Perspectives on education
Intended for the majority of full time (MPhil) masters students, the perspectives on education course draws on the international research reputation of Faculty of Education colleagues to provide a thorough understanding of the nature of education and its practices. Drawing on a range of ontological and epistemological traditions the course highlights not only how cultures vary against a range criteria but also how education, along with its various expectations, processes and traditions, is framed by the culture it represents and within which it is enacted.
Aims
The Perspectives on education strand aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the ways in which culture informs the nature and practices of education at all levels. In so doing it will, through exposure to different theoretical and empirical perspectives on the same key educational topics, not only deepen students’ understanding of the content of their chosen thematic route and how that content is informed by wider issues but also facilitate the ways in which they conceptualise and then realise the research they will undertake for their projects. In short, the course aims to provide students not only with a programme of study complementary to that of their thematic route but also one that will situate their thematic study against a range of globally significant issues.
Indicative content
The strand, which is not formally assessed, comprises two compulsory units and eight electives, from which students must select two. All units are of eight hours’ duration.
The compulsory units are
- Perspectives on social and educational change
- Education, culture and identity
The electives comprise
- Adolescence and environment in literature and culture
- The psychology of learning
- Perspectives on assessment and evaluation
- Arts, literature and creativity
- Social justice and education
- International perspectives on language education policy
- The nature of knowledge and curricula
- Cultural perspectives on inclusive education
The content of the perspectives course has been developed with each thematic route in mind. Thus, in addition to the broad framing nature of the compulsory units, the content of the electives has been developed with two key objectives in mind. Firstly, to further broaden the understanding education students will acquire and, secondly, to frame more fully within an international perspective, the study of their thematic route.