Final Version Dissertation Sept 2016
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BRIDGING THE GAP: TOWARDS A COSMOPOLITAN ORIENTATION IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM IN SASKATCHEWAN HIGH SCHOOLS A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Ghada Sfeir © Copyright Ghada Sfeir, September 2016. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis/dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis/dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis/dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Department of Interdisciplinary Studies University of Saskatchewan i Abstract Vital to Canadian social and cultural cohesion in a globalized world is an urgent need to enact new social and educational discourses and initiatives essential to expand an understanding of our interconnected relationships that coalesce with the key tenets of cosmopolitanism. Cosmopolitanism is a theory that endorses a sense of global responsibility and connectedness, respect for human rights and difference inside and outside our borders, and detachment from our communal, national, religious, ethnic, as well as other forms of particularities. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate to what extent the social studies curriculum in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 in Saskatchewan integrates or reflects cosmopolitan perspectives in an increasingly interconnected world. Thus, data collection consists of content analysis of the Saskatchewan curriculum and five interviews with social studies teachers in Saskatchewan high schools. Data analysis is guided by the literature review on cosmopolitanism that operates as the theoretical framework of this study and by critical discourse analysis. This research contributes to our understanding of what cosmopolitan education can offer in terms of possibilities to the social, cultural, educational, and political configurations of Canadian society. Emphasis is also on the need for future implementation of courses focusing on cosmopolitanism in higher education to raise awareness among students, prospective teachers, policy makers, curriculum designers, educational administrators, and government agencies about cosmopolitanism as an active agency to alleviate social ills. In conclusion, I offer suggestions for strengthening the social studies curriculum in Saskatchewan high schools to promote cosmopolitan values. Thus, the significance of the study lies in its theoretical and practical implications for social and educational policies in Canada and internationally. Keywords: cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism, globalization, critical discourse analysis, critical theory, citizenship education, global ethics, curriculum studies, teacher education ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my two co-supervisors Linda Wason-Ellam and Paul Orlowski for their guidance throughout this academic journey. Thank you, Linda and Paul, for your encouragement, contributions to this work, and willingness to engage in numerous conversations to challenge me to further my thoughts. I sincerely express my appreciation to the contributions made by my committee members who kept on raising the bar for me every time we met. Your constructive and insightful feedback has influenced the direction of this dissertation in many ways. Thank you Terry Wotherspoon, Linda McMullen, Jeanie Wills, and Susan Fowler-Kerry. I express my sincere gratitude to my MA supervisor Arpi Hamalian who stood by me across distance throughout my years of study. Thank you Arpi for providing me with continuous advice and immense knowledge related to all the facets of academic scholarship. I would like to thank the University of Saskatchewan and the Department of Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies for their support by granting me the Interdisciplinary Studies Devolved Scholarship. I also thank all the teachers who participated in this research and shared their teaching experience. I wholeheartedly thank my husband Mike for his encouragement and support to finish this dissertation. Thank you for not letting me give up in tough times. I also would like to thank my son Kevin for his inspiration to believe in cosmopolitanism. Kevin, you are full of empathy and respect for others. This dissertation is my hope that your world would be surrounded with cosmopolitan sensibilities. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PERMISSION TO USE ................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER I: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 A. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 B. Statement of Purpose ...................................................................................................... 6 C. Research Questions ........................................................................................................ 6 D. Rationale of the Study .................................................................................................... 7 E. Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 8 F. Positionality of the Researcher ........................................................................................ 9 G. Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................... 10 H. The Canadian Context .................................................................................................. 11 I. Organization of the Chapters ......................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER II: An Analytical Overview of the Literature on Cosmopolitanism and Cosmopolitan Education ...................................................................................... 20 A. Historical Background .................................................................................................. 22 B. The Voices of Cosmopolitanism ................................................................................... 26 1. Vertovec and Cohen’s (2002/2008) Classification of Cosmopolitanism ............. 27 2. Kleingeld and Brown’s (2006) Classification of Cosmopolitanism .................... 30 a. Moral Cosmopolitanism ............................................................................. 30 b. Cultural Cosmopolitanism .......................................................................... 31 c. Political Cosmopolitanism ........................................................................... 34 d. Economic Cosmopolitanism ....................................................................... 35 3. Cosmopolitanism and its Qualifiers .................................................................... 35 a. Actually Existing Cosmopolitanisms .......................................................... 36 b. Vernacular Cosmopolitanism ..................................................................... 37 4. Critique of Cosmopolitanism .............................................................................. 37 a. Cosmopolitanism as a Naïve Utopianism ................................................... 38 iv b. Cosmopolitanism as an Elitist Aestheticism ................................................ 39 C. Cosmopolitanism and Nussbaum Debate ..................................................................... 40 a. Nussbaum’s Universal Cosmopolitanism ................................................... 41 D. Cosmopolitanism and Nationalism ............................................................................... 44 E. Cosmopolitanism and Localism .................................................................................... 50 F. Cosmopolitanism and Human Rights ............................................................................ 51 G. Cosmopolitanism and Multiculturalism ....................................................................... 52 H. Cosmopolitanism and Globalization ...........................................................................