Bildung as self-formation through encounter with the world and return to oneself¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The article presents Bildung, rooted in Von Humboldt and extended by Gadamer, as the development of a personal and academic identity achieved by going out to the external world and reflecting the experience back into one's inner being. The author quotes Von Humboldt's view that fulfilment comes 'by the linking of the self to the world', and stresses that scholarship alone does not produce Bildung without this return to oneself. Dialogue with others, whose particularity confronts the individual with new perspectives, is named as an important ingredient of Bildung-centred education.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• An encounter with difference — external objects of the world or other people — that the learner reflects back into their own inner being

Constraints¶

• Scientific activities give knowledge of the world but do not automatically induce Bildung; mere scholarship must be transformed by a return to the individual's own inner being

Target Learners¶

• University students in higher education

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Personal development and identity formation
• Contribution to the well-being of society

Claims¶

• Films with existential themes can serve as vehicles for Bildung in higher education [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Ricoeur's hermeneutical arc as a three-step model of film interpretation
• Bildung as a theoretical framework for open education

Examples¶

• Dialogue in a safe environment is central to Bildung-oriented film education

Key Sources¶

• Koster, E. (2019). Bildung through films: How to discuss existential questions in academia. Film Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.18546/FEJ.02.2.04