Lee, Sangeun;
(2025)
The Subjectivity of the Student and the Language of the Curriculum: Levinas, Cavell and the Ethics of Learning.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
The thesis aims to reconsider student subjectivity in learning curriculum content. The initial point of inquiry stems from the OECD’s discourse of student agency. The concept of student agency, proposed as a central agenda in OECD Education 2030, can be accepted as a call to encourage students’ active engagement in learning. However, I think that we need to critically examine the underlying assumptions regarding student subjectivity and its relationship with curriculum. The practice of defining students as agents emphasises such factors as students’ activity, initiative, and responsibility for their decisions, and this affects the way that student subjectivity is understood. While we may admit that students need to develop these attitudes and values, the understanding of the relationship between students, curriculum content, and teachers solely from this perspective risks missing a significant aspect of education. Particularly, I problematise the perspective that identifies student subjectivity through a focus on self-centredness and views curriculum content through the lens of ownership. Instead, the thesis aims to examine an alternative way of thinking that pays attention to otherness. To this end, I draw mainly on the ideas of Levinas and Cavell, both of whom offer a theoretical foundation that interprets the human being’s subjectivity in a novel manner, emphasising the role of otherness in its formation. The thesis comprises three parts. The first part critically examines the OECD’s discourse of student agency, with particular attention paid to the interpretation of this idea within the South Korean context, and raises underlying philosophical issues. The second part addresses questions concerning student freedom and student singularity in learning. The third part explores the nature of student responsibility in their relation—and, in conversation—with teachers, especially in an era of AI. The argument of the thesis ponders the implications of students’ becoming ethical subjects in learning.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The Subjectivity of the Student and the Language of the Curriculum: Levinas, Cavell and the Ethics of Learning |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10204452 |
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