The Syllabus as Curriculum

A Reconceptualist Approach

Samuel D. Rocha

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780429648182
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Can the syllabus constitute the curriculum? In this volume, Rocha explores curriculum theory through the lens of the syllabus. By critiquing curriculum studies and the entire field of education, overrun by the social sciences, Rocha provides an integrated vision of philosophy of education and curriculum theory, rooted in the humanities.

Through an original reconceptualization, this text draws from a broad range of sources – ranging from Classical Antiquity to the present – offering a rich context for understanding curriculum as a philosophically salient concept, contained within the syllabus. The Syllabus as Curriculum features actual syllabi created and taught by the author in undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of British Columbia, Canada. These curated syllabi work as exemplars and media, supported by pedagogical commentary and context. Inspired by Augustine's Confessions, each part of the book culminates in a metaphorical "garden, " which serves as a meditation on the syllabus in three senses: correspondence, essay, and outline.

An original, powerful, and corrective contribution to the literature on curriculum studies, this work invites teachers and scholars from across the foundations of education, especially philosophy of education, art education, and those invested in curriculum theory, to see their contribution in more direct and integral ways.

Part One
Love

Syllabus One
Education, Knowledge, and Curriculum (A–E)

These five syllabi were written for a one-credit, 400-level course in the teacher education program at the University of British Columbia. The five versions are presented sequentially through their iterations from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. I have removed many programmatic details, like schedules and additional information, and deleted a graphic of ancient symbols for the concept of zero. I have allowed for some repetition but hopefully not too much.

1A. Education, Knowledge, and Curriculum

Introduction

This course operates on the assumption that education, knowledge, and curriculum are three worthwhile topics for you to study. The approach we will take, then, will be to consider the three questions implied by the course title (along with the questions that follow): What is education? What is knowledge? What is curriculum?

These questions are not new. Previous coursework has already considered them at length, especially the first one. The questions will not be considered equally, either. We will look most closely at questions two and three. If I were to use technical academic terms to describe this class, I would call it a course in “epistemology” (the study of knowledge) and “curriculum theory” (the study of what is worthwhile to know). Both of these fields of study (epistemology and curriculum theory) are rooted in the humanities, especially in the intellectual tradition and discipline of philosophy. The content, skills, and dispositions that this class will offer you, then, will primarily be philosophical.

Final answers in philosophy are scarce, but your studies should enable you to think in a more clear and rigorous way that contributes to your overall ability to become a more thoughtful and conscientious person. In other words, the main takeaway from this class will be the ability to become more thoughtful, to think and even to think about thinking. Regardless of what or where you plan to teach—and even if you decide to not become a professional school-teacher—becoming a more thoughtful person will always be a tremendous asset to you.

All studies worthy of the name participate in the work of education, knowledge, and curriculum, but they rarely acknowledge this fact or study it outright. In this class, by contrast, our principal focus will be on things we are already immersed in. Look closely. This syllabus you are reading is already a form of education, knowledge, and curriculum. How could it be otherwise? This class will try and understand what this is all about, why it is so and, perhaps, how it might be otherwise.

Considering the course in this philosophical way, then, the principal questions listed earlier will lead us to even more questions. Here are four of them, and there are surely many others:

1. In what ways are these three things (education, knowledge, and curriculum) interrelated and alike and in what other ways are they different and distinct?
2. How is it possible to study these things while we are already doing them, and are there better and worse ways to do this?
3. Are there really multiple forms of education, knowledge, and curriculum and, if so, in what sense are they different and what/who determines those differences?
4. How do we know what we think that we know and consider to be worth knowing, i.e., what do truth, belief, and justification have to do with knowledge and curriculum?

What We Will and Will Not Do

We will meet six times, once per week, for two hours per session. There will be some weeks when we will have readings or other assignments (e.g., short writing assignments and/or YouTube videos to watch) to complete before class. All of this is listed in the course schedule and I will notify you of any changes via email or in class. The only text you need to purchase is a copy of my short book, A Primer for Philosophy and Education. Inside this book, you will find the writing assignments, exercises, and activities we will be using.

