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EDU-10080 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

EDU-10080 - Children and Learners in Society
Coordinator: Bowen Zhang
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module explores the ways in which children and learners are portrayed and understood within wider society. By looking at a range of films, television programmes, newspapers, and social media platforms you will examine the assumptions we as adults hold about children and learners and their role and place in the world around us. This will then be compared to other countries around the globe to offer comparative analysis.

Aims
1 To enable students to reflect on education’s role in forming young learners’ social identities and future opportunities.
2 To evaluate how various social institutions, such as family, school, and the state, contribute to shaping children's identities and learning experiences
3 To apply theoretical frameworks to understand and analyse real-world education issues related to young learners.
4 To critically analyse the role and place of young learners in our society, including how they are portrayed in the media and policy documents.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Summarise theory and research in relation to the social and historical construction of childhood.: 1
Describe the development of various recent interventions, strategies and agendas impacting childhood and education.: 1
Explain a range of discourses in which childhood is encoded, such as media, literature, art, state, and education.: 1
Interpret the connections between state policy, education, and societal constructions of childhood.: 1

Study hours

11 hours of lectures
11 hours of seminars and field trip
8 hours of field trips
60 hours directed and private study
60 hours preparation period for the assessment

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Essay weighted 100%
2,000 word critical review of a book or film relevant to module themes
Students can choose a book or film on childhood and young learners and critically evaluate it by applying the theoretical and empirical knowledge learned in the module. This assessment encourages critical thinking and helps students develop academic writing skills.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025