Opening spaces for citizenship in higher education: three initiatives in English universities

Abstract

While there has been widespread international attention paid to the promotion of citizenship in schools, the civic dimension of higher education study has been less prominent. This article assesses three cases of provision for the teaching of citizenship in English universities, encompassing both discrete modules and embedded approaches. The cases are analysed using the framework of ‘curricular transposition’, focusing on the problematic movements from underlying ideals to realisation in practice. Findings from the studies suggest that lecturer involvement is a key factor, and that top-down initiatives are unlikely to succeed. In relation to location in the curriculum, both dedicated taught courses and whole institution approaches are seen to present distinct challenges and opportunities. Finally, implications are drawn out for the prospects of promoting democratic citizenship in higher education.

Keywords:

• citizenship
• university teaching
• critical thinking
• curriculum
• global citizens

Acknowledgements

This article is based on research funded by the British Educational Research Association, as part of the Brian Simon Educational Research Fellowship, 2008–9. My thanks go to the participants in the study and to two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft.