General provisions

The course is included in the core courses in educational science for students enrolled in the teacher training program for preschools.

Learning outcomes

Gain an overview of the development and conditions of education as well as the ideas that have influenced education. Gain an understanding of the design of the education system, its historical background and its conceptual roots. Gain an understanding of the structural importance of social, sexual and ethnic differences to education in a meritocratic system. On completion of the course, students should be able to

* place the emergence of the preschool and education in its conceptual contexts and be able to connect these contexts to scientific studies of education

* describe the historical development of different types of education and the current structure of the educational system in Sweden as well as some central explanations of the origin and design of the education systems

* discuss the emergence of the Swedish education system in relation to the development of society from an international perspective

* account for how social, sexual and ethnic differences influence educational activity structurally

* analyse the relation of the teaching staff to other professional groups within educational activities as well as the changes in teacher training programs in relation to the disciplinary domain

* demonstrate a basic ability to analyse describing statistics

* communicate and discuss the course content in a coherent manner and an appropriate style

Content

• The history of ideas of the preschool, the education and the domain as a scientific subject
• The historical development of various forms of education and the current structure of the education system in Sweden
• The preschool as part of the education system seen from an international perspective.
• The structural importance of social, sexual and ethnic differences to educational activities.
• The importance of societal changes to an analysis of the design of education as well as its usage.
• The historical development of the teaching staff seen in relation to other professional groups within educational activities.
• Analyses of describing statistics.

Instruction

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Assessment in the form of written exams. Assessment in the form of oral examinations can occur.