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Universitas of diversitas? - enkele gedagtes oor postmoderne kurrikulêre implikasies vir die universiteit
Abstract
Abstrak
Die universiteit het van verskillende kante onder die spervuur beland. Die ekonomiekultuur gedurende die tweede helfte van die vorige eeu het die tradisionele rol van die universiteit bevraagteken en globalisering het ekonomiese eise gestel. Paradigmaverskuiwing het die mens en die totstandkoming en legitimasie van kennis skerp bevraagteken. Dit is meer ingrypend van aard aangesien die wesenlike rol van die universiteit ter sprake is. Daarom word kortliks aandag geskenk aan hierdie ontwikkeling, want dit het uiteindelik kurrikulêre implikasies vir die universiteit.
Abstract
Unitas an diversitas: some thoughts on postmodern curricular implications for the university. Change has been the main feature of societal and scientific endeavours since the last decades of the previous century. The nature and role of institutions became questionable as the result of considerations with regard to the economy, knowledge and politics. Being involved with the production and the transmission of knowledge as reflected by way of the curriculum, the university could not escape this scrutinising process. The information-technological era opened up not only the possibility, but also the mere fact, that information and its development would become readily available, as well as the right of institutions to participate in this process for purposes other than teaching. The sole knowledge function of the university became questionable from a cost-productive point of view. However, this point of view disregards issues such as paradigm change, epistemological analyses and the role of the human being, all of which have revolutionised scientific endeavour since the second half of the previous century. In this article these issues are briefly explained in view of the implications for the university, with particular reference to the curriculum. The shift from the traditional modern era to the postmodern era has focused the attention on radical reflection about, inter alia, truth, legitimacy, knowledge systems, academic institutions and the human being. This reflection, as guided by Lyotard, Foucault and Derrida, has brought to the fore complexity, uncertainty and 'différance'; truth linked to multiple meanings; science as a discourse dependent on a discursive practice ruled by power relations, and a human being metaphorically described as a 'peregrine' being (Hug) occupying different spaces.
South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.18(2) 2004: 97-108
Die universiteit het van verskillende kante onder die spervuur beland. Die ekonomiekultuur gedurende die tweede helfte van die vorige eeu het die tradisionele rol van die universiteit bevraagteken en globalisering het ekonomiese eise gestel. Paradigmaverskuiwing het die mens en die totstandkoming en legitimasie van kennis skerp bevraagteken. Dit is meer ingrypend van aard aangesien die wesenlike rol van die universiteit ter sprake is. Daarom word kortliks aandag geskenk aan hierdie ontwikkeling, want dit het uiteindelik kurrikulêre implikasies vir die universiteit.
Abstract
Unitas an diversitas: some thoughts on postmodern curricular implications for the university. Change has been the main feature of societal and scientific endeavours since the last decades of the previous century. The nature and role of institutions became questionable as the result of considerations with regard to the economy, knowledge and politics. Being involved with the production and the transmission of knowledge as reflected by way of the curriculum, the university could not escape this scrutinising process. The information-technological era opened up not only the possibility, but also the mere fact, that information and its development would become readily available, as well as the right of institutions to participate in this process for purposes other than teaching. The sole knowledge function of the university became questionable from a cost-productive point of view. However, this point of view disregards issues such as paradigm change, epistemological analyses and the role of the human being, all of which have revolutionised scientific endeavour since the second half of the previous century. In this article these issues are briefly explained in view of the implications for the university, with particular reference to the curriculum. The shift from the traditional modern era to the postmodern era has focused the attention on radical reflection about, inter alia, truth, legitimacy, knowledge systems, academic institutions and the human being. This reflection, as guided by Lyotard, Foucault and Derrida, has brought to the fore complexity, uncertainty and 'différance'; truth linked to multiple meanings; science as a discourse dependent on a discursive practice ruled by power relations, and a human being metaphorically described as a 'peregrine' being (Hug) occupying different spaces.
South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.18(2) 2004: 97-108