We will collectively observe two rules during each class session, one positive the other negative. These two rules should embody different approaches to thinking about knowledge and other things; they should also serve as intentional educational practices to reflect on and consider as curricular content.

• The negative rule: The use of most forms of modern technology will be disallowed during class. This includes everything that is obvious: cell phones, tablets, computers, and other devices. Books, writing instruments, and paper can be used. As a result, the class will be a mostly oral community where presence, speech, memory, attention, and repetition will be crucial. This will surely raise questions about what constitutes “modern technology” and what technology more generally has to do with education, knowledge, and curriculum. All of these questions are welcome.
• The positive rule: We will take time to be silent together. In our first meeting, we will be silent for one minute; in each session thereafter, we will add one more minute.

A few words on class participation: The most obvious way to participate during/in class is to be present, which involves more than just showing up on time and staying there until it is over (although you should do that too). “Being there” in a passive way is one thing; “being there” in an active way is another. So, while attendance is required, simply attending class will not be good enough. This does not mean that you need to be an extrovert. There is a place for quiet, shy, and silent active participation. Listening well is a deeply active and dynamic practice. Little things count and add up, like being attentive and undistracted, being prepared and asking questions in good faith that clarify or challenge, pointing out something that was missed or seems interesting, looking at who is speaking or closing your eyes to focus on an idea.

A few words on what a class session will look like: On most days, I will not have a fully pre-determined plan of activities for the entire duration of the class. I will be prepared to discuss the readings and/or themes of interest and will also hold myself responsible to provide extra content, ideas, and/or questions. Perhaps there will be days when you come disposed to listen and your colleagues happen to share that disposition. On those days, you can expect the class to proceed more like a lecture. I may pose questions and you may simply respond by saying that you don’t feel prepared to offer a response. This is fine; I often feel that way myself. On other days, you might come ready to press a point, ask a question, share an insight, or rehearse an observation, claim, or argument. On those days, especially if your colleagues are in a similar mood, we will have something that resembles a discussion. On most days, I suspect the result will be mixed. There may be times when I think additional questions need to be raised or I will attempt to add some context that seems important, and I even might moderate a topic by raising an additional distinction, objection, or thought experiment.

Please, do not take anything I say during class as simply “given” or as “common sense.” Everything here is questionable and can be disputed and dissected. What matters most is the way the questions and disputes emerge: the care, thought, and communication. This style of classroom interaction will require an intense civility, but it will also require openness, wit, imagination, and even a sense of fun and play. Feel very free to eat or drink during class and excuse yourself as needed.

Your only assignment will be a final paper, which is nothing more or less than the collection of the written works you did throughout the course, along with a brief introductory reflection on it. You will do the work incrementally and share a draft at the penultimate class to ensure that you are prepared. The final version is due at our final class session. I will not accept late work.

Assessment

The course is graded on a pass/fail basis. Passing the course entails both good academic performance as well as proper participation in the class as a whole. Your one graded assignment is the final paper, mentioned earlier. Assessment criteria for the written assignment is as follows:

• Pass: (1) contains all the assignments; (2) is readable and well-constructed (i.e., organized, concise, proofread for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors); (3) makes clear claims (e.g., supports claims, makes clear transitions that follow); (4) responds to content in the course in your own voice and with some originality.
• Fail: (1) is missing assignments; (2) contains recurring errors of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; (3) lacks transitions between thoughts or fails to make cogent and clear claims; (4) fails to respond to course content or does so in a way that is neither personal nor original.

1B. Education, Knowledge, and Curriculum

Introduction

If I were to use more technical terms to describe this class, I would call it a mini course in epistemology and curriculum theory. “Epistemology” refers to the study of knowledge, a branch of philosophy; “curriculum theory” refers to the study of the question “What knowledge is of most worth?” Both of these fields of study are rooted in the humanities, especially in the intellectual tradition and discipline of philosophy. The content, skills, and dispositions that this short class will offer you, then, will primarily be philosophical. Another reason for this philosophical focus is because your instructor, me, is a philosopher of education. I cannot be otherwise.

