The treasure house of a nation? Literary heritage, curriculum and devolution in Scotland and England in the twenty-first century

TY - JOUR

T1 - The treasure house of a nation? Literary heritage, curriculum and devolution in Scotland and England in the twenty-first century

AU - Elliott, Victoria Faith

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - In January 2012, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond announced a radical measure that would see every Scottish school student study a Scottish text from a prescribed list. In 2010, Michael Gove announced that ‘Our literature is the best in the world’ and that every pupil should study particular authors. The ‘cultural heritage’ model of English is increasingly dismissed by teachers and students However, it is this ‘cultural heritage’ model which is preserved in the discourse of politicians. This paper explores the role that literary heritage texts play in the discourse of education policy in the context of devolution in twenty-first century Britain and considers the drivers and differences which can be seen in England and Scotland.

AB - In January 2012, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond announced a radical measure that would see every Scottish school student study a Scottish text from a prescribed list. In 2010, Michael Gove announced that ‘Our literature is the best in the world’ and that every pupil should study particular authors. The ‘cultural heritage’ model of English is increasingly dismissed by teachers and students However, it is this ‘cultural heritage’ model which is preserved in the discourse of politicians. This paper explores the role that literary heritage texts play in the discourse of education policy in the context of devolution in twenty-first century Britain and considers the drivers and differences which can be seen in England and Scotland.

U2 - 10.1080/09585176.2014.892017

DO - 10.1080/09585176.2014.892017

M3 - Article

SN - 0958-5176

VL - 25

SP - 282

EP - 300

JO - Curriculum Journal

JF - Curriculum Journal

IS - 2

ER -