Institutions

University of Barcelona was founded in 1450 with the name of Estudi General of Barcelona, after a petition by city councilors and the royal decree of Alfonso the Magnanimous. In 1559, the teaching was consolidated, when general study of all faculties was introduced.

Following the position taken by the city of Barcelona in the War of Succession in 1717 the University was transferred to Cervera, where it remained until 1842. The building now housing the Chancellor, in the Plaça Universitat, was initiated in 1863 by architect Elies Rogent. Its construction had a major impact on the city, it was one of the first buildings to be built outside the ancient walls, in the new district now known as Eixample, planned by Cerdà.

Until 1968 it was the only university in Catalonia (today there are 10 more) and it is still the largest, with 19 faculties, 90,000 students and about 5000 teachers. It has a range of training of 49 degrees, 150 masters courses and 69 university doctoral programs. It is also the foremost university, in terms of scientific research, in Spain.

The Department of Theory and History of Education of the Faculty of Education, at the University of Barcelona, is responsible for teaching and research in areas related to the Theory of Education, History of Education, Social Pedagogy, Comparative Education and the Philosophy of Education, among others. Specifically, it develops its research thanks to consolidated research groups, including the Grup de Recerca en Educació Moral (GREM), Group of Teaching Virtual Learning (GREAV), and Group of Overcome Inequalities Education. Its academic and intellectual tradition dates back to the Pedagogical Seminary, founded in 1930 by Professors Joaquim Xirau and Emili Mira and has been known for eminent professors, such as its first director Alexandre Sanvisens (1918-1995).

The Inter-University Seminar on Theory of Education (SITE) is a network of study and theoretical and practical knowledge that brings together researchers from different universities across Spain. It began in 1982 at the University of Murcia, thanks to the initiative of some teachers, with the intention of consolidating, constructing and defining the research agenda and ways to develop knowledge of the Theory of Education. Annually, we organize a meeting of approximately 50 faculty members in a Spanish university, with the aim of discussing a topic of interest in the field of Theory of Education.

Its founding members were Richard Marin (General Education Valencia), Alejandro Sanvisens (General Education Barcelona), Gonzalo Vazquez (General Pedagogy at the Complutense University), José Antonio Ibáñez Martín (Philosophy of Education at the University Complutense), José María Quintana Cabanas (Social Pedagogy UNED), José Luis Castillejo (Introduction empirical Science Education Valencia), Antonio J. Colom (Mallorca General Education), Joaquín García Carrasco (General Education Salamanca), Juan Escámez (General Education Murcia) and Jaime Sarramona (General Education from Autónoma de Barcelona).