Education

Receiving an adequate level of education can be seen as a fundamental social right. Yet, the extent and ways in which education is provided vary substantially across countries, social groups, and over-time. This course is designed to introduce students to the study of educational inequality and education policy. The course begins by reviewing the main goals, achievements, and outstanding challenges in education policy in the early 21st century. Specifically, it takes a historical perspective to review the significant progress made with respect to providing education to large parts of the world's population and with respect to reducing gender inequality in educational attainment. The course then turns to one key policy challenge of the early 21st century—reducing the inequalities in educational attainment between individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds. It discusses normative arguments for why we may care to understand and address inequality of educational opportunity. Moreover, the course examines the social mechanisms that account for educational inequalities between individuals from different social backgrounds and discusses whether and how policies and social interventions can reduce these educational inequalities. The structure of the course follows the early life-course and educational trajectory of individuals to critically examine educational policies on early childhood education, the notion of "social investment", ability tracking at the secondary level, the function of school autonomy, the effectiveness of education policy to equalize access to elite institutions, the role of large crises — such as the COVID-19 pandemic — in exacerbating existing inequalities, and how education policy can protect children's learning in the face of such crises. The course fosters students' ability to think like a social scientist and to critically approach and examine major issues of educational inequality. It develops the conceptual tools and substantive knowledge to address current questions on educational inequality.

This course covers the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes that occur during adolescence and how these changes affect adolescent behavior and life. Drawing from developmental science, education, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines, this course analyzes adolescent development from an interdisciplinary perspective and explores effective ways to understand and interact with adolescents. 

After taking this course, students should be able to: describe and critically discuss major theories and research findings related to adolescent development, discover practical ways to solve problems related to adolescent development, and communicate effectively with youth. 

This course provides a study of the developmental psychology of school-age children and the influence of education on their development. It begins with discussion of the general theories of development before exploring physical and psychomotor development, cognitive development, development of communication, language, and personality, and social development. The course also examines the changes in learning and motivation in education as well as development in the educational contexts of school, family, peers, media, and technology. 

This course focuses on basic teaching skills to design, implement, and evaluate educational projects in art education. Topics include: safety, hygiene, and good practices; mechanisms for learning, understanding, and transmission of artistic and cultural values and criteria; teaching of visual arts in different education settings; curricular design; application of different teaching methods; curriculum of artistic education.

Nature of Iceland: Students learn about the weather and climate, geology, vegetation, and animal life. They attend lectures about the geology of Iceland and go on fieldtrips to see volcanoes, hotsprings, and lava, and they study the geography of the country. Environmental problems and nature conservation in Iceland are discussed. Field trips are an important ingredient of this part of the course, including birdwatching. Cultural legacy: The course gives an overview of Icelandic history and culture from medieval times to the present. Field trips are made to historical museums and art exhibits.

The course addresses the complex relationship between systems of education and the society in which these systems are located. Students study theories concerning the form and use of education systems. By studying historical and more contemporary examples, they are introduced to the varying social influences that shape school systems.

This course provides a fundamental knowledge of philosophies and concepts for human development and social policy – its definition, theory, approaches and methods for studying social issues and development. The course also discusses the interdisciplinary nature and relevance of social policy for government policy and civil society engagement, based on global and regional frameworks – including case studies of national social policy and practices in various fields.

This course offers a study of the basic concepts and educational value of physical education in primary education, such as its development through different motor activities. It discusses motor activities and how to incorporate them into curriculum and lesson plans. It also explores resources to promote lifelong participation in physical sports activities in and out of school. 

This course covers the purpose, methodological aspects, and critical issues within the fields of comparative and international education. Students will examine currents trends in these areas, including international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The core themes and implications of these ILSAs for education will be a key focus of the course.  

Additionally, selected themes, such as culture and learning will be briefly covered, providing a comprehensive overview of the diverse factors influencing education worldwide. The course aims to sharpen students’ analytic and research skills while cultivating independent and comparative insights into education on an international scope.