CYP4012 - Is Education Fair? An Introduction to Sociology of Education

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Identify basic sociological perspectives on education;
Show an awareness of how social differences e.g. class, ethnicity and gender affect educational life chances;
Recognise how sociological concepts relate to the analysis of education.

Content:

The module introduces pupils to basic sociological approaches to education. This will include introducing students to:
- Basic sociological concepts used in the analysis of education
- Conflict, consensus and action theories
- Debates around the impact of social differences on educational attainment.
A key feature of the course is that students will be provided with opportunities to reflect on their own educational experiences and relate these to the sociological concepts explored. Students will be encouraged to keep learning logs of their own ideas which allow for reflection on their own development and allow tutors to view the progress of student thinking.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module will be taught via lectures, seminars and tutorials and in workshops that utilise a range of pedagogies. This will include case studies, discussion groups and project work.

On-line support and small group tutorials
Hours: 1 (min)
Intended group size: 6-10

Guided independent study
Hours: 166

Further details relating to assessment
Components two and three combine to allow students to:
- Outline and explore the empirical evidence on educational attainment
- Outline the key theories which attempt to explain these patterns and assess their strengths, weaknesses and usefulness for informing policy and practice.

Directed activities
: these consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks to be completed successfully. A pass will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

Assessment:

001 Directed Activities throughout semester 2 10%
002 Analysis of patterns of achievement; 1,500 word equiv; Mid-Semester Two 45%
003 Essay; 2000 words equiv; End of Semester Two 45%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Jessica Bradley
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S2

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