ERIC Number: EJ1119413
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Nov
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-1560
EISSN: N/A
Opening the Mind? Geographies of Knowledge and Curricular Practices
Tange, Hanne; Millar, Sharon
Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research, v72 n5 p573-587 Nov 2016
Inspired by Bourdieu's ("Homo Academicus, Polity," Cambridge, 1988; "The Logic of Practice, Polity," Cambridge, 1990) ideas of knowledge reproduction, the article presents an empirical mapping of knowledge geographies, as manifest in the curricular practices found within a single international MA programme in Denmark. Following an initial discussion of global trends in academic publishing, Berg's ("Geoforum" 35:553-558, 2004) notions of "limited" and "unlimited" spaces are adopted as a conceptual framework, enabling us to identify "geographies of power" in the production and reproduction of academic knowledge. The empirical analysis is based on a data set comprised of course reading lists, lecturer biographies and interviews with five lecturers and one programme convener. A quantitative analysis of nationality and institutional affiliation of authors represented on the course curricula provides a general picture of knowledge geographies and places the USA/UK in the position as leading producers of knowledge, followed by northern Europe. A qualitative analysis of lecturers' reflections on their curricular practices suggests an awareness of the dominant role occupied by the USA/UK and possibly Europe, but also a recognition of a need to engage with new spaces. The article concludes with a discussion of "open" versus "closed" positions among the lecturers, leading to an identification of possible change agents within the programme.
Descriptors: Masters Programs, Publishing Industry, Guidelines, Power Structure, Reading Lists, College Faculty, Statistical Analysis, Biographies, Teacher Attitudes, Authors, Scientific Research, Faculty Publishing, Course Descriptions, Higher Education, Qualitative Research, Role, Change Agents, Trend Analysis, Foreign Countries, Program Descriptions
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Denmark; United Kingdom; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A