Core modules
In year one you will study eight compulsory modules (see below). In year two you will study compulsory modules in Research Methods, Globalisation and Education, Policies and Politics of the English Education System, and Professional Identity and Skills: Work Based Placement. You will then choose optional modules to complete your Year Two programme.
In year three you will study two core modules including dissertation, plus modules from within the Department or up to two education-focused modules from other Departments.
Year One
Theories of Learning
This module introduces you to various psychological theories outlining how human beings learn. The module covers leading child development theorists' perspectives on learning in the early years (such as Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky) as well as exploring the work of theorists who explore learning from the perspective of older children, young people and adults. By the end of the module you'll have acquired the tools for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of contrasting learning theories. This module also aims to give you an insight into the relationship between social values, culture and theories of learning.
Read more about the Theories of Learning moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Social Contexts of Childhood and Education
This module is an introduction to the sociologies of education and childhood. It will cover theories of social reproduction through education, and consider themes including socialisation and agency. We will engage with concepts of stigma, marginalisation and social mobility. Theoretical ideas such as intersectionality, habitus and hegemony will feature as we get to grips with the relationship between educational and social inequalities. Students will be invited to consider social class, gender, ‘race’ and disability, and employ their ‘sociological imagination’ to analyse contemporary accounts of educational experience.
Read more about the Social Contexts of Childhood and Education moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Foundations for Learning: The Early Years
What motivates children to learn? How do they learn? What should they learn? In this module, you’ll consider what very young children (0-5 years) need to take part in education and society. Topics include:
- Developmental theory (prenatal and through early years)
- Holistic learning
- Diversity and inclusion
- The role of adults in education and society
- Leadership and governance
- UK and international initiatives to improve the outcomes for disadvantaged young children and their life chances
Read more about the Foundations for Learning: The Early Years moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
International Education
This module will explore models, concepts and themes relating to education at a global level. There are two overarching trends which structure the sessions. First, processes of globalisation provide a theoretical frame within which students will examine themes and trends that cut across geographical and national boundaries. Among other things, globalisation and children’s rights to education, the Millennium Development Goals, the investment in early years education, and the marketisation of schooling and higher education are discussed. Second, the module will focus on the way that education is promoted within different international contexts, thereby exploring how factors such as ideology, culture and economics impact on education. There will be more of a case study approach here with students focusing on country specific education systems, such as Scandinavia, America or Italy. In each case the focus may be on the schooling system, the provision of early years education or the shifting role of higher education.
Read more about the International Education moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Creativity, Culture and Learning
The idea of creativity is at the heart of contemporary educational policy and practice. You could say that developing creativity is a 21st-century educational ideal. Yet claims about creativity often avoid questions of what creativity is and why creative activities might be valuable. Through this module, you’ll understand:
- The key debates and concepts relating to creativity
- How different forms of creative thinking, behaviour and learning can be encouraged
- The role of ideology in shaping personal, local, national and global attitudes to creative forms of thinking, learning and behaving
- How to debate and evaluate what a creative learning experience is
Read more about the Creativity, Culture and Learning moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Introduction to the Philosophy of Education
What is philosophy? What does a philosophical question about education look like? What role has philosophical thought historically played in shaping education? What role and status should philosophy have in education today? Can teaching and learning be effective if there is not a philosophical element to it? This module considers these questions, in the context of exploring the relationship between the discipline of philosophy and the field of education. The module will provide an introductory starting point for wrestling with these questions through close reading of extracts of key philosophical texts and through practically exploring the teaching of philosophy with primary aged pupils in a local school setting.
Read more about the Introduction to the Philosophy of Education moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Education Today
This module is your starting point to understand historical and contemporary issues in education. It is organised around the idea that policies and practices from the past still resonate in the organisation, funding, priorities and day-to-day life of educational institutions today. Students will get the chance to access the historical archive held at the Modern Records Centre on campus, which contains a wealth of material on late 19th-20th century British and international history, politics, economics and society. The themes covered by the module include compulsory schooling policies, colonialism and schooling, special needs education, and gender segregation.
