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Anthropology and Philosophy of Education

Code: 103520
Credits: 9
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Social Education FB 2
Education Studies FB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Marta Bertran Tarrés
Email :
marta.bertran@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Joan-Carles Melich Sangra
Roser Giros Calpe

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites.

 

Objectives

The course “Anthropology and Philosophy of Education” encompasses the fields of anthropology and philosophy of education that are essential in the training of professionals in pedagogy and social education.

Firstly, it aims to reflect on different basic topics of (social) pedagogy from a philosophical and anthropological perspective, and secondly, to introduce the main contemporary authors and their texts, which are the result of reflection and research in education.

Finally, the course also aims to critically analyze contemporary society from various philosophical perspectives and anthropological knowledge, incorporating a gender perspective.


Learning outcomes

  1. Know the main philosophical and anthropological theories and their most important concepts.
  2. Analyse the current educational reality by properly applying the philosophical and anthropological concepts.
  3. Knowing how to defend or refute the assigning or use of philosophical and anthropological paradigms based on one's own interests and objects of educational interest.
  4. Demonstrating knowledge of socio-cultural diversities and the possibilities of an anthropological approach.
  5. Discern the educational particularities of environments and subjects according to different variables (life cycle, sex, social group).
  6. Approach educational contexts through sources of philosophical and anthropological theories.
  7. Approach educational reality through the application of techniques for obtaining primary data on educational activities, describe them ethnographically and analyse them critically.
  8. Making philosophical-pedagogical proposals for improving the educational action.
  9. Adopt ethical behaviour and attitudes in relation to sources of knowledge and primary data collection.
  10. Maintaining a reflective and critical attitude towards limits in professional performance.
  11. Having a respectful attitude and using language that respects all diversities.
  12. Discern the educational particularities of environments and subjects according to different variables (life cycle, sex, social group).
  13. Adopt ethical behaviour and attitudes in relation to sources of knowledge and primary data collection.
  14. Consider how gender stereotypes and roles impinge on the exercise of the profession.
  15. Identify the principal forms of sex- or gender-based inequality and discrimination present in society.

Contents

ANTHROPOLOGY OF EDUCATION

1. Cultural transmission in complex societies

1.1 Anthropology and culture

1.2 Enculturation and the life cycle

1.3 Cultural transmission and education

1.4 Constructions and positions on otherness

2. Acculturation and educational inequalities

2.1 Education, migration, and minorities

2.2 Gender and identity in educational institutions

2.3 Peer culture and education

3. Ethnography and education

3.1 Ethnographic research

3.2 Ethnography for educational improvement

3.3 Ethnographic texts


PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

  1. Science, philosophy and pedagogy
  2. Modern education: from Rousseau to Mary Shelley
  3. The philosophy of suspicion: Nietzsche and Freud
  4. Pedagogy of death
  5. The formation of identity: Virginia Woolf and Hannah Arendt


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Full class 45 1.8 1, 2, 6, 7, 14, 15
Small class group 23 0.92
Authonomous work 112 4.48 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Supervised work 45 1.8 2, 3, 4, 5

The methodology of the course has been designed considering that the student is the main agent of their learning process.


Throughout the course, it is planned to carry out an activity linked to the professional fields of the degree and the course’s learning outcomes. This activity may consist of a field trip to visit a center. Attendance is mandatory. The teaching staff will inform students of the details once the exact date of the activity has been established.


Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Writing text 30% 0 0 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13
Exam on Philosophy 50% 0 0 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15
Anthropology Readings 5% 0 0 4
Report 15 % 0 0 2, 5, 9, 12, 15

The grades for the activities will be returned within a period not exceeding 20 working days of the academic calendar.

The course will be considered non-assessable if all assessment tasks have not been completed. All assessment activities are individual.

There is no comprehensive (final synthesis) exam for students in their second (or subsequent) enrolment.


For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction, and transcription. In the case of assignments, students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. Specific validations will be carried out to ensure authorship and the acquisition of competencies in case of suspected academic fraud. Lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in partial or total penalties in the activity grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases. The use of AI is not permitted in written tests and exams.


Any irregularity in an assessment activity (academic fraud, plagiarism, or improper use of AI, unless such use is expressly authorized in the course guide) that may lead to a significant alteration of the grade will result in that activity being graded as 0. If the course guide establishes that passing the course requires achieving a minimum grade in this assessment activity, or if multiple irregularities occur within the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0. In addition, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against the student responsible for such irregularities.


To pass this course, students must demonstrate strong general communication skills, both oral and written, as well as good language proficiency. Regular class attendance is necessary for effective learning.


CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

To pass the course, students must obtain at least 5 out of 10 in each of the two written tests (Anthropology and Philosophy). There will be a resit opportunity for the written tests and the individual assignment at the end of the course.


CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT DATES

GROUP 1: Anthropology written test: 17/12/26; Philosophy written test: 20/05/2027. Resit (Anthropology and Philosophy): 17/06/2027

GROUP 2: Anthropology written test: 18/12/26; Philosophy written test: 21/05/2027. Resit (Anthropology and Philosophy): 18/06/2027


SINGLE ASSESSMENT

The single assessment will consist of:

  • A written exam with two parts: one on anthropology (32.5% of the final grade) and one on philosophy (32.5% of the final grade).
  • An oral exam in the form of a 15-minute discussion covering the entire course (35% of the final grade). The resit will follow the same format.


