| Summary: | 博士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 教育學系 === 94 === The Transformation of Knowledge from Modernity to Postmodernity
and its Implication in the Undergraduate Curriculum
Abstract
This study aims to interpret the new knowledge in the globalization era with post-modern knowledge and its implication in the development of the undergraduate curriculum. The research is based on the aspect of sociology of knowledge and critical sociology of education. In addition, theory exploration and document survey will also be made to analyze and criticize the issue dialectically in order to construct the relevant topics. In the analysis of sociology of knowledge, the research focuses on the related theories and documents about transformation of knowledge with which the curriculum development in western universities will be interpreted from the perspective of sociology of knowledge. In this way, the transformation of knowledge from modernity to postmodernity will be analyzed and, moreover, the historical environment and the developmental context in which the disciplinarity in universities is formed is expected to be realized. Regarding the theoretical analysis of critical sociology of education, this study, from the aspect of the new Marxism as well as the postmodern and post-structural, tries to analyze the relation of knowledge and power embedded in the disciplinarity of universities. Furthermore, the potential problems and disadvantages derived from the department will be investigated via hidden curriculum. In addition to the critical aspect, this study also gives attention to the aspect of postmodern knowledge and research paradigm by which the characteristics of postmodern knowledge and the strategies of universities, with interdiscipline and general education as axis, will be pointed out. Toward the end of this paper, the relevant policies and implementation of the innovation, in terms of interdiscipline, in Taiwan’s undergraduate curriculum in recent years will be reviewed as a whole. Finally, the main findings in this study will be incorporated, the conclusions will be made, and suggestions will be offered, all of which can be referred to the innovation of university curriculum in the future and the promotion of general knowledge as well as the cultivation of the whole person upon students.
The purposes of this study are as follows,
1. To analyze the change of knowledge and the discipline in the development of western universities and the relevant social context.
2. To explore the critical discourses on disciplinarity.
3. To construct the idea and the orientation of undergraduate curriculum in the era of globalization, knowledge economy and postmodernity.
4. To review the policy of the curriculum innovation in our nation and clarify the current trend and problems in this regard.
5. To analyze the idea and the implication of general knowledge and interdiscipline in developed countries.
6. To offer directions on the future innovation of university curriculum and suggestions on general knowledge and workable interdiscipline.
The conclusions derived from this study are as follows,
1. In the development of higher education in the west, the formation of characteristics in university discipline and the transformation of knowledge in that period are related to each other.
2. When being judged from various critical aspects, the rationality of disciplinarity is assumed to be doubtable.
3. It is proper for discourses on knowledge in the globalization trend to move toward the integrated code.
4. From the aspect of knowledge economy, interdiscipline and general knowledge are exactly the keys to competence in the twenty-first century.
5. From the analytical point of paradigm shift of postmodern science and the ideas of the curriculum, the interdiscipline and the relevant academic research are to arise.
6. The general knowledge can be derived not only from the arrangement of general courses but also from the implementation of the environmental system.
7. The systematic design of universities based on general knowledge is beneficial to the foundation of general knowledge.
8. With the idea of lower divisions and upper divisions upon undergraduates, the deep foundation of students’ general knowledge can be established instead of falling into early stratification and specialization, which is worth serving the mode for the necessity of interdiscipline.
9. To fulfill the requirements of interdiscipline, the developed countries have already set up the academic organizations of interdiscipline.
10. The universities can make various interdiscipline projects with different kind of knowledge in order to cultivate undergraduates’ learning ability in terms of interdiscipline.
Based on the above-mentioned purposes, this study proposes the following suggestions for the reference of the authorities concerned as follows,
1. With reference to the development and the vision of the current university innovation, the emphasis on general knowledge should be re-put, the new mode of extraordinary teaching should be established, and the specialty and the mission of undergraduate education should be posed.
2. As for the system of the universities and the correspondent policy package in our country, the undergraduate curriculum based on the generality of knowledge should be set up. In addition, the division and connection of educational functions between the undergraduate curriculum and the graduate program should be made.
3. Regarding the undergraduate curriculum and the teaching practice, every relevant discipline in the university needs to be encouraged to cooperate with other disciplines to promote the implementation of interdiscipline, to break the boundaries between disciplines and schools, to effectively incorporate the resources among them, and to research and develop the undergraduate curriculum and the practical methods in order to promote the thinking on interdiscipline and the reflection on teaching competence accordingly.
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