This is a seminar with lectures, discussions, and in-class activities. Weekly readings will be provided in
advance for each session.
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: The Comparative Mind
Facilitator: ________________
Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative education research: Approaches
and methods, second edition. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, University
of Hong Kong and Dordrecht: Springer. http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-
05594-7
> Preface
> Introduction
> Chapter 1: Actors and Purposes in Comparative Education
Eckstein, M. A. (1983). The comparative mind. Comparative Education Review, 27(3), 311-322.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1187739
Discussion questions:
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1. What are Bereday’s three phases and Noah and Eckstein’s five stages of comparative
education research?
2. What is the Bray and Thomas cube? Is it useful for all comparative education studies?
3. What kinds of people/institutions do comparative education analyses either formally or
informally, and how do their purposes differ?
4. What are some international agencies involved in comparative education research, and what
kind of work do they do?
5. What kind of cross-national and/or intra-national comparisons can you think of? Use the Bray
and Thomas cube. In both cases you may draw on the experience of your own country's
education system.
6. Think of any example of “educational policy borrowing” in your country. Is your country a
source of educational models for other countries or merely a borrower?
Week 3: Units of Comparison in Comparative Education (1/3)
Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative education research: Approaches
and methods, second edition.
Facilitators:
> Chapter 4: Comparing Places ________________
> Chapter 5: Comparing Systems ________________
> Chapter 6: Comparing Times ________________
1. Facilitator overviews (5–10 minutes each):
a. Units of analysis
b. Examples from text
c. Examples from elsewhere (your country, region, province, state, city, district, etc.)
2. Brainstorm (class): Using aspects of education that you are familiar with, what are some
examples of possible comparisons between each level/unit of analysis?
3. Research development (pairs): Choose two different levels of analysis and units of analysis for
each. Discuss how they could be compared and then briefly summarize your ideas to the
class.
a. Background
b. Units of analysis
c. Research questions (think of possible research questions you could ask in your term
paper)
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Week 4: Units of Comparison in Comparative Education (2/3)
Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative education research: Approaches
and methods, second edition.
Facilitators:
> Chapter 7: Comparing Race, Class and Gender ________________
> Chapter 8: Comparing Cultures ________________
> Chapter 9: Comparing Values ________________
1. Facilitator overviews (5–10 minutes each):
a. Units of analysis
b. Examples from text
c. Examples from elsewhere
2. Brainstorm (class): Using aspects of education that you are familiar with, what are some
examples of possible comparisons between each level/unit of analysis?
3. Research development (pairs): Choose two different levels of analysis and units of analysis for
each. Discuss how they could be compared and then briefly summarize your ideas to the
class.
a. Background
b. Units of analysis
c. Research questions
Week 5: Units of Comparison in Comparative Education (3/3)
Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative education research: Approaches
and methods, second edition.
Facilitators:
> Chapter 10: Comparing Policies ________________
> Chapter 11: Comparing Curricula ________________
> Chapter 12: Comparing Pedagogical Innovations ________________
> Chapter 13: Comparing Ways of Learning ________________
> Chapter 14: Comparing Educational Achievements ________________
1. Facilitator overviews (5–10 minutes each):
a. Units of analysis
b. Examples from text
c. Examples from elsewhere
2. Brainstorm (class): Using aspects of education that you are familiar with, what are some
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examples of possible comparisons between each level/unit of analysis?
3. Research development (pairs): Choose two different levels of analysis and units of analysis for
each. Discuss how they could be compared and then briefly summarize your ideas to the
class.
a. Background
b. Units of analysis
c. Research questions
Week 6: Globalization vs. Localization: East Asian Education in the Context of Worldwide Education
Reform
Facilitator: ________________
Chou, C. P., & Ching, G. (2012). Taiwan Education at the Crossroad: When Globalization Meets
Localization. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
> Preface
> Chapter 1: Globalization Versus Localization: Notion or Reality in Taiwan?
> Chapter 4: East Asian and Taiwan Education in the Context of Worldwide Education Reform
Discussion questions:
1. What are the different phases of education reform identified?
2. How do these chapters connect to the units of analysis discussed in Bray, Adamson, and
Mason’s book?
3. In countries that you are familiar with, what have been the different phases of education and
political reform?
