University of the West of England

MODULE SPECIFICATION

(Revised November 2002)

Code: UPSNMC-30-2 Title: Education and Society Version: 3

Level: 2 UWE credit rating: 30 ECTS credit rating: 15

Module type: Standard

Owning Faculty: Social Sciences and Humanities Field: Sociology

Valid from: September 2008 Discontinued from:

Contributes towards: Awards up to BA/BSC (Hons)

Pre-requisites: None

Co-requisites: None

Excluded combinations: UNS013S3 Education and Society

Learning outcomes:

At the end of the module students should have;

• Increased their knowledge and understanding of current developments in education (component A, component B, element 1 & 2).

• Developed understanding of the key concepts and theoretical approaches in sociology which aid the evaluation of education as social policy (component A, component B, element 1 & 2).

• Developed an awareness of social context, of social diversity and inequality and their impact on educational processes and outcomes(component A, component B, element 1 & 2).

• Developed an understanding of the social processes underpinning social change in education policy and practices (component A, component B, element 1 & 2).

• Further developed a range of sociological and transferable skills (component A, component B, element 1 & 2).

Syllabus outline:

Education and inequality in the post-war period. The post-war consensus. The role of educational ideologies and discourses. Meritocracy and equality of opportunity. Class, gender and racial inequalities in education. Policy and inequality, eg. Comprehensivisation, Grammar schools and Public schools, co-education, multi-cultural education. Issues and explanations, debates over intelligence, cultural and linguistic deprivation, teacher expectations, poverty and material inequalities.

Society, the state and current educational policy. Debates over reproduction, education and post-Fordism. The new right and educational policy. New Vocationalism, TVEI and youth training. LMS and new funding arrangements. Curriculum issues, knowledge and the curriculum, the national curriculum. Education as a marketplace, choice, decomprehensivisation. League tables and the problem of schools effectiveness. Sociology and the study of educational policy making, from grand theory to the role of case study research.

Teaching and learning methods:

Lectures, video, seminar discussions and presentations, workshops.

Indicative sources:

Ball S J Politics and Policy Making in Education : explorations in Policy Sociology. RKP 1990.

Glatter et al (eds) Choice and Diversity in Schooling. Routledge. 1997.

Green A Education and State Formation. Macmillan. 1990

Halsey A (ed) Education, Culture, Economy and Society. Oxford, 1997.

Halsey A H et al Origins and Destinations. OUP 1980.

Pascall G Social policy; New Feminist Analysis. Routledge. 1997.

Troyna B and

Carrington B Education, Racism and Reform. Routledge. 1990.

Assessment

Weighting between components A and B (standard modules only) A: 50% B: 50%

ATTEMPT 1

First Assessment Opportunity

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Examination (3 hours) 50%

Component B

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Short Essay / Review (2000 words) 25%

2. Short Essay / Review (2000 words) 25%

Second Assessment Opportunity (further attendance at taught classes is not required)

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Examination (3 hours) 50%

Component B

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Short Essay / Review (2000 words) 25%

2. Short Essay / Review (2000 words) 25%

SECOND (OR SUBSEQUENT) ATTEMPT: Attendance at taught classes is not required.

Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………

(Associate Dean/Programme Director)