SINGLE ASSESSMENT DATES

GROUP 1: 20/05/2027. Resit: 17/06/2027

GROUP 2: 21/05/2027. Resit: 18/06/2027

Bibliography

AA.VV. (2026). El libro de la Antropología. Akal.

Abajo, José Eugenio, i Carrasco,Silvia (2011). La situación escolar del alumnado de minorías étnicas: el modelo explicativo ecológico-cultural de John Ogbu. RECERCA. Revista de Pensament y Anàlisi, 11: 71-92.

Alcalde, Ignacio (2021). Chabolo, patio y escuela. Etnografía del internamiento en un centro de menores infractores. Editorial Comares. ISBN: 978-84-1369-149-7

Baier, Annette (1993). Moral prejudices. Essays on Ethics. Harvard University Press.

Beauvoir, Simone (2017). El segundo sexo. Cátedra.

Braidotti, Rosi (2018). Por una política afirmativa. Itinerarios éticos. Gedisa.

Bonazzi, M. (2025). El pasado. Entre la nostalgia y la cancelación. Alianza Editorial.

Butler, Judith (2006). Deshacer el género. Paidós.

Cortés, Ismael; Caro, Patricia; End, Markus. (2021) Antigitanismo. Trece miradas. Traficante de sueños.

Eisenhart, Margaret (2026). Research Handbook on Anthropology og Education. Edward Elgar.

Foucault, Michel (2019). El orden del discurso. Tusquets.

Foucault, Michel (2019). La voluntad de saber. Siglo XXI.

Freud, Sigmund (2010). El malestar en la cultura. Alianza.

García-Castaño, Fr. Javier y Kressova, Nina (2013). Diversidad cultural y migraciones. Editorial Comares.

Heidegger, Martin (2005). Ser y tiempo. Trotta.

Helller, Agnès (2020). El món, el nostre món. Arcàdia.

Hustvedt, Siri (2017). La mujer que mira a los hombres que miran a las mujeres. Seix Barral.

Joyce, James (2011). Dublineses. Los muertos. Alianza.

Lévinas, Emmanuel (2015). Ética e infinito. Trotta.

Llevadot, Laura (2022). Mi herida existía antes que yo. Feminismo y crítica de la diferencia sexual. Tusquets.

Mead, Margaret (1990). Adolescencia y cultura en Samoa. Paidós.

Mèlich, Joan-Carles (2019). La sabiduríade lo incierto. Lectura y condición humana. Tusquets.

Mèlich, Joan-Carles (2021). La fragilidad del mundo. Ensayo sobre un tiempo precario. Tusquets.

Mèlich, Joan-Carles (2025). El escenario de la existencia. Ensayo sobre el drama humano. Tusquets.

Mèlich, Joan-Carles (2026). Ética de la compasión, Tusquets.

Meyer, Th, (2025): Hannah Arendt. Una biografía intelectual. Anagrama.

Nietzsche, Friedrich (2011). Así habló Zaratustra. Alianza.

Nietzsche, Friedrich (2011). La genealogía de la moral. Alianza.

Oyěwùmí, Oyèrónké. (2023). La invención de las mujeres. Una perspectiva africana sobre los discursos occidentales del género. Virus Editorial.

Pagès, Anna ( 2018). Cenar con Diotima. Filosofía y feminidad. Barcelona: Herder.

Proust, Marcel (2011). Por el camino de Swann. En busca del tiempo perdido. Alianza.

Reed-Danahay, Deborah y Helena Wulff (2024) Anthropological Approaches to Reading Migrant Writing. Reimagining Ethnographic Methods, Knowledge, and Power. Tylor & Francis.

Rockwell, Elsie (1980). La relación entre etnografía y teoría en la investigación educativa. Dirección de Investigación en Educación (die). CINVESTAV.

Sadin, E. (2026). El desierto de nosotros mismos. El giro intelectual y creativo de la inteligencia artificial. Caja Negra

Safranski, R (2022). Ser único. Un desafío existencial. Barcelona: Tusquets.

Segato, Rita Laura. (2011) Racismo, discriminación y acciones afirmativas: herramientas conceptuales. Observatório da Jurisdição Constitucional, 1.1.

Spierling, V. (2024). Nada es más asombroso que el hombre. Una historia de la ética desde Sócrates hasta Adorno. Acantilado.

Recalcati, M. (2025). La luce e l'onda. Cosa significa insegnare? Einaudi.

Recalcati, M. (2026). Contra el sacrificio. Paradiso Editores.

Rosa, H. (2025). Pédagogie de la résonance. Le Pommier.

Velasco, Hononio, F. Javier García, i Ángel Díaz de Rada (1993). Lecturas de antropología para educadores. El ámbito de la Antropología de la Educación y de la etnografía escolar. Trotta.

Walia, Harsha (2021). Fronterai llei. Migració global, capitalisme i l'auge de nacionalisme racista. Raig verd.

Wieviorka, Michel (2003). Diferencias culturales, racismo y democracia. Políticas de identidades y diferencias sociales en tiempos de globalización. FACES–UCV.

Whiting, Beatrice B. (1963). Six cultures: studies of child rearing. Wiley & Sons.

Willis, Paul (1977). Aprendiendo a trabajar. Cómo los chicos de la clase obrera consiguen trabajos de la clase obrera. Akal.

Woolf, Virginia (2016). Les ones. La Temerària.

Woolf, Virgina. (2013). La senyora Dalloway. La Magrana.

Zambrano, María (2020). Filosofía y poesía. Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Software

Moodle

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 111 Catalan annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 112 Catalan annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 211 Catalan annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 212 Catalan annual morning-mixed