Programme

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the historical development of educational theories, from antiquity to the present day. Particular attention will be paid to the analysis of the main themes in the social history of education — such as educational institutions, processes and practices — as well as to the conceptual paradigms that have characterised Western pedagogical thought over the centuries. The course will explore the educational thought and practice of the leading theorists and pedagogues of the Western tradition.
A significant part of the course will be devoted to modern and contemporary pedagogical thought, with particular reference to the major educational transformations which, from the 19th century onwards, have redefined the role of the school and its educational function, orienting educational practices towards a greater focus on the pupil and their active involvement in teaching and learning processes.
The concluding part of the course will be dedicated to some of the most significant figures in 20th-century Italian pedagogy, whose thinking profoundly renewed the discipline and continues to offer fruitful insights even in the current context of epochal transformation linked to the emergence of artificial intelligence.

Prerequisiti

Students must have a sound grounding in general pedagogy acquired through courses taken in previous years of study, with particular reference to the main conceptual categories of educational thought and the theoretical foundations of the discipline. A basic knowledge of modern and contemporary history is also required, as it is necessary to contextualise educational phenomena within their historical framework. Preference will be given to candidates who have already taken examinations relating to the history of educational institutions or the philosophy of education.

Core Documentation

S. Santamaita, G. Seveso, Storia dell'educazione e delle pedagogie (III edizione), Pearson, Milano, 2025.
S. di Biasio, L. Silvestri (a cura di), Maestre e maestri della ricostruzione. Una nuova scuola nell'Italia tra dopoguerra e boom economico, Mondadori Education, Milano, 2024
I. Illich, Descolarizzare la società, Mimesis, Milano, 2019.

Reference Bibliography

Mark S. Johnson, Peter N. Stearns, Storia dell'educazione. Una prospettiva globale, Einaudi, Torino, 2025.

Attendance

frequency not mandatory, although recommended

Type of evaluation

The examination is conducted orally. The assessment will focus on the student’s grasp of the content relating to the history of pedagogy and education, with particular reference to the evolution of the educational relationship between teacher and pupil, as well as on the student’s ability to critically and personally reflect on the topics covered during the course. The assessment criteria will take into account the relevance and richness of the content presented, the internal coherence of the arguments, the ability to articulate concepts in a coherent manner, and the accuracy of terminology and expression.

Programme

The course will consist of a laboratory part in which some central ideas for the history of education in relation to the history of childhood will be preliminarily investigated: identity of the discipline, different ideas compared on the birth of the "feeling of childhood."
Next, "different childhoods" (bourgeois, peasant, blue-collar, abandoned) in the modern and contemporary ages will be analyzed through a reading by interpretive "prisms" also offered by the most up-to-date literature on the subject.

Prerequisiti

the entry requirements for the course are a good knowledge of pedagogical ideas of the authors of the modern and contemporary age.

Core Documentation

F. Borruso, Memoria, Infanzia, educazione. Modelli educativi e vita quotidiana fra Otto e Novecento, Roma Tre Press, 2021 (open access).

Attendance

The course will be held in the second semester twice a week

Type of evaluation

The examination will be conducted orally.