BSc Education

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The unit aims to:

EDUC14082 aims  to impart on students the importance of context in educational studies. It seeks to enable students to discern the various sectorial and territorial scales that can form contexts which can be analysed and compared. The unit is designed to instil students with an understanding of globalisation and its effects on education. It also introduces students to comparative methods, with the intention of enabling them to describe and explain the differences and similarities in education between a range of countries. The unit aims to equip students with knowledge of the role of government intervention in education, providing an introduction to education policy studies. Real world examples and country case studies (varying between academic years) are referred to illustrate the dynamics defining education in various contexts. The unit aims to develop social science skills, including students developing a research question to answer. Teaching and assessment activities on the unit provide students with the opportunity to work individually and in groups to undertake individual country case studies and comparative analysis of two or more contexts.

This unit is aligned to the following student outcomes

The unit directly addresses several aspects of The Manchester Matrix which set out the Purposes of a Manchester Undergraduate Education, namely:

• To develop critical thinking and higher order conceptual reasoning and analytical skills
• To promote mastery of a discipline
• To broaden intellectual and cultural interests
• To prepare graduates for citizenship and leadership in diverse, global environments
• To develop advanced skills of written and verbal communication
• To manage time to complete a series of tasks to a schedule  

In undertaking the unit, it is expected students will have developed a range of transversal skills conducive to the enhancement of employability. Through engagement with the content, and participation in the teaching and learning activities, students will be provided with experiences conducive to the fostering of skills leading to the attributes including, but not limited to, the following:

Curious: the unit positions the student as a researcher who can question contested concepts (such as globalisation) and look for examples of these concepts in practice (for example the different ways in globalisation effects education in a country). This involves posing questions, seeking evidence, researching, and looking beyond the obvious.
Collaborative: both class discussions and the group work component of the unit require students to work effectively with others, communicating meaningfully, listening, negotiating, leading, and influencing collective decision making. Students collaborate in a team to produce a joined-up piece of work, negotiating with others to reach objectives, where the outputs of this activity form part of the assessment.

Proactive and Resilient: the unit provides space for students to independently explore ideas, new take risks to find the possible application of concepts to different contexts, and where required to adapt and change course. Students have the opportunity to proactively ask for the guidance and advice of the teaching team.
Socially Responsible and Mindful: Education in a Global Context directly explores the idea of ‘the global’ in the social sciences, and, in doing so, nurtures global awareness and a reflective mindset.

Specialist knowledge of a subject: The unit nurtures introductory social science skills, and imparts specialist skills, applying them to real-life problems.
 

Comprised of three main themes :

Globalisation 
The meaning of context and the range of different territorial scales and terminology, such as: nation, supranational, regional, global, international, subnational, foreign etc.
The meaning of a global context and the emergence of contemporary globalisation 
The political and economic and change accompanying globalisation, including the increased power of transnational actors and rise of a ‘knowledge economy’
The impact of globalisation, and the processes emanating from it, on education
The backlash against globalisation

Comparative Method
The comparative approach in the social sciences 
Studies of one or more countries and the identification of factors and variables influencing education in a given country, such as: languages spoken, history, culture, religion, etc. 
How to make comparisons of the similarities among and differences between various contexts
The variety of different contexts that exist across the globe (building on the Globalisation topic above) and why there is value in comparing them 
Different political and economic systems and how this affects education

Government and Policy
The various meanings of ‘policy’ in the context of education studies
The enduring role of the nation state in the age of globalisation (building on the Globalisation topic above) and how governments continue to make public policies that have considerable influence on education
How the nature of public policy in the field of education has been shaped by globalisation (building on the Globalisation topic above)
How the similarities and difference between countries in the field of education public policy can be studied comparatively (building on the Comparative Method topic above)
 

The unit commences with instruction on the three main topics, as summarised in the syllabus/indicative curriculum content above, with two weeks dedicated to each one. The primary method of teaching being whole unit lectures, didactic delivery of presentations in lecture theatres with question-and-answer interactivity with question-and-answer interactivity (6 x 2 hours or equivalent). These lectures are supplemented by small group teaching in the form of seminars which are organised to facilitate student discussion (3 x 2 hours or equivalent). This first part provides the building blocks of the unit and features instruction on all of the knowledge and understanding ILOs. It seeks to equip students with the information they will use in the second part of the unit and in their assignments.

The second part of the unit moves towards students working in groups, studying one country and producing a video presentation which is viewed by their peers and the teaching team. Students also work individually to write a formative essay which is then developed into a summative essay. This part of the unit involves whole group lectures, with question-and-answer interactivity, to explain how to undertake the group work and produce a video presentation, to convey to students some relevant dimensions of national or comparative case studies, and to view the final presentations (4 x 2 hours or equivalent). Interactive workshops are also held to guide students on both of summative assessments (2 x 2 hours or equivalent).

Teaching and learning throughout the unit are supported by the use of Canvas to share updates, information, learning materials, resources with students as part of an online community. 
 

• Distinguish between different territorial and sectoral contexts and identify how these contexts can be used in the study of education as a social science subject
• Explain key concepts in globalisation debate such as the emergence of globalisation and the rise of the knowledge economy.
• Identify of the various ways in which globalisation directly and indirectly influences education
• Display an understanding of the approaches associated with comparative methods
• Recognise the role of the state in education and identify the influence of government policy

• Develop informed research questions relating to education studies
• Evaluate issues and contexts in a comparative framework
• Analyse data and information regarding education in a given context, and utilise this to support an argument
• Discuss with an informed perspective some of key political and economic issues facing the world today that have a bearing on contexts within which education takes place

• Retrieve information from a range of sources, including library, electronic and online resources
• Select relevant information from various sources, to sift, synthesise and organise material and to critically evaluate its significance
• Use Harvard Manchester referencing conventions 

• Express ideas in a structured, clear, and aesthetic manner
• Work independently to complete a sole authored written assignment 

Written feedback is provided to students on the formative essay before submission of the summative essay.

Written feedback against the rubric is provided to students on completion of the unit via the UofM online submission system

Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.). (2014). Comparative education research: Approaches and methods (Vol. 19). Springer.

Dicken, P. (2014). Global shift: Mapping the changing contours of the world economy. SAGE.
 

Fan, G., & Popkewitz, T. S. (Eds.). (2020). Handbook of education policy studies: Values, Governance, Globalization, and Methodology. Springer.
 

Marshall, J. (2019). Introduction to comparative and international education. SAGE
 

Lauder, H., Young, M., Daniels, H., Balarin, M., & Lowe, J. (Eds.). (2012). Educating for the knowledge economy?: critical perspectives. Routledge.
 

Lingard, B. (Ed.). (2020). Globalisation and education. Routledge.
 

Ritzer, G., & Atalay, Z. (Eds.). (2010). Readings in globalization: Key concepts and major debates. John Wiley & Sons.
 

Steger, M. B. (2013). Globalization a very short introduction.
 

Turner, D. A. (2022). Comparative education: A field in discussion. Brill.
 

Zajda, J., & Rust, V. (Eds.). (2010). Globalisation, policy and comparative research: Discourses of globalisation. Springer.