2008 Press Releases

International expert launches new PhD programme in UCC
18.09.2008

Intercultural awareness and understanding is a necessary, but insufficient requirement for inclusive citizenship in Ireland according to Professor Alan Smith of the University of Ulster.
Professor Smith will be delivering a talk on Education for Inclusive Citizenship in Ireland at UCC tomorrow (Friday, September 19th) in Brookfield Health Science Complex, Lecture Theatre G02, at 7pm.  Professor Smith's lecture marks the launch of a new structured PhD programme in Education at UCC.
 
Professor  Smith  contends that: "Intercultural awareness has become an end in itself in many cases, without any reference to the inequalities that exist within our society. Older concepts of nationalism, based on common ethnic, religious or cultural identity have been historically useful for state building but now create tensions and in many cases are a basis for conflict in the modern world.
 
Citizenship may come to be regarded as a legal and social contract between States and the citizens who live and work within them. This goes beyond citizenship that is based simply on an uncritical patriotism to the nation state. It suggests a more modern, 'post-nationalist' definition that recognizes the existence of multiple identities and loyalties, based on common rights and responsibilities.   Globalisation is one of the most significant challenges for inclusive citizenship in Ireland.  Future trends suggest that the economic gap within and between countries will widen significantly; poverty and the potential for conflict will increase; and developments in technology, medicine and social development will give rise to more complex ethical questions.

These developments present significant challenges for schools and educators. There will be increasing pressure on schools as institutions to adapt to increasing diversity in enrolments, staffing, management, governance and institutional values. How schools take account of diversity in terms of educational practices will become increasingly important. This will raise questions about the most appropriate forms of learning required to develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary for future citizens. Increasing migration, economic and environmental interdependence will also make it necessary for schools to take more account of global awareness. The lecture will consider some of these challenges and their implications for educators."   

Professor Alan Smith is holder of the UNESCO Chair in Education at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland where he is head of a research unit based within the School of Education. He has taught in Northern Ireland and Zimbabwe and was a Senior Research Fellow at the University's Centre for the Study of Conflict.  His work includes research on education and the conflict in Northern Ireland, young people's understanding of human rights and the development of social, civic and political education.
 
He was involved in the establishment of integrated ('desegregated') schools in Northern Ireland and was the founding chairman of the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE). From 1992-99 he was a Nuffield Foundation nominee to the Integrated Education Fund, to further the development of integrated education.
 
Professor Smith's current research includes a three-year investigation of 'Values in Teacher Education' as part of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); and a comparative research project on children, education and the legacies of conflict in the Basque Country, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland, funded by the European Union.

Professor Smith's lecture is the first of a series that will run in conjunction with the Cohort PhD programme.  The other lectures this Autumn will be given by Professor Jim Spillane, Northwestern University, Chicago and Dr Anne Looney, CEO, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). The lecture series continues in Spring 2009.

24 students have enrolled for UCC's new structured Cohort PhD programme, the first of its type in Munster.  The students come from diverse backgrounds that include the education agencies, third level lecturers, school principals, teachers and other education professionals.

The students will undertake modules in three areas (1) educational inquiry (2) research methods and (3) policy and pedagogy. The programme will involve two one-week summer schools in July of 2009 and 1010.

The new Cohort PhD in Education is a good example of the new policy direction in Ireland towards more structured 4th level/doctoral education.

"We are delighted with the level of interest in the PhD programme," says Dr Paul Conway, Director of the programme and lecturer in Education.  "The new cohort PhD in Education builds on our strong track record in research and publications," he says.

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