(in Polish) Sociology of Education 480-ERS-1SOE

obligatory courses

The course is based on the assumption that education is one of the key institutions through which modern societies produce, organise and legitimise knowledge. Schools and universities do not merely transmit information; they also define what is recognised as legitimate knowledge, who has the right to speak, which competences are valued, and how individuals are classified, assessed and positioned within social hierarchies. The perspective adopted in the course assumes that educational processes are neither neutral nor purely technical: curricula, examinations, grading systems, classroom interactions, teacher expectations, institutional rules and diplomas all carry specific social meanings and participate in producing ideas of intelligence, merit, achievement, failure, discipline and legitimacy. A central assumption is the social situatedness of knowledge, namely the idea that what individuals and groups regard as obvious, natural or true depends on social position, institutional context, language, history and everyday experience. The course also shows that education plays an important role in the reproduction of social inequalities, because educational systems, although often referring to the ideal of meritocracy, may reward unequally distributed resources such as cultural, social and symbolic capital. The classes analyse how everyday educational practices - assessment, classification, testing, teacher expectations and hidden curriculum - may reproduce inequalities even when they are presented as fair, objective and individualised.

(in Polish) w sali

Student’s knowledge

The student:
-understands the basic aims, concepts and analytical perspectives of the sociology of education;
-understands education as a social institution involved in the production, transmission, legitimisation and distribution of knowledge;
-knows how educational institutions classify pupils and students and produce categories of success, failure, ability and merit;
-understands the relationships between education, social stratification, inequality and social reproduction;
-knows selected concepts from the sociology of knowledge, sociology of education, sociology of science and critical theory, including the concepts of Berger and Luckmann, Mannheim, Weber, Merton, Kuhn, Fleck, Collins and Evans, Foucault, Bourdieu and Latour;
-understands the meaning of concepts such as the social construction of reality, ideology, hidden curriculum, authority, legitimisation, expertise, power/knowledge, discipline, cultural capital, habitus, field and symbolic power;
-understands how schools, universities, assessment systems, standardised tests, media and digital platforms influence access to knowledge, visibility, credibility and educational authority.

Student’s skills

The student:
-can apply sociological concepts to the analysis of educational institutions and practices;
-can critically analyse schools and universities as institutions that produce knowledge, authority, classifications and inequalities;
-can identify examples of hidden curriculum and analyse their significance for shaping attitudes, identities and educational opportunities;
-can analyse the impact of assessment, standardised testing, rankings and teacher expectations on the educational experiences of pupils and students;
-can use the concepts of cultural, social and symbolic capital to interpret educational inequalities;
-can apply the concepts of discipline, surveillance and normalisation to the analysis of schools, universities and digital learning environments;
-can interpret educational data, rankings and international comparisons, such as PISA, from a sociological perspective;
-can analyse media and digital platforms as contemporary environments of learning, classification and credibility production;
-can participate in academic discussion in English using basic sociological vocabulary;
-can formulate sociological arguments concerning education, knowledge, power and inequality, and relate them to concrete educational examples.

Student’s social competences

The student:
-is ready to critically reflect on the social role of education and on their own educational experiences;
-recognises that educational success and failure are shaped not only by individual effort, but also by institutions, resources, social position and unequal access to recognition;
-demonstrates sensitivity to educational inequalities and their social consequences;
-understands the importance of responsible participation in academic discussion based on argumentation, attentive listening and respect for different perspectives;
-is ready to critically assess their own knowledge and the content they encounter concerning education, science, media and digital platforms;
-can reflectively relate their own assumptions, ways of thinking and social position to the analysis of educational phenomena;
-is prepared to participate critically in debates on education, testing, rankings, expert authority, digital media and social inequalities;
-understands that educational institutions may both reproduce and challenge social inequalities.

The course is conducted in an individual tutorial format. This format allows for close, student-centred work focused on systematic understanding of key concepts in the sociology of education and their application to concrete educational phenomena. The teaching process is based on dialogue, guided discussion, individual analytical tasks and continuous feedback from the instructor.

The following teaching methods are used:

a) Short introductory lectures presenting key concepts, authors and theoretical approaches in the sociology of education.
b) Individual guided discussion between the student and the instructor, focused on education, knowledge, inequality, authority, power, discipline and social reproduction.
c) Close reading and explanation of selected theoretical concepts and course materials.
d) Individual concept-matching exercises and worksheets.
e) Short written tasks completed during classes.
f) Short tests checking understanding of key concepts, theories and authors.
g) Analysis of examples from schools, universities, science, media, digital platforms and everyday educational experience.
h) Case-based discussion of educational situations, such as grading, testing, classroom interaction, teacher expectations, hidden curriculum, educational inequality and expert authority.
i) Film and media analysis, including discussion of The Social Dilemma as an example of platform power and the social organisation of knowledge.
j) Analysis of educational data, international comparisons and PISA-related materials from a sociological perspective.
k) Application of theoretical concepts to the student’s own observations and educational experience.
l) Ongoing formative feedback supporting the student’s ability to use sociological vocabulary accurately and independently.

