Educational Relevance of the Study

This study researches the effect of popular culture on learners in upper secondary school, and its potential in the classroom, but since the main subject of my study relates to power, and power as such is not a specific aim in the curriculum of English, it is necessary to point out the study’s educational relevance – on several levels. For the benefit of readers unfamiliar with the Norwegian system a brief presentation of these documents follows in the next paragraph.

The following documents must serve as the backdrop of all teaching in Norwegian classrooms: Firstly, this includes The Act Relating to Primary and Secondary Education in Norway (The Education Act), which regulates both primary and secondary education in Norway. It was revised in 1998, and effectuated in 1999 (Norwegian Government 1).

Secondly, The Core Curriculum of 1993 specifies and presents the general aims of education, focusing in particular on values, and the cultural and educational basis of primary and secondary education. Thirdly, and in addition to these regulating documents, there is a curriculum specific to each subject, relating to the aims and purposes of that subject’s teaching. For English as an obligatory subject, covering grades 1 to 11,¹ there is a compiled curriculum. There are also additional curriculums for English as an elective programme subject in grades 12 and 13 of general studies.

1.3.1. The Education Act

It is evident, that if you analyse the use of power and how people relate to each other through power, you will necessarily have to touch upon many of the aspects mentioned in The Education Act. This act is the governing document for all the curricula in Norwegian primary, secondary and adult education and it specifies that:

Education and training shall be based on fundamental values in Christian and humanist heritage and traditions, such as respect for human dignity and nature, on intellectual freedom, charity, forgiveness, equality and solidarity, values that also appear in different religions and beliefs and are rooted in human rights. (…) They are to promote democracy, equality and scientific thinking. The pupils and apprentices shall develop knowledge, skills and attitudes so that they can master their lives and can take part in working life and society. (…) The pupils and apprentices shall learn to think critically and act ethically and with environmental awareness. (Norwegian Government 5) One of my central principles as a teacher, is the idea that what goes on in the classroom should leave the students more capable of managing a future adult life. This is also what lies at the heart of this study. GOT portrays several incidents which challenge the values and principles of democracy, but in addition, there are clear examples of democratic values. This dualism calls for interesting discussions. Furthermore, I aim at the teaching of topics which

1 English is an obligatory subject in upper secondary school, but only for one year – grade 11 in general studies.

It runs over two years, year 11 and 12, in vocational studies. The curriculum for vocational studies is slightly altered to reflect a vocational perspective.

are relevant on several levels and for several subjects besides English. A brief look at the curriculums of other subjects, like social science, religion and history, discloses that a discussion relating to power has clear relevance. This is one of the benefits of working with literature; one may choose texts that are relevant beyond the specific work and which may be drawn upon in other subjects. This attitude to teaching is recommended in the Core Curriculum, which will be dealt with in the following paragraph.

1.3.2. Relevance in the Core Curriculum

The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training presents the following ambitious goal in the introduction of the Core Curriculum for Primary, Secondary and Adult Education in Norway:

The aim of education is to furnish children, young people and adults with the tools they need to face the tasks of life and surmount its challenges together with others.

Education shall provide learners with the capability to take charge of themselves and their lives, as well as with the vigor and will to stand by others. (5)

My study clearly ties in with these intentions: the idea is that through their participation in the interview, the students will acquire such tools as are referred to here – in this case relating to power use. Since power is an element in all relationships and at all levels and Michel Foucault even goes so far as to say that “[a]society without power relations can only be an abstraction”

(The Subject 343), the awareness caused by participation in the study may prove very useful to the individual. It may among other things help them resist being made the tools of others.

It is further pointed out in the introduction, that education “must accustom them [the learners]

to taking responsibility – to assess the effects of their actions on others and evaluate them in terms of ethical principles (5). This study also aims at raising the students’ consciousness about how they exercise their own power in given situations – especially considering the use of others as a means to an end. The same idea is reflected in Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative on moral actions (64-65).

It is also worth mentioning that the Core Curriculum recognises the need for a holistic approach to education: “[s]chooling shall provide a multi-faceted and all-round general education” (25). This is hard to achieve if teachers do not consider the wider perspective referred to in the Core Curriculum. It is perfectly possible to teach according to the curriculum of a specific subject, with a set of blinkers on, which causes you to focus entirely

on your own perspective. Knowing how easy it is to delve into your subject and favourite topics, I fear that many of the important aims in the Core Curriculum may easily remain untouched. Thus, the idea that the multi-faceted, comprehensive education is a “precondition for the evolution of the whole personality and for developing manifold interpersonal relationships” (25) may be at risk of being overlooked in schools. This point is expanded on in the claim that education should give students “concrete knowledge about the human being, society and nature which can provide a broad outlook and perspective” (25). In creating awareness and letting students reflect on both popular culture and power as an element of human relationships, this study attempts to supply the participants with some of this knowledge, hoping that “a more integrated understanding can emerge” (26).