4. How could these be developed into a comparative education study?
5. How does education reform in your country (or any country of your choice) compare to
education reform in the East Asian countries discussed in the readings?
Week 7: Globalization and Education Reform Policies around the World
Facilitators: All students
Stromquist, N. P., & Monkman, K. (Eds.). (2014). Globalization and education: Integration and
contestation across cultures. R&L Education.
> Chapter 1: Defining Globalization and Assessing its Implications for Knowledge and Education,
Revisited
> Selected chapters
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1. Discussion question:
According to the authors, what are the impacts of globalization on education at different
levels?
2. Facilitator overviews/discussions (10–20 minutes each):
a. Chapter overview and key points
b. Discussion questions (4–6 per chapter to facilitate class discussion)
Week 8: Education Reform Policies in the US
Facilitators: ________________ and ________________
Ravitch, Diane (2010). The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and
Choice Are Undermining Education. New York: Basic Books.
> Chapter 1: What I Learned About School Reform
> Chapter 2: Hijacked! How the Standards Movement Turned Into the Testing Movement
> Chapter 4: Lessons from San Diego
> Chapter 11: Lessons Learned
Discussion questions:
1. What general similarities and what differences do you see between the American education
system and the one in your country (or any country of your choice)?
2. See discussion questions for the relevant chapters in “Ravitch 2010 Study Guide for Death and
Life”.
Week 9: Midterm Book Review Presentations – DUE: BOOK REVIEW PRESENTATIONS
Week 10: Education Reform Policies in Europe – DUE: BOOK REVIEWS
Facilitator: ________________
Bleiklie, I., & Michelsen, S. (2013). Comparing HE policies in Europe. Higher Education, 65(1), 113-
133.
Dakowska, D., & Harmsen, R. (2015). Laboratories of reform? The Europeanization and
internationalization of higher education in Central and Eastern Europe. European Journal of
Higher Education, 5(1), 4-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2014.977318
Discussion questions: TBA
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Week 11: The Global Achievement Gap
Facilitator: ________________
Wagner, Tony (2008). The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the
New Survival Skills Our Children Need - and What We Can Do About It. New York: Basic Books.
> Chapter 1: The New World of Work and the Seven Survival Skills
> Conclusion
Discussion questions:
1. Why are schools at risk in the global era?
2. From a comparative perspective, why is the global learning gap widening?
3. What are the achievement gaps mentioned by the author?
4. How do these achievement gaps relate to your own country, and what are some examples?
5. What are some examples of situations in which each of the seven survival skills are necessary
(or not always necessary) in your experience?
6. Are these survival skills applicable to people of all backgrounds and in all contexts? Why
(not)?
7. Are there any other “survival skills” that you consider necessary in today’s world?
Week 12: World-Class University Rankings and International Assessments
Facilitator: ________________
Shin, J. C. (2013). The world-class university in different systems and contexts. In Shin, J. C., &
Kehm, B. M. (Eds.), Institutionalization of world-class university in global competition (pp. 1-
13). Dordrecht: Springer.
PISA. (2015) PISA Results in Focus. OECD Programme for International Student Assessment.
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf
Discussion questions:
1. What factors led to the emergence of the “world-class university” concept?
2. How long has competition between universities existed, and how is competition between
universities different today than it was in the past?
3. Why is the world-class university competition particularly significant in East Asian countries?
Can you think of any examples?
4. How do countries’ strategies for building world-class universities differ depending on their
own particular contexts?
5. What are the main approaches used to build world-class universities?
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6. In your own words, how could you summarize the key results of PISA 2015?
7. What might be some of the implications of these results for policy makers in different
countries?
Week 13: Alternative Education Models and Emerging Technologies
Facilitator: ________________
Yuan, L., Powell, S., & CETIS, J. (2013). MOOCs and open education: Implications for higher
education.
Spangler, J. (2016). Impacts of online education on existing education models: Empirical evidence
from Taiwan. In Chou, C. P., & Spangler, J. (Eds.). Chinese Education Models in a Global Age
(pp. 177-192). Singapore: Springer.
Discussion questions:
1. What was the original aim of MOOCs, and how has this not necessarily become a reality in
practice?
2. How do MOOCs differ based on their pedagogical approaches, purposes, and other factors?
3. What do you think some of the implications of MOOCs are for individuals (students, teachers,
curriculum designers, policy makers, etc.) and institutions (HEIs, businesses, government
agencies, etc.)?
