Deck 10: Postmodernism and Education

Question 1

Critics charge that while postmodernism provides new insight into power relations in school and society,its fascination with difference and marginality may blind it to the

A)power vacuum left by the overthrow of liberalism.
B)characteristics human beings hold in common.
C)real differences between genders and races.
D)fundamental fact of universal truth.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Michel Foucault maintained that historical events are influenced by "regimes of truth" that are the result of

A)historical processes outside the control of mortal humans.
B)the march of objective science unleashed from sectarian religious control.
C)human invention within specific historical contexts.
D)nationalistic tendencies tied to racial and geographic origins.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Postmodern educational theory rejects master narratives and favors a curriculum that includes contributions by narratives

A)of a new ideology of cultural supremacy.
B)that reject all Eurocentric origins.
C)on the margins of culture.
D)for the rising middle classes.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Jacques Derrida holds that the logocentrism of Western philosophy has led not to accurate representations of logos,but to

A)uncovering the principles of the universe.
B)religion and theology rather than to nature.
C)greater disciplined inquiry.
D)discourses,writings,or texts.

Question 5

Henry Giroux believes the aim of education is to

A)engage students in social discourse that helps them reject human suffering and exploitation.
B)promote a hierarchical social organization with postmodernism's rejection of metanarratives
C)help students promote a better understanding of the language difficulties involved.
D)provide students with the kinds of texts they need to solve problems.

Question 6

A major concern in postmodern education is a sensitivity to language and how it

A)shapes the way students think and conceptualize.
B)can be used inaccurately by uncaring students.
C)needs to be used according to universal rules.
D)must always be spoken carefully and properly.

Question 7

If modernism sought unity and standardization modeled along the lines of science,postmodernism promotes

A)marginal knowledge and discourses of difference.
B)social class identity and conflict with bourgeois influences.
C)maintaining the boundaries between race and gender.
D)truths from the past that stand the test of time.

Question 8

Postmodernism is sometimes referred to as "parasitical" on modernism,but one characteristic that sets it apart from modernism is its

A)reliance upon Marxist critical theory.
B)rejection of philosophical master narratives.
C)examination of underlying cultural ideas.
D)use of education to promote its central ideas.

Question 9

Neopragmatists criticize postmodernism for its nihilistic and negative tendencies when what is needed,they claim,is

A)a return to the certainty of scientific purity and the search for global unity.
B)less confrontation and more dialogical encounter in a community of inquirers.
C)a reassertion of the Kantian program of critiquing all knowledge claims.
D)a revival of the Platonic search for social justice found in the search for Truth.

Question 10

Generally speaking,postmodernists hold that the curriculum should not be viewed as discrete subjects and disciplines,but as studies of

A)power,history,cultural politics,and social criticism.
B)truth,goodness,and beauty around the world.
C)historical importance that survive the ages.
D)equal weight and merit if reflecting truth claims.