The Core Curriculum further focuses on equality and democracy as important values in education. These values, and values in general for that matter, are particularly relevant in connection with the topic of power:

Education should be based on the view that all persons are created equal and that human dignity is inviolable. It should confirm the belief that everyone is unique; that each can nourish his own growth and that individual distinctions enrich and enliven our world. Education should foster equality between the sexes and solidarity among groups and across borders. It should portray and prove knowledge as a creative and versatile force, vigorous both for personal development and for humane social relations. (7-8)

Though it is not within the direct and specific scope of my study, the concept of equality was constantly referred to in the participants’ discussions, both directly and indirectly. Whenever power is in play, equality will be an issue, be it in terms of gender, slavery, racism, disability or class. The awareness of the interdependency of these two, power and equality, will hopefully lead to personal development for the participants.

The Core Curriculum maintains that education should aim at creating individuals who are morally responsible by implementing the ideals and values of society:

Education shall contribute to the building of character that gives individuals the strength to take command of their own lives, take on duties for their society, and take heed of the living environment. When greater knowledge gives greater power, more stress must be placed on the responsibility that accompanies this power. The choices to

be made must be based on awareness of consequences and connections, but also guided by probing against values. (9, 40)

If I relate this excerpt to my study, it is obvious that the values mentioned above will be central in the discussion about acceptable use of power, as well as whenever the participants comment on power use, be it when they approve, condone or reject it. If you have discussed one person’s unacceptable power use, this consciousness may cause you to think twice about how you exercise your own power. Thus the use of literature and film to show the use of power may be an efficient means of fulfilling this goal in the Core Curriculum.

In short, “education must be dedicated to the personal qualities we wish to develop and not solely to subject matter” (32). This way we may help students develop into socially and morally responsible adults who may be less likely to serve as pawns in games set up by others or turn others into pawns. The Core Curriculum suggests a key to this: “to create an environment that provides ample opportunities for children and young people to evolve social responsibility and practical capability for their future roles as adults” (32). Literature and film offer good opportunities for this.

1.3.3. Relevance in the Curriculum of English

In addition to the relevance in both the Education Act and the Core Curriculum, this study is clearly relevant for the subject English, as is shown in the main objective in English programme subject in programmes for specializing in general studies: “The programme subject’s broad approach to culture and society in the English-speaking world shall develop one’s skills in critical analysis and reflection” (1). This is exactly what the participants are going to do when they reflect on the power structures and power relationships they see expressed in GOT.

The course English Literature and Culture is only available to seniors in Norwegian upper secondary school, which is why I have singled it out among the other curricula of English, as I consider GOT more appropriate for senior students than the two other levels in upper secondary school study. There are several reasons for this: Firstly because of the length of the novels, secondly, this is due to a relatively difficult vocabulary in the novels and thirdly because of the content. Both the novels and TV-series include extensive brutality and several troubling issues. Incest and various types of abuse are included, and torture and brutal murders, as well as a display of racism, intolerance and suppression. Some of the scenes are

also rather frightening. Though the TV-series has been given a 15 year rating in Norway, it may still be difficult to relate to for a young reader or audience.

There are three competence aims in particular within the main subject area Culture and Literature that I find relevant in connection with my thesis:

 interpret a representative selection of texts from literary-historical periods in English literature, from the Renaissance up to the present time

 Interpret literary texts and other cultural expressions from a cultural-historical and social perspective

 analyse and assess a film and a selection of other artistic forms of expression within English-language culture. (5)

All three competence aims deal with literature, film and other cultural expressions, and how to understand them. My study ties in well with the aims above, both in terms of literature and film, as the students will reflect on and discuss what they have seen and read. Further relevance is found in the introduction to the main subject area Culture, Society and Literature, which describes the subject as one that “deals with key issues related to literature and culture in the English-speaking world, including literary texts and other artistic means of expression, such as visual art, theatre, music and architecture from various time periods and different parts of the world. It is about the relationship between text, culture and society.” With this specification in mind, I will argue that my study is highly relevant by educational standards. It employs an immensely popular book and TV-series by an American author and an American television network focusing on a topic that is highly relevant in human relations generally, and it may lead to a better understanding of today’s society as well past events.

In addition, it goes without saying that when you read English and watch and hear English being spoken, several of the aims relating to communication are met. These aims are not specified in the curriculum for English Literature and Culture, which is why I will not list them here, as they are considered as basic aims. Most of the communication aims at this level are connected to active use of the language, and watching and reading relate to a more passive aspect of communication, which is found in the specific aims at lower levels. One aim, however, using “suitable language, appropriate to the situation, in oral and written genres”, is highly relevant here. Since the society which is presented in the series is one in which hierarchy is essential, there are many examples of how the characters adjust their language and their style to befit the situation and person before them. If one can assume that most of the

films that the students usually watch are set in modern times, hierarchy and subordination will perhaps not be reflected as strongly in these films and the viewer will perhaps miss them altogether. In GOT these are highlighted, and may be used to teach students about different stylistic levels.