A Study Of Contemporary American Curriculum Discourses

The dissertation aspires to analyze the external and internal causes for the transformation of contemporary American curriculum discourses. It attempts to seek the theoretical bases for curriculum discourses. Systematic efforts are made to portray the pedigree of contemporary American curriculum discourses. To pursue the goal of understanding the profound meanings of curriculum, the paper interprets a variety of important themes. Comparisons and assessments have been conducted among discourses, and the important features of them have been summarized. Finally implications has been shed light on for curriculum reform in China.The thesis is classified as ten chapters and composed of three parts: The first part talks about the transformation and theoretical bases of contemporary American curriculum discourses. The second part is involved in mapping the pedigree and disclosing curriculum understanding of contemporary American curriculum discourses. The last part is concerned with comparisons and implications of curriculum discourses.The study field of contemporary American curriculum attaches the importance of language and symbles breaking down the schemes of undue emphasis upon universal curriculum principles in conventional curriculum field, and bringing the proliferation of curriculum discourses. The new trend of curriculum field is attributed to speical backgrounds. The status of social, political, economic and cultural development in America makes much contribution to the transformation of contemporary American curriculum discourses. The rise of Pragmatics in scholarly circle of the West and "Abstract Social Theory" become outer thrust to the shift of contemporary American curriculum discourses. American educational reform and the reconceptualization in curriculum field cause paradigms shift. It's just the influence of combined forces that causes the appearance of contemporary American curriculum discourses. Multiple curriculum discourses vividly exhibit "understanding paradigm". The theoretical fruits of cultural studies" in the West provide linguistic context of culture for contemporary American curriculum discourses enriching discursive resources and making discourses possess critical traits in spiritual contents. West Neo-Marxism, post-modern theory of difference ,and gender theory provide direct lingustic sources and the bases of thoughts for contemporary American curriculum discourses.On the one hand, contemporary American curriculum study stretches out puttingcurriculum into social scenes extensively to interpret and construct comprehensive meanings of curriculum from political, economic, and cultural perspectives and thus makes political curriculum discourse, racial curriculum discourse, feminist curriculum discourse, and post-structural curriculum discourse come into being. On the other, curriculum study dives into children's life-world and practitioners' own inner life. Praxis of these concrete life-worlds with the end to understand and construct the curriculum meanings bears phenomenological and autobiographical curriculum discourses. Diverse curriculum discourses constitute contemporary American curriculum field. Potential meanings of curriculum are in various themes . The paper selects some specific texts in American curriculum field and makes great efforts to interpret the major themes to grasp complicated connotations of curriculum expanding our versions, and changing conventional mode of thinking of curriculum.Complexity and diversity are characteristics of themes of contemporary American curriculum discourses. They have divergent linguistic source and context. It's beneficial to different understandings of curriculum. Interpretations and dialogue are needed for all discourses. They possess traits of metaphor, critique, values loaded with, construction, anti-power, advocacy for individual's emancipation, contradictions, veritable relationess embedded in. Contemporary American curriculum discourses are transcendency of traditional ones presenting two areas: first, veritable discourses on the basis of des...