Read more about the Education Today moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Academic Identity and Skills
This reflective and practical module allows you to explore your preferred ways of learning. Through considering the academic standards, assessment methods and teaching and learning practices used in Higher Education this module will support you to develop an informed, personalised and critical approach to academic scholarship that will scaffold your success at university.
Read more about the Academic Identity and Skills moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Year Two
Globalisation and Education
This module will explore models, concepts and themes relating to the globalisation of education. In particular, there are two general trends outlined and critically examined with reference to globalisation.
The first overarching theme is the idea of globalisation as a process of global standardisation. The module will pick up on a number of debates and issues relating to how attempts have been made to homogenise education globally, or at least move towards more universal provision at a number of different levels. This will involve analyses of the political and economic dimensions of globalisation as it affects education including the involvement of supra-national organisations, NGOs, and nation states.
The second dominant theme is the emphasis on global diversity. Attempts at globalising education come up against political and cultural obstacles. The second half of the module will focus more on trends and cases of education and schooling that highlight the diversity of provision, and practices within education. The sessions will refer to global and national policy contexts where relevant, as well as pick up on novel attempts to provide education and schooling in contexts of political and economic adversity.
Read more about the Globalisation and Education moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Policies and Politics of the English Education System
This module will introduce you to the core areas of policy contention, innovation and development in the English educational system. Starting with the historical context, you’ll discover how the major reviews of education in the 20th and 21st centuries have shaped educational policy and practice. You’ll also explore:
- formal educational assessment
- how policy affects educational inequality
- how social and cultural changes within English society have affected the education system and curriculum
- different approaches to teacher training
- trends in the marketisation of education in England
Read more about the Policies and Politics of the English Education System moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Professional Identity and Skills: Work-Based Placement
This module gives you the opportunity to hone your professional skills and career aspirations through an education-focused work-based placement. In taught sessions you’ll explore the professional characteristics of organisations who work with children, young people and their families in an educational capacity. This will include investigating the staffing and leadership structures of example organisations, their policies, their modes of work, professional roles and conduct. In addition, the role of reflective practice in professional development will be examined from both theoretical and practical angles. You’ll be given support with organising your placement, which can be in a location of your choice (however, approval must be gained from the module leader who must see a clear connection between the work of your chosen organisation and the concept of ‘education’) or may be based with one of the Department of Education Studies’ key partners. Education Studies placement partners consist of organisations that deliver both formal and informal education in a variety of contexts (i.e. schools, hospitals, charities, children’s centres, sports organisations, youth theatres, community organisations).
Read more about the Professional Identity and Skills: Work-Based Placement moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Research Methods
This module will equip you with the theoretical knowledge and the practical research design skills required for research in the education field. By running your own small-scale research project, you will also gain confidence in your ability to devise and conduct your dissertation project in your final year. In this module you’ll study:
- How to form research questions and hypotheses
- How to match research questions to appropriate research methodologies
- When to employ quantitative or qualitative research, and what their strengths and limitations in education are
- How to design data collection materials such as questionnaires and interview schedules
- Ethical and legal issues involved with research in an education field
Read more about the Research Methods moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Year Three
21st Century Educational Innovation
This module explores current and future innovation in education. Topics include: the future needs of education practice, from birth to adult; global and local cultures and practice; multiliteracy; diversity; social justice; the marketisation of education; and governance. You’ll also investigate the difference between equity and equality – and analyse how different models of education positively or negatively impact students’ learning.
After three years of study, this module will enable you to apply the knowledge you’ve gathered during your course to present your own possible alternative models of education.
Read more about the 21st Century Educational Innovation moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Contemporary Issues in Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion
- Philosophy in Education
- Children’s Literature in Childhood
- Education and Social Justice
- Education for Sustainability
- Masculinities, Fatherhood and Young Children
- Arts-Based Learning in Education
- Representations of Teaching and Learning in the Media
- The Developing Child in the School Context
