Humanity and Teaching Literature in Contemporary General Upper Secondary School

Adrijana Špacapan

Summary:  The ethical turn in literary studies is the basis of the question of how the promotion of an adolescent’s ethical consideration and openness to The Other through teaching literature in general upper secondary school is formally supported and viable. The article explores the response of Slovene education legislation and curricular documents to the concepts of the humane intellectual and the citizen of the world (M. Nussbaum) and the concept of a good education, dedicated to assessing values, and the search for meaning and wisdom (P. Abbs, G. Biesta).The Article Two of the currently valid General Upper Secondary School Act and The Curriculum for the Slovenian Language in General Upper Secondary School do not include this idea. The latter does provide the grounds for its introduction but is in the present concept of the general upper secondary school a less feasible goal. In contrast, the basic legal document (Organisation and Financing of Education Act) supports the idea, which, however, places a teacher into a conflicting situation between his/her professional – personal stance and the dichotomy of legislative provisions, as well as directly binding documents for teaching.