Public education as a marketing medium: An examination of corporate-sponsored curriculum used in the Canadian public school classroom

This thesis draws on the work of a wide range of theorists, philosophers, and educators in order to examine corporate sponsored curriculum used in the Canadian public school system. The main aim of this thesis is to determine whether or not corporate sponsored curriculum is, in fact, advertising. Does the classroom become a marketing medium through the use of corporate sponsored curriculum? Two case studies, of the Bank of Montreal's my money Investment Kit and the Tampax Health Education Program On Puberty And Menstrual Health, will be used as models for this thesis. The curriculum will be examined through both proponents and critics of adverting via four main perspectives. These perspectives include: (1) the view that advertising is a form of information, (2) the view that advertising is a form of persuasion, (3) the view that advertising is a form of symbolism, and (4) the critical cultural view of advertising. The findings will be entrenched in the socio-historical context of the current role played by the system of public education. This role is then contrasted with the aims and desires of marketing organizations and corporations. The thesis concludes with a synthesis of the findings and combines them with theoretical, philosophical, and contemporary views of education and society. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 39-02, page: 0372. Adviser: Myles Ruggles. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2000.