bât. B31, Sart Tilman)
E-Mail : edgar.tasia@uliege.be