Engaging curricula through critical citizenship education : a student learning perspective

Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In the previous chapters we have shown that numerous curriculum challenges remain in higher education – not only in South Africa, but worldwide. One such challenge is to provide a critical citizenship perspective to curricula that may contribute to educate for more democratic and sustainable environments. We have also drawn on Giroux’s views on critical pedagogy and engaged curricula as a potentially useful lens to relate critical citizenship to critical pedagogy. Lastly, we have pointed out that in South Africa, although important higher education policy initiatives had materialised after 1994, much work remains to promote critical citizenship in higher education curricula. At least four elements of learning seem to inform critical citizenship education in curricula, namely psychosocial, transformational, socio-political and multicultural learning. One may also refer here to theories of learning, but what we do realise, however, is that the forces interacting and wrestling for power in constructing curricula that engage students on the one hand, but also keep such curricula vibrant on the other hand, are numerous, complex and ever-shifting. This we want to allude to in the sections that follow.
Description
CITATION: Costandius, E. & Bitzer, E. 2015. Engaging Curricula Through Critical Citizenship Education: A Student Learning Perspective, in E. Costandius & E. Bitzer. Engaging Higher Education Curricula: A critical citizenship education perspective. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 55-72. doi:10.18820/9781920689698/04.
The original publication is available from AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, Stellenbosch: South Africa.
Keywords
Education, Higher -- South Africa, Multicultural education -- South Africa, Education, Higher -- Social aspects -- South Africa
Citation
Costandius, E. & Bitzer, E. 2015. Engaging Curricula Through Critical Citizenship Education: A Student Learning Perspective, in E. Costandius & E. Bitzer. Engaging Higher Education Curricula: A critical citizenship education perspective. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 55-72. doi:10.18820/9781920689698/04.