Democratic and Inclusive Teaching and Learning
Pedagogy and democracy have a long and storied history of interaction. From Socrates' dialogues about citizenship to the role of citizen intellectuals as dissidents in the Eastern Bloc, philosophers, educators, and policymakers have, for centuries, treated teaching as a means through which to impart values related to civic engagement, democratic practices, and broad notions of citizenship. But what would it mean to not just teach democracy, but create democratic classrooms? What would it mean to include all students, rather than only some?
This semester-long, seminar-style course introduces participants to the theories and practices of inclusive teaching and of democratic classrooms. Often discussed separately, these two topics often feature similar concerns, classic texts, and teaching methods. This course puts democratic and inclusive teaching in dialogue with each, in addition to exploring the debates and methods within these sub-fields.
The course enables participants to explore and apply concepts of inclusion, freedom, equality, self-realization, co-participation, and more, in relation to pedagogical theories, their own teaching philosophies, and their own teaching practices. It considers democracy and its constitutive practices as (potentially) active forces shaping learning environments. Because it is centered on classrooms, rather than on broader higher education institutions, it acknowledges but does not focus on policies beyond the competence of lecturers, such as universities' relationship to the state, funding, or student access. Rather, it provides participants knowledge and tools to create democratic classrooms, including in relation to themes of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
This online course is open to CEU, OSUN, and CIVICA doctoral students, faculty, and qualified members of staff, as well as CEU alums if space permits.