4. What are some of the challenges that MOOCs and those creating them face?
5. How do online and offline education models differ?
6. How did online education emerge in Taiwan, and what is its current status in terms of
popularity?
7. What are some of the impacts of online education on existing education models, teachers,
and students in Taiwan?
Week 14: Concluding Discussion and Review (or Make-up Class)
Week 15: Final Presentations –DUE: FINAL PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Week 16: Final Papers – (NO CLASS) DUE: FINAL PAPERS
TEACHING METHOD:
Participants of this class will be able to discuss a wide variety of education issues from comparative,
international, and personal perspectives. Classes will be conducted in a two-way and interactive
format between instructor and students, which aims to encourage more shared ideas and greater
inspiration about the topics. It is hoped that this class will facilitate student learning through the
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integration and application of comparative and international education theories and practices in
education and national development from comparative perspectives.
ORIGINAL WORK:
Students are expected to produce original work in their midterm book reviews and final projects. All
information derived from other sources should be cited based on accepted standards for academic
references. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
ASSESSMENT:
1. Attendance (10%) – Students are expected to attend and arrive on time for all sessions.
2. Participation (10%) – Students must complete the weekly readings, be prepared to answer the
relevant discussion questions, and actively participate in the seminar.
3. Facilitation (15%) – Students are expected to facilitate several classes during the semester and
should be prepared to lead discussions during those classes. Students must also share a cultural
or educational exchange case study during one of the class sessions.
4. Book Review (25%) – Students must write a book review of a recently published book, find a
target journal for publication, and submit their book review for consideration in that journal.
5. Final Presentation and Project (40%) – Students must write an academic article, conference
paper, book chapter, or dissertation proposal. Final projects must be directly related to the
content of the course.
ADDITIONAL READINGS
Chou, C. P. (2014). Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative education
research: Approaches and methods. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre,
University of Hong Kong and Dordrecht: Springer. [Book review]. CEPS Journal, 4(3), 131-136.
http://www.pedocs.de/volltexte/2014/9622/pdf/cepsj_2014_3_Chou_Rezension_Bray_Comp
arative.pdf
Enders, J., De Boer, H., & Weyer, E. (2013). Regulatory autonomy and performance: The reform of
higher education re-visited. Higher Education, 65(1), 5-23.
Spangler, J. (2015). The SSCI Syndrome in Higher Education: A Local or Global Phenomenon, by
Chuing Prudence Chou (review). The Review of Higher Education, 38(2), 326-329.
Spangler, J. (2014). Chou, C. P., & Ching, G. (2012). Taiwan education at the crossroad: when
globalization meets localization. History of Education, 43(5), 716-718.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0046760X.2014.913698
Voogt, J., & Roblin, N. P. (2012). A comparative analysis of international frameworks for 21st
century competences: Implications for national curriculum policies. Journal of Curriculum
Studies, 44(3), 299-321. http://doc.utwente.nl/84040/1/Voogt12teaching.pdf
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ADDITIONAL READINGS
Chou, C. P. (2014). Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative education
research: Approaches and methods. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre,
University of Hong Kong and Dordrecht: Springer. [Book review]. CEPS Journal, 4(3), 131-136.
http://www.pedocs.de/volltexte/2014/9622/pdf/cepsj_2014_3_Chou_Rezension_Bray_Comp
arative.pdf
Enders, J., De Boer, H., & Weyer, E. (2013). Regulatory autonomy and performance: The reform of
higher education re-visited. Higher Education, 65(1), 5-23.
Spangler, J. (2015). The SSCI Syndrome in Higher Education: A Local or Global Phenomenon, by
Chuing Prudence Chou (review). The Review of Higher Education, 38(2), 326-329.
Spangler, J. (2014). Chou, C. P., & Ching, G. (2012). Taiwan education at the crossroad: when
globalization meets localization. History of Education, 43(5), 716-718.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0046760X.2014.913698
Voogt, J., & Roblin, N. P. (2012). A comparative analysis of international frameworks for 21st
century competences: Implications for national curriculum policies. Journal of Curriculum
Studies, 44(3), 299-321. http://doc.utwente.nl/84040/1/Voogt12teaching.pdf
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