Education and Childhood in Global Contemporary Society module (ED32003)

​​Education looks different depending on where and when you look at it. This module encourages you to see beyond the familiar and to think carefully about the ideas and forces that shape how children are taught and cared for around the world. 

​You'll study the philosophical and social construction of childhood from historical and contemporary perspectives, examining how culture, economics, ideology, and religion influence what education is for and how it works. You'll also develop your skills in accessing and using academic and professional literature, and in designing your own unit of inquiry. 

​Teaching takes place on campus through lectures, workshops, directed tasks, online units, and student-directed independent learning. 

​What you will learn 

​In this module, you will: 

• ​Extend your knowledge and understanding of childhood in contemporary society 
• ​Explore education and childhood from a global perspective 
• ​Develop detailed knowledge of international education in a contemporary context 
• ​Reflect critically on the role of education in contemporary society 

​By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

• ​Show understanding of how childhood has been constructed from different perspectives 
• ​Identify key ways childhood and education differ internationally 
• ​Apply socio-cultural theories to childhood and education 
• ​Understand how childhood differs historically and globally 
• ​Plan and develop a unit of inquiry using appropriate research techniques 
• ​Access and use academic and professional literature relevant to the theories explored​

Assignments / assessments

​​Coursework (100%) 

• ​3,000-word assignment on a topic of your own choosing 
• ​You identify your own line of inquiry and develop it throughout the module 

​This module does not have a final exam.​

Teaching methods / timetable

• ​​Lectures and workshops on campus 
• ​Directed tasks and online units 
• ​Student-directed independent learning​