Society, Education and Culture / spring 2026 407521P-3006

Learning outcomes:

• Identify the paradigms and their representatives as well as theories and concepts of sociology of education
• Apply acquired knowledge of sociological theories and concepts in class discussions
• Discuss the meaning of different societal and cultural contexts for teaching and learning
• Analyze the role of educational professionals in society

 Contents:

• The paradigms and their representatives in sociology
• Main concepts applied in sociology of education
• Current debates on societal- and culture-specific issues in education such as socio-economic inequalities, globalization and migration
• Teacher’s profession in national, and international contexts

 Learning activities and teaching methods:

A combination of face-to-face lectures, individual and group tasks, and seminars will be used.

Course materials for each topic will be provided by teachers.

 

Tentative schedule:

Date and time	Room	Topic
08.01.2026 10.15 - 12.00	TA101	Introduction to the course & to each other
15.01.2026 10.15 - 12.00	TA101	Stereotypes in Learning Environments
22.01.2026 10.15 - 12.00	TA101	Teachers in society
29.01.2026 10.15 - 12.00	TA101	Culturally Responsive education
05.02.2026 10.15 - 12.00	TA101	Arts-based methods in education
09.02.2026		Pair essay submission due date
11.02.2026 14.15 - 16.00	AT115B	Deliberative democratic education & politically polarized societies
13.02.2026 14.15 - 16.00	AT115B	Human enhancement and education
11.03.2026 12.15 - 14.00	AT115B	The digital lives of young people
13.03.2026 12.15 - 14.00	AT115B	Truthfulness and honesty in education (To be confirmed)
16.03.2026 14.15 - 16.00	TA101	Question of good citizenship in education (To be confirmed)
16.03.2026		Group essay submission due date
18.03.2026 14.15 - 16.00	AT115B	Creative and arts-based methods for exploring gender and power in young peer cultures
25.03.2026 14.15 - 16.00	AT115B	Arts-based methods in education (To be confirmed)
27.03.2026 14.15 - 16.00	AT115B	Creating spaces for love-based praxis at school (To be confirmed)
02.04.2026 12.15 - 14.00	AT115B	Presentations – Day 1
08.04.2026 10.15 - 12.00	M101	Presentations – Day 2

Course requirements

To complete this course, it is required that you participate in and contribute to lectures and seminars, write a pair essay, write a group essay, and present group essays.

 The final grade will be based on the assessment of these activities as discussed below.

Assignment I – pair essays 40%

In pairs, write essays on one or a combination of the following key topics in your course. The essay will be an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the main concepts in society, education, and culture. You can pair with anyone you prefer.

 ·       Culture and education

·       Social justice and education

·       Teachers in society

·       Democratic education & politically polarization of societies

·       Stereotypes in learning environments

 Content of the pair essays

You can decide the specific topics and content of your pair essays based on one or more of the above areas.

In the essays, you should include explanations of the key concepts of your topics and how issues related to the topics affect the learning environment, process,  learners, teachers, or other stakeholders in the educational environment.

Supporting your points with sources from published works (reference) to enhance the quality of your pair essay is considered.

Include mini primary data as part of your essay. The data is to be collected using simple surveys of a few questions, interviews of 3 to 5 questions, or observations. This activity does not require you to go outside the campus or contact many respondents. (detailed examples later)

 

Writing style: follow a formal scientific writing style. Some features of this style include using clear and concise language, evidence-based and accurate points (using citations and references), and organization of the different parts of the essay. 

 Length: about 600 words.

Due date for the pair essay: 09.02.2026

 

Assignment II – Group essay (40%)

For the group essay and group presentation assignments, you will work within the groups you create at the end of this introduction session.

 

 Topic

For your group essay, choose any topic that is connected to the concepts of society, culture, and education. Possible sources of ideas for a topic include topics covered in the course, group members’ experiences, current affairs, and social media.

Alternatively, you may use one of the following topics. You can use them as they are or modify them as you want.

1.      The role of social media in challenging or reinforcing stereotypical representation of youth

2.      Implications of teachers' social status and job satisfaction on the quality of education they deliver

3.      Arts-based method to promote social justice and anti-racism

4.      Potentials and challenges of social media in promoting inclusive education in diverse classes.

5.      Portrayal of students from minority communities on social media as successful or struggling

6.      The tension between social expectations and individual choices in a school environment

7.      The influence of societal values on gender roles and students' choice of academic disciplines.

8.      Innovative approaches to engaging society in education for promoting the social inclusion of vulnerable groups

9.      Using students’ social movements to challenge social structures of injustice

10. Social inclusion of vulnerable groups in learning environments: prospects and challenges

11. Integration of learning contents from diverse cultures in higher education programs.

 

 What is expected?

 In your essays, it is expected that you relate the points you raise to some of the key concepts in the course, to real-world challenges, and to research from academic literature. Indicating possible ways to address the challenges is also desirable.

In addition to points taken from academic literature, your essays need to include facts/data about the contexts covered in your essay. For example, if your group essay addresses education in country A, you should include related facts/data about country A.

It is also possible to incorporate a mini primary data component, as discussed in the pair essay examples.

 Scientific writing

Use scientific writing for your essay. This writing style includes proper use of reference materials (in-text citations and reference list), common sections of research papers (such as introduction, body, and discussion), clear and coherent structures, clear arguments supported by sources, and clear transitions from section to section.

  Reference style

 Different journals and organizations use different citation styles. For this assignment, use the APA (American Psychological Association) format citation. You may refer to the APA Format Citation Guide from the following link.

https://www.mendeley.com/guides/apa-citation-guide/

 Length

It’s recommended to limit your essay to about 1000 words. The essay should not exceed 1200 words, excluding the title page and the reference list.

The title page should include, among other details, the title of the essay, the names of the group members, and your group number.

 

Submission: on behalf of their group, one person from each group submits the essay in a Microsoft Word format via email.

 Due date of group essay: 16.03.2026

Assignment III – Group presentation (20%)

In groups, you will present your group essays. Each group presents the main messages of their final essays.

 Presentation format

You may use any creative and interactive methods or activities that you think are effective in communicating the main messages of your group essays. Some presentation options include visuals,  games, and presentation of your key points using PowerPoint or other presentation software.

Remember that your objective is to communicate the key messages of your essays in an organized, interesting, and interactive way. You shouldn’t worry about covering every point in the essay, focus on the main messages and key/interesting points.

  Suggestion – balance presenting key points and engaging participants (your audience).

 Time for each group: 20 minutes (subject to change)

 Group Presentations will be evaluated by other groups – the average of all the evaluations will be used. A rubric (detailed evaluation criteria ) will be provided to guide your evaluations.

 Tentative presentation dates:   02.04.2026  and 08.04.2026 .

Tip: start preparing for your presentation when working on your essay.

AI – follow the University of Oulu guidelines on responsible use of artificial intelligence.

Note: these details about the course content, order of activities, and approaches are tentative.

Create groups of five members each.

Groups and group members

 Group 1                   

Group 2             

 Group 3 

Group 4