Contemporary Sociologies of Education
| Module title | Contemporary Sociologies of Education |
|---|---|
| Module code | EFPM376 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Mr Daniel Leyton Atenas (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
This module offers students an in-depth exploration of the relationship between society and education in contemporary times from diverse sociological points of view, considering global and local contexts where educational processes and problems take shape. It draws on key contemporary and emerging social thinkers, and sociological concepts and approaches applied to different pressing issues in education. You will study core ideas in sociologies of education from scholars such as Pierre Bourdieu, Michael Foucault, Raewyn Connell, Judith Butler, and Erving Goffman. The module takes a cutting-edge look at new and emerging areas of attention in the sociologies of education, such as mental health and disabilities; inequalities, social justice and power; the culture of success; teacher professionalisation; and the emerging influence of technologies and life sciences on schools. The module will equip students with the knowledge and skills to be able to work in complex educational organisations, bringing understanding and capacities to intervene in the socio-cultural issues and dilemmas faced by governments, civil society organisations, educators, families and students.
The module is suitable for students across education masters programmes and students from social sciences programmes such as sociology, anthropology, politics and philosophy.
Module aims - intentions of the module
• To introduce key contemporary authors and theoretical approaches in sociology of education and enable students to acquire sound knowledge about social dynamics in education and their consequences.
• To explore key debates and issues from different sociological perspectives applied to pressing issues in education regarding the reproduction and overcoming of inequalities and power at individual, micro, and structural levels
• To explore key debates and issues from different sociological perspectives applied to the challenges facing different educational actors, especially teachers, students, educational leaders, and policymakers.
• To introduce emerging and key influences in education such as educational technologies and the role of life sciences in education and encourage students to critically analyse and assess their implications
• To encourage students to critically link sociological knowledge and findings with ways of empowering key educational actors such as teachers and students.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate sound understanding of the theoretical approaches and key authors work which have underpinned the study of education, power, inequalities and subjectivities from a sociological standpoint.
- 2. Demonstrate ability to critically consider the different ways in which sociology of education can be originally applied to specific education problems and empowering diverse educational actors.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate analytical skills to examine and differentiate diverse sociological approaches to education and their implications for empirical understanding and interventions.
- 4. Apply core concepts and analytical schema from sociology to systematise and critically assess research findings and assumptions in educational research and practice.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Construct organised, structured, critically reflective and analytic writing
- 6. Demonstrate analytical capacities to understand context-specific problems within educational organisations in a wider socio-cultural and economic context.
- 7. Assess diverse pathways of oriented problem-solving actions in educational contexts and their implications for educational actors, organisations, the educational system, and wider society.
Syllabus plan
• Introduction to key thinkers and concepts in sociologies of education.
• The reproduction of inequalities, power and social justice in education.
• Sociologies of mental health and disabilities in schools.
• Sociology of teachers’ professionalism.
• Cultures of success in education.
• Emerging influence of educational technologies and life sciences in education.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 270 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Teaching and Learning Activities | 30 | 30 hours (3 hours per week) comprising of lectures and seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Reading for seminars/lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | 120 | Directed study e.g. web-based activities; preparing for academic tutorial; preparing for seminars; responding to seminar activities; collaborative group tasks |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Preparation for assignments and further independent reading |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Essay | 1500 words | 1-7 | Written Feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 30 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Essay | 100 | 4000 words based on topics of sociological relevance for education | 1-7 | Written feedback/mark |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Essay | Written Essay (4.000 words) | 1-7 | 6 weeks |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- English, F. W., & Bolton, C. L. (2015). Bourdieu for educators: Policy and practice. Routledge.
- Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Foucault, M. (1979). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans. by Alan Sheridan. Vintage.
- Brooks, R. (2019). Education and society: places, policies, processes. Red Globe Press.
- Butler, J. (1990) Gender trouble. Routledge.
- Butler, J. (2004). Undoing gender. Routledge.
- Youdell, D. (2020). Judith Butler and education. Routledge.
- Murphy, M. (Ed.). (2022). Social theory and education research: Understanding Foucault, Habermas, Bourdieu and Derrida (2nd ed.). Routledge.
- Connell, R. W. (1993). Schools & social justice. Temple University Press
- Gottesman, I. (2016). The critical turn in education: From Marxist critique to poststructuralist feminism to critical theories of race. Routledge.
- Gorur, R., Landri, P., & Normand, R. (Eds.). (2024). Rethinking sociological critique in contemporary education: Reflexive dialogue and prospective inquiry. Routledge
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- https://freshedpodcast.com/ (Podcast with renown scholars in comparative and global education research)
- Thinking Allowed - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qy05
- https://newbooksnetwork.com/topicArchive (podcasts/interviews with authors on critical theory, education, disability studies, gender and queer studies, anthropology, urban studies and more relevant fields for a critical engagement with sociologies of education).
- Let’s Talk About Sociology of Education Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6kpfK0ydGC2VvKIzhxSMyJ?si=e91234b9631f478f
- http://www.raewynconnell.net/p/education_23.html
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 02/04/2025 |
| Last revision date | 02/04/2025 |