Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Interdisciplinarity and self-reflection in civics

Presentation at NOFA 4 May 29th–31st 2013

NOFA 4 - Trondheim

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Nordidactica

• http://www.kau.se/nordidactica/samtliga-nummer/nordidactica-20111

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Globalization and Citizenship• The question is how to act as a citizen (as a

democrat) in global space and in national space in global times?

o What are the problems facing the citizen in the era of globalization?

o How can citizen education empower students to act as democratic citizens in a global world which is not absolutely democratic and often highly undemocratic?

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Intended outcome of civic education in the Danish upper secondary school –

the multi level problem

Curriculum aim:• Students acquire competence to act

knowledgeable (kyndigt) and authoritative(myndigt) as democratic citizens

And we can add:• in matters concerning local community level,

state level and the global level.

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Five perspectives on globalization

Globalization as internationalization growth of cross-border relations and interdependency among the countries

Globalization as liberalization removal of government-imposed restrictions

Globalization as universalization spreading objects and experiences to all corners of the earth

Globalization as westernization or modernization modernity and globalization intertwined

Globalization as supraterritorialization A transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and

transactions Jan Aart Scholte, 2000

AssumptionJan Aart Scholte sets up the following assumption, which I will move forward with

• Globalization has not displaced deeper social structures in relation to production (capitalism), governance (the state and bureaucratism more generally), community (the nation and communitarianism more generally) and knowledge (rationalism), but

• Globalization has prompted important changes to governance of the state and the nation and knowledge, and

• Globalization has caused the growth of additional loci of governance besides the state, the spread of additional forms of community besides the nation, and the development of additional types of knowledge. (Sholte 2000)Torben Spanget Christensen, University of

Southern Denmark

Instruction can direct curiosity to how relations and transactions are reorganized in the

global space,o weather these relations and transactions are social,

economically, political, cultural,

where the transactions takes place; o in business, in digital media, in tourism, in migration and

refugee flows etc.,

what relations and transactions are about; o power, poverty, climate, peace, conflict etc., and

what the normative foundation for the relations and transactions are;

o democratic or non-democraticTorben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Global problems manifest themselves

• In the supraterritorial sphere (true global problems)

– the global climate or of violations of human rights

– Involves a global citizenship

• As import of global problems into a national context

– refugees and migrant workers or unemployment caused by outsourcing

– Involves mixed local, national and global citizenship

• As global consequences of acts taking place in a national context.

– citizens’ as consumers of fossil fuels contributing to the climate problem or as investors of pension funds in companies directly or indirectly violating human rights

– Involves mixed local, national and global citizenTorben Spanget Christensen, University of

Southern Denmark

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Table 1. Combining the triple citizen role and the categories of global problems

Table 2. The triple role and the four functions of the citizen

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Interdisciplinarity – a didatical concept in late modernity and a tool for the self-governor

• The need for interdisciplinarity is due to the development of the knowledge society, an integrated part of globalization

o …pressure for greater collaboration across disciplines in research, education and business, and

o …future citizens need to make informed choices and apply knowledge independently of narrow and well-defined disciplines.

(Klausen 2011 : 34)

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Self-reflection - a didatical concept in late modernity and a tool for the self-governor

• Self-reflection is a basic need for late modern citizens, because they hold the triple citizen role and the embedded conflicts of loyalty and ethics

• Self-reflection is a useful tool helping finding one’s own feet in the multi-level-dilemma

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Second and third order concepts

• Interdisciplinarity is a second order concept– Interdisciplinary reflections is about adopting

perspectives from various disciplines and domains. The citizen needs these skills as a national-state and a national-community citizen as well as a global citizen

• Self-reflection is a third order concept– Self-reflection is a possibility to positions the

learner as a citizen

StudentStudent

Student

Teacher

Dialogue 1Dialogue 2 Dialogue 3

Didactic model for civic education

Topic

Use of first

order concepts

Reflection on interdisciplinarity –

use of second order concepts

Self-reflection-as-citizen –

third order concept

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Figure 2. First order reflection

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Figure 3. Second order reflection

Torben Spanget Christensen, University of Southern Denmark

Figure 4. Third order self-reflection