BASS Social Anthropology and Sociology / Course details

This course develops understandings of theories of race and ethnicity, alongside - and in the context of - an understanding of education. Drawing upon a range of theoretical ideas, including institutional racism, abolitionism, intersectionality, and decoloniality, we will focus on both compulsory and higher education. We will explore key issues in education, as well as paying attention to modes of resistance and opportunities for transformation. We will also reflect on our own educational experiences and contexts.

The course unit aims to:

1. develop students' critical understandings of key historical and contemporary issues pertaining to racialisation in education, with a particular focus on secondary schooling, and Higher Education.
2. explore key theories, ideas and debates in the sociology of race and ethnicity and apply them to the context of education.
3. encourage students to think reflexively about their own learning experiences prior to, and at, the university.
4. use academic literature and a range of sources to think critically and imaginatively about how education might be transformed.

The course unit aims to:

1. develop students' critical understandings of key historical and contemporary issues pertaining to racialisation in education, with a particular focus on secondary schooling, and Higher Education.
2. explore key theories, ideas and debates in the sociology of race and ethnicity and apply them to the context of education.
3. encourage students to think reflexively about their own learning experiences prior to, and at, the university.
4. use academic literature and a range of sources to think critically and imaginatively about how education might be transformed.

The unit will be delivered through a weekly 2-hour lecture and 1-hour workshop.

Key texts will, where appropriate, be made available on Blackboard, as will links to a range of other useful resources such as videos and podcasts.

Lectures will involve introductions to topic areas and concepts; discussions around core historical processes and theoretical questions; and close engagement with case studies for thinking around a topic.

Tutorials will provide a space for discussion of lecture and reading materials. Students will be expected to be able to discuss the readings in tutorial and link them to the lecture materials.

The course will utilise Blackboard to deliver the modules core readings, lecture slides, any supplementary materials, and communication

Students should be able to:

• better understand the sociology of race, racism and racialisation
• better understand how racialisation shapes education

Students should be able to:

• develop critical reading skills in relation to contemporary empirical research
• synthesise, summarise and critically evaluate from a range of sources in order to produce assessedcoursework

Students should be able to:

• use library and electronic sources and resources
• develop research-informed policy and campaign documents

Students should be able to:

• Work with others to develop ideas

• Develop a critical approach to contemporary political debates

• Evaluate competing interpretations on a contentious topic

Short written non-assessed assignment (400-500 words) 0%

Coursework essay (2500 words) 100%

All sociology courses include both formative feedback - which lets you know how you're getting on and what you could do to improve - and summative feedback - which gives you a mark for your assessed work.

Arday, J. and Mirza, H. (Eds) 2018. Dismantling Race in Higher Education: Racism, Whiteness and Decolonising the Academy, Cham: Springer International

Bhambra, G., Gebrial, D., and Nisancıolu, K. 2018. Decolonising the university, London: Pluto

Campion, K. and Clark, K. 2021. Revitalising race equality policy? Assessing the impact of the Race Equality Charter mark for British universities, Race Ethnicity and Education

Gillborn, D. and Mirza, H. 2000. Educational Inequality: Mapping race, class and gender: A synthesis of research evidence, University of London: Institute of Education.

Gillborn, D. 2008. Racism and education: coincidence or conspiracy, London: Routledge

Gillborn, D. 2007. Education policy as an act of white supremacy: whiteness, critical race theory and education reform, Journal of Education Policy, 20(4)

Gillborn, D. and Rollock, N. 2010. 'Education', in A. Bloch and J. Solomos (Eds.) Race and Ethnicity in the 21st Century, Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Joseph-Salisbury, R. 2019. Institutionalised whiteness, racial microaggressions, and black bodies out of place in Higher Education, Whiteness and Education, 4(1), pp. 1-17

Joseph-Salisbury, R. and Connelly, L. 2019. 'If Your Hair Is Relaxed, White People Are Relaxed. If Your Hair Is Nappy, They're Not Happy': Black Hair as a Site of 'Post-Racial' Social Control in English Schools, Social Sciences, 7(11)

Joseph-Salisbury, R., Ashe, S., Alexander, C. and Campion, K. 2020. Race and Ethnicity in British Sociology, British Sociological Association

Joseph-Salisbury, R. and Connelly, L. 2021. Anti-Racist Scholar-Activism, Manchester: Manchester University Press

Nijjar, J. 2020. Police-school partnerships and the war on black youth, Critical Social Policy, 41(3), pp. 491-501

Rhodes Must Fall Oxford. 2018. Rhodes Must Fall: The Struggle to Decolonise the Racist Heart of Empire, London: Zed

Rollock, N. 2019. Staying Power: The career experiences and strategies of UK Black female professors, UCU

Shankley, W. and Alexander, C. 2020. Ethnic inequalities in the state education system in England, IN Byrne, B. et al. 2020. Ethnicity and Race in the UK: State of the Nation, Bristol: Policy

Tate, S. and Bagguley, P. 2017. 'Building the anti-racist university: next steps', Race, Ethnicity and Education, 20(3): 289-99.

Independent study hours 170 hours (140 private study, 30 directed reading)