Postgraduate Module Descriptor


EFPM914: Education Studies

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

-       Education as a multi-disciplinary field

-       Why are we here? Education – a historical perspective.

-       What is education and what is its purpose (philosophy)?

-       Dialogic learning (psychology)?

-       Education in whose interests (sociology)?

-       Additional perspectives on education – the contribution made by economics, cultural studies and international education

-       Application of these perspectives to major educational issues (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender and social class inequalities, learning, and inclusion)

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
30.5269.50

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities30.510x 1 hour lectures, 10X 2 hour seminar/workshop sessions,1x academic tutorial (0.5 hours)
Guided Independent Study50Directed reading related to topics discussed in the module
Guided Independent Study119.5Directed study e.g. web-based activities; creating a personalized reading list; preparing for academic tutorial; preparing for seminars; responding to seminar activities; contributing to online discussions
Guided Independent Study100Preparation for assignments and further independent reading

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Dufour, B. & Curtis, W. (eds.)(2011) Studying education: an introduction to the key disciplines in educational studies. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Furlong, J. (2012) Education: An Anatomy of the Discipline, Rescuing the University Project. London: Routledge.

Lauder, H., Brown, P. and Halsey, A. (2009) ‘Sociology of Education: critical history and prospects for the future’ Oxford Review of Education 35, 5, 569-85

Phillips, D. & Schweisfurth, M. (2014) Comparative and International Education: an introduction to theory, method, and practice, 2nd edition. London; New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

Hayes, D. (ed) (2004) The RoutledgeFalmer Guide to Key Debates in Education, London, Routledge.

Sheehy, N. (2003) Fifty Key Thinkers in Psychology, London, Routledge.

Ball, S.J. (2004) The Routledge Falmer Reader in Sociology of Education, London, Routledge Falmer.

Scott, J. (2006) Fifty Key Sociologists: The Contemporary Theorists, London, Routledge.

Black, J. & Macraild, D. (2000) Studying History, Basingstoke, Palgrave.

Jones, K. (2003) Education in Britain. 1944 to the Present Day, Cambridge, Polity.

Baggini, J. (2002) Philosophy: Key Texts, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Baggini, J. (2002) Philosophy: Key Themes, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

During, S. (2007) Introduction in The Cultural Studies Reader (3rd Edition), London: Routledge