School subjects are generally not considered “popular.“ Schools are institutions dedicated to teaching what ought to command attention – they engage in first-order popularization. At the same time, class­room teaching and its didactic reflection face demands from internal and external actors to incor­porate current, often conten­tious topics which are undeniably popular: they have already been noticed by many! Our subproject, situated in both German and Political Education studies investi­gates the relation­ship between canonical and popular subjects – how they compete, how they enter or are excluded from class­rooms, and how this reflects broader changes to a long-estab­lished insti­tution amid the legiti­mation problems of “high” culture and its accommo­dation of the popular.
The first research focus analyzes how the didactic discourse in both subjects – which signifi­cantly shapes teachers’ peda­gogical orien­tations – has addressed the inclusion of popular topics in teaching practice between 2000 and 2025. This includes evaluating text­books and curricula. The second research focus examines which subjects teachers select for their class­rooms, with what objec­tives, and how their selection criteria and goals enable (or hinder) the inte­gration of popular subjects.
By interro­gating these dynamics, the project sheds light on how schools nego­tiate their role as media­tors of cultural know­ledge in an era where popular and canonical claims increasingly intersect.