Section: Research Student Profiles

Ellen Asquith

Name
Ellen Asquith
Organisation
Sociology, School of Social and Political Science
University of Edinburgh
Address
Rm 6.16, Chrystal Macmillan Building 15A George Square Edinburgh UK EH8 9LD
E-Mail
URL
http://www.sociology.ed.ac.uk/research_students/ellen_asquith
Ellen Asquith

Research Interests

political engagement, citizenship education, qualitative research with young people, (auto)ethnography

 

Working Title

Exploring Values? Citizenship and political engagement in a Scottish high school

 

Overview

Fears surrounding the political (dis)engagement of young people influenced the introduction of citizenship education across UK schools from 2002. Although perceived by some as a social crisis originating with apolitical young generations, the political in/actions of young people tie to deeper impacts of long-ranging changes to the contexts of their lives and the practice of democracy in late modernity. Citizenship education in Scotland runs as a cross-curricular theme, premised on the view that young people are citizens now not citizens-in-waiting. Schooling for citizenship implies the promotion of democratic values, currently influenced by conceptions of the active citizen. Informed by a participatory agenda, learning institutions are expected to provide experiences of school as democracy, with school ethos integral to citizenship education goals. Successful, inclusive participation is contingent on acknowledging the diversity of young people’s lives and according a level of respect not routinely experienced by young people in wider society.  In this context, research explores education for citizenship through the lived experiences of a group of final year pupils in a Scottish high school.  The relationship between the ‘official school’ and the ‘informal school’ is explored ethnographically.

 

Supervision

Dr. Michael Rosie

Professor Lynn Jamieson

 

Qualifications

MA Sociology, First Class Honours, University of Edinburgh

MSc Socio-Cultural Studies (Distinction), University of Edinburgh

 

This page was published on 10 February 2011


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