In practice, philosophy is chiefly comprised of thinking. Does this sound overly theoretical to you? Perhaps it seems impractical and detached from the “real world” of schools and teaching. This may be true, but it is also hard to make those judgments about philosophy without thinking. I am inclined to think that there are almost no thoughtless worthwhile actions or practices. Teaching, I hope, is no different. You can be taught how to teach in various ways, relative to your specific subject or grade, but one aspect of teaching that cannot be taught with precision is how to think. Not what to think; how to think. This is because the best way to teach how to think is to think about what teaching and thinking—and many other things—might be. Policies and curricula change like the seasons, but the ability to think is flexible and durable.

You may consider yourself an excellent thinker already. If this is true, if you are a fantastic thinker already, then you surely realize that a crucial aspect of good thinking is the ability to think further and deeper about something. Whether you are a novice or a pro, or somewhere in-between, your studies during these six weeks should give you some space and time to think as deeply as possible. In other words, the main take-away from this class will be the ability to become more thoughtful, to think well and even to think well about thinking. Regardless of what or where you plan to teach—and even if you decide to not become a schoolteacher—becoming a more thoughtful person will be an asset to you. If you do become a teacher, then, becoming a thoughtful one is essential. After all, who wants to be taught by a thoughtless teacher?

Four Things to Do

• Thing 1: We will meet six times, once per week, for one hour and fifty minutes per session. I’ll be sure to let you out ten minutes early of the scheduled two hours, but we may not always have time for a break.
• Thing 2: We will read two books. The first is my little book, A Primer for Philosophy and Education. Inside this book you will find the first writing assignment (see Thing 3, below) at end of each section of the book. The second book is The Saber-Tooth Curriculum by the pseudonymous author, Abner Peddiwell. Both books are available at the UBC bookstore, Amazon.com, and a few other places. About my book: I know it may seem tacky and narcissistic to assign my own book—and I doubt I can convince you otherwise if you think that—but you will see that this book was built for use in my classes. I am happy to disclose my royalties contract with you, so you can see that I am not really benefitting financially from this book assignment.
• Thing 3: You will write a short paper, in two parts. This will be done during weeks two and three. Each part needs to be brought to class as a hard copy, to be shared with a peer and then turned in to me at the end of class. Your work will be different lengths; I don’t care how long or short it is, so long as it is thoughtful and corresponds to the reading. I will not accept late work. I’m teaching three sections of this course all at once and need to keep assignment records organized; plus, if you fall behind, our timeline is short, and I don’t want to enable anyone to not complete their work in time.
• Thing 4: You will create a final self-assessment project. This will be turned in on the final day of class, so it needs to be shareable, so that I can review and assess it. You can hand it in in-class or send it to me via email if it is digitized. This is a project where you think about your time in class and assess how you think you did. (You will also get to assess how you think I did, in a different assignment: your course evaluation.) This can take the form of a fiction or non-fiction essay, journal, or some other form of prose, a video, a sound-file, or poetry—or something else. Whatever form it takes should be of high quality. This means that if you have zero experience creating videos, then this may not be the place to start; if you have never composed poetry, this may not be a good place to begin; if you don’t play an instrument, you may not want to feature yourself playing a sonata; if you compose an essay, it should be well-written and copy-edited. Also, whatever you create should point, in some way, to what it is getting at. For non-verbal projects, you should add an “artistic statement” that gives the audience (i.e., me) a clue about how to make sense of it. The content is entirely up to you. You may focus on one aspect of the class or you may try to cover everything, or you may pick and choose something in-between. Making that decision is itself part of the assignment. The only rule is the usual: It should be thoughtful. Again, no late work.

More About the Class

A few words on class participation: The most obvious way to participate in class is to be present, which involves more than just showing up on time and staying there until it is over (although you should do that too). “Being there” in a passive way is one thing; “being there” in an active way is another. One can be physically present but otherwise absent. So, while attendance is required, ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Foreword
• Preface: The Poesis of Teaching
• Forethought: Directions, Transition
• Introduction: Curriculo Perennis, Curriculum Vitae
• Part One: Love
• Part Two: Art
• Part Three: Order
• Conclusion: Towards a Wounded Curriculum
• Afterthought: The Jetsons and Sesame Street
• Epilogue: Humanities, What Is It Good For?
• Index