EDU-20034 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24

How and why should we educate children has always been a central concern for governments and educationalists around the world, and there have long been those who have opposed orthodoxy, challenged popular perception and called for a radicalization of youth. Drawing together Continental Romantics, Utopian dreamers, radical feminists, pioneering psychologists and social agitators this module seeks to explore the history of the progressive education movement in a range of cultural and social settings and contexts. Beginning with Jean Jacques Rousseau's seminal treatise Emile and closing with the Critical Pedagogy movement, this module will cover the key thinkers, movements and areas where schooling has been more than just a didactic pupil-teacher relationship. Furthermore, the module will also incorporate a visit to at least one progressive establishment so students may see first-hand the ways in which progressive ideas can be applied in the twenty-first century. There will be opportunity for reflection on this visit in the subsequent weeks thus enabling students to see the connections between theory and practice.

To develop a critical awareness of a range of progressive educational thinkers.
To examine a range of progressive educational texts, documentation and practices from around the world.
To relate and compare progressive educational techniques and strategies to 'mainstream' schooling.
To develop an understanding as to how progressive educational theory can be linked to developments in psychology, sociology and philosophy.
To acquire and understand an international perspective on progression through exploring competing discourses and traditions in America and Europe.
To consider the importance and use of progressive techniques in teaching practices.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Differentiate between the range of philosophical and theoretical arguments surrounding progressivism within education: 1
Communicate ideas and arguments about a range of progressive educational thinkers and their key texts: 1
Evaluate the debates surrounding progressivism and the implications for their introduction within the context of the classroom: 1
Interpret the research and scholarship that encompasses the 'progressive tradition' in relation to ideas, policy and practice: 1
Recognize the way key theorists contribute to the understanding and practices of pedagogy within progressive educational settings: 1
Draw on a range of sources of information, recognize, analyse and synthesize, evaluate and identify problems and solutions in relation to the module topics: 1

Study hours

10 hours lectures
10 hours seminars
8 hours day visit
48 hours lecture and seminar preparation
74 hours essay preparation

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment