Description
Through the popular, animated sci-fi sitcom, Rick and Morty, I will examine how the conflicting ideas and representations of school and education may, in fact, come to symbolise Western conflicting philosophies of education. Using excerpts from the show, I will expose Rick as an “unschooler” (a person whose philosophy on education is that school is not required, or even harmful), but also as someone who advocates in favour of school when it suits him: consider the elaborate School for Mortys situated on the Citadel of Ricks, or his reluctance to leave High School when he returns to it as a younger version of himself. I will show how Morty’s view is somewhat bound up in his parents’ attitudes, while pursuing his own interests. He feels the pressure of getting good grades, yet his time at school (when he is there at all) is preoccupied with the social aspect.Finally, I will explain how these are symbolic of the competing philosophies of education existing along generational lines today. Rick and Morty come to represent the older and younger generation respectively. The question of what the older generation wants from the younger (Schleiermacher, 1826 cited in Friesen, 2017) is one of the fundamental questions in philosophy of education and this examination of one object of popular culture, in which the generational divide is prominently demonstrated, might enlighten us on this a little further.
Friesen, N. (2017). The pedagogical relation past and present: experience, subjectivity and failure. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 48(6), 743-756.
| Period | 7 Apr 2023 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association 2023 National Conference |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | San Antonio, United States, TexasShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |