The purpose of the General Field component of the Qualifying exam is to test students' general knowledge of philosophy of education and their skill in applying philosophical reasoning to educational theory and practice. Candidates will be expected to address the question in a well-organized way, with clarity of language and theme, consistency, and sensitivity to context. While these questions are not designed to be research projects, you are encouraged to use readings that can help to inform your answer.
Sources listed in some of the questions are suggestions only.
There have been a number of proposals either to privatize the public education system or to provide parents with vouchers to enable them to choose from a number of different public schools. Articulate some of the arguments for these proposals and then explore this issue drawing on the conception of a public as articulated by philosophers such as Aristotle, Dewey, Habermas, Rousseau, etc. Analyze and evaluate the significance of these positions for the normative dimensions of the production, transmission, and evaluation of knowledge. Use at least two philosophical texts either within a tradition, or between traditions, to illustrate and evaluate these positions. There is a range of methods utilized by educational researchers, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative approaches.