Quality education: Human capital for building resilient societies (Sustainable Development Goal 4)
Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies
Teaching language: English
EKA: B360042102
Censorship: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Summer school (autumn)
Level: Bachelor
Course ID: B360042101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 17-03-2020
Duration: Intensive course
Course ID
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Aim and purpose
This course provides students with an introduction to the major theories and approaches in sociology, economics, political science and public policy on the role the notion of quality education in advanced liberal democracies and the role of human capital in preparing individuals and societies for a resilient future.
Content
Quality education (Sustainable Development Goal 4), or the ‘right’ types of knowledge, skills, competencies and attributes embodied as human capital in real human beings, is a key driver of the resilience and wellbeing of people (micro) and societies (macro). This is true in today’s globalized knowledge economies; it is likely to be even more true in tomorrow’s automated robot economies. But precisely what is quality education for today and tomorrow, and why is it so important? Which policies are key in boosting it? Why should liberal democracies invest in inclusive and equitable quality education, and how can they do so smartly? We study a wide range of approaches, including Nobel Prize winning economists such as Paul Romer and James Heckman, as well as leading sociologists, political scientists and policy scholars to tackle this key question for building resilient societies.
Description of outcome - Knowledge
Students will learn to address key questions such as:
- “How do quality education and human capital contribute to economic wellbeing?”
- "What are key policies for boosting quality education, and why is this so important for resilient individuals and societies?"
- “What is the role of width vs depth and of cognitive diversity in this respect?”
- “Why is early childhood education so particularly important to human capital along the lifecycle?"
- “What is the race between education and technology?”
- “What is skill-biased technical change?”
- “What are the key skills and cognitive capacities likely to enable humans to run with the machines of the future robot economy, rather than race against them?”
Description of outcome - Skills
Students will learn to translate the knowledge above into answers to key public policy questions, such as:
- "What can governments do to improve the quality education for the young?" "…When and why will they (not) do it?"
- "Do we need new education policies and different skills for today's knowledge economy and tomorrow’s automated economy?"
- “What is the role of teachers and early childhood in creating quality human capital? What can policies do?"
Description of outcome - Competences
To precisely understand and clearly formulate the key reasons and mechanisms for how and why human capital matters, both to academic audiences and to labor market audiences (such as employers) and public policy audiences.
Literature
Example readings for this course are likely to include selections from:
- Epstein, D. (2019), Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. New York: Riverhead Books.
- Sahlberg, P. (2015), Finnish Lessons 2.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland?, 2nd edition. NYC: Teachers College of Columbia University.
- Asbury, K. and Plomin, R. (2014), G is for Genes: The Impact of Genetics on Education and Achievement, Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
- Romer, P. (2002), 'Redistributional Consequences of Educational Reform,' in Lazear, Edward, ed. Education in the Twenty-First Century, Stanford: Hoover Institution Press.
- Heckman, J. (2013), Giving Kids a Fair Chance: A Strategy That Works. Boston Books.
Teaching Method
Each session will normally start with a set of standard lectures, after which significant time will be devoted to a joint class discussion. Towards the end of the summer course, one day will also be devoted to a set of interactive discussions among different groups about which are the most desirable future policy reforms for boosting education quality
Workload
Scheduled lessons
Intensive summer course, 12 to 20 August 2020. This course will be taught in the form of an intensive summer course with a five-hour session daily for six days, including both lectures and group discussions.
Workload
Face-to-face lectures: 30
Preparation for lectures: 60
Exam (preparation): 45
Total: 135
Examination regulations
Exam
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Timing
Exam: August
Reexam: September
Tests
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Form of examination
Oral examination
Censorship
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Date of birth
Language
English
Preparation
No preparation.
Duration
20 minutes
Examination aids
No aids allowed.
ECTS value
5
Additional information
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EKA
B360042102