Towards Inclusion? A Genealogy of Education Policy Discourses in Germany and the U.S. from 1949 – 2009 (Working Title)
First Advisor: Prof. Dr. Anne Waldschmidt
Second Advisor: Prof. Dr. Justin J.W. Powell
I am conducting a genealogy of education policy discourses on the inclusion of children with disabilities in general classrooms and schools. A 60-year discourse found in two federalist countries, Germany and the United States of America, respectively, is compared. Policies found on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are analyzed using Michel Foucault’s discourse analytical framework. By analyzing the emergence, continuity, and transformation of discourse formations in the field of education policy for children with disabilities, this research aims to identify places of power and to critically examine notions of progress.