The individual format makes it possible to adjust the pace and depth of discussion to the student’s needs, while maintaining the academic requirements of the course. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding concepts, applying them to educational contexts, and developing the ability to analyse education as a social institution connected with knowledge, power and inequality.

Assessment method:

The final grade is based on continuous assessment throughout the semester. There is no separate final examination. The student is assessed on the basis of attendance, active participation in tutorial discussions, completion of individual tasks and worksheets, short tests, and the ability to apply sociological concepts to educational examples.

Assessment reflects not only memorisation of definitions, but also the student’s ability to use concepts from the sociology of education in an analytical and reflective way.

Components of the final grade
1. Attendance - 20%

Regular attendance is required because the course is based on direct interaction between the student and the instructor. Attendance is necessary for participation in guided discussion, completion of in-class tasks and systematic development of sociological understanding.

Absences may require additional individual work or supplementary assignments, depending on university regulations and the instructor’s rules.

2. Active participation in tutorial discussion - 30%

The student is assessed on active engagement in individual discussions with the instructor. This includes answering questions, asking questions, responding to theoretical problems, giving examples, comparing perspectives and using course concepts during discussion.

High-quality participation means thoughtful engagement with the material, willingness to analyse educational phenomena sociologically, and the ability to connect concepts with concrete examples from schools, universities, media, policy and everyday educational experience.

3. Individual tasks and worksheets - 30%

The student completes short individual tasks during classes. These may include concept-matching exercises, short written answers, interpretation of examples, analysis of educational situations, and application of theory to practice.

The tasks are designed to check whether the student understands key concepts and can apply them to educational contexts such as hidden curriculum, teacher expectations, standardised testing, grading, cultural capital, authority, discipline, social reproduction and platform-based knowledge.

4. Short tests - 20%

Short tests check the student’s understanding of key concepts, authors and theoretical approaches discussed during the course. Tests may include multiple-choice questions, matching tasks, short definitions and short open questions.

The tests focus on recognising, defining and applying concepts from the sociology of education and the sociology of knowledge.

Very good grade -
The student attends regularly, completes all required tasks and tests, actively participates in tutorial discussions, understands key concepts very well, and can independently apply them to educational institutions, inequalities, authority, discipline and knowledge production.

Good grade -
The student attends most classes, completes the required tasks and tests, understands the main concepts, and can apply them to educational examples with only minor inaccuracies.

Satisfactory grade -
The student meets the minimum course requirements, completes most basic tasks, and demonstrates a basic understanding of the main concepts, although their application may be limited or partly imprecise.

Fail -
The student does not meet the minimum requirements for attendance, tasks or tests, or does not demonstrate basic understanding of the course concepts and their relevance to the sociology of education.

1) Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T.
The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Selected sections: introduction, institutionalisation, objectivation, internalisation and legitimation.
2) Mannheim, K.
Ideology and Utopia. Selected sections on ideology, utopia, social position, perspective, relativism and relationism.
3) Weber, M.
Selected writings on authority and legitimacy, especially traditional, charismatic and legal-rational authority.
4) Merton, R. K.
“The Normative Structure of Science.” Selected sections on science as a social institution, certified knowledge, universalism, communalism, disinterestedness and organised scepticism.
5) Kuhn, T. S.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Selected sections on paradigms, normal science, anomalies and scientific revolutions.
6) Fleck, L.
Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact. Selected sections on thought collectives, styles of thought and the stabilisation of scientific facts.
7) Collins, H., & Evans, R.
Rethinking Expertise. Selected sections on expertise, tacit knowledge, communities of practice and interactional expertise.
8) Foucault, M.
“Truth and Power,” in Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings. Selected sections on power/knowledge, regimes of truth, discourse and expert authority.
9) Foucault, M.
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Selected chapter: “Panopticism.”
10) Bourdieu, P.
“The Forms of Capital.” Selected sections on economic capital, cultural capital, social capital and symbolic capital.
11) Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. J. D.
An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology. Selected sections on field, habitus, doxa, symbolic power, reflexivity and struggles over legitimacy.
12) Latour, B.
Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers through Society. Selected sections on actor-network theory, following the actors, black boxes, inscriptions, instruments, documents and non-human actors.
13) Orlowski, J.
The Social Dilemma. Documentary movie, 2020.

Additional course materials:
-Presentations on the sociology of education, sociology of knowledge, authority, legitimacy, science, power/knowledge, discipline, cultural capital, fields, STS and platform power.
-Worksheets and concept-matching exercises on Berger, Luckmann, Mannheim, Foucault, Bourdieu and key concepts in the sociology of education.
-Short educational materials on hidden curriculum, teacher expectations, standardised testing, PISA, educational systems and educational inequalities.
-Selected online educational videos and examples used during classes.

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

• Description of 480-ERS-1SOE in USOSweb