BA (Hons) Education Studies and Theology, Philosophy & Ethics

This module covers a broad sweep of Christian history, covering important foundation stages, personalities and concepts attached to the historical and theological development of Christianity from the Early Church, through the middles-ages and the Reformations to the modern age. It will look at the contributions to theology of some of outstanding thinkers such as Augustine of Hippo, Aquinas and Luther, as well as modern theologians such as Barth and Rahner.

This module explores the history and beliefs of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism, as well as some of the ways in which those beliefs and assumptions are expressed in everyday life and practice. You will be offered first-hand experience of the various faiths through visits to places of worship, meetings with faith-adherents, guest speakers and the use of various sources produced from within those faith traditions.

During this module, you will be introduced to the nature and purpose of education and some simple ideological frameworks. You will explore theories, issues and ideas concerning teaching and learning in contemporary classrooms, including the study of key factors affecting learning, such as ethnicity, gender and socio-economic status and the role of self-esteem and motivation.

You will be introduced to a range of major educational theorists and philosophers concerned with child development and learning, including Skinner, Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, Alexander and Rogoff, and the significant contributions of each. You will discuss and reflect upon your growing awareness of the developing child within the educational system and wider society, and of your own learning.

This module will investigate a range of interdisciplinary approaches and materials, with sessions exploring the benefits, complexities and difficulties of thinking and working across subjects in the arts and humanities. The content will include relevant and topical themes that encourage and enrich interdisciplinary approaches, for example: ‘War and Commemoration’, ‘Culture, Ethnicity and Identity’ , ‘The Country and the City’, ‘Revolution and Reaction’; and ‘Belief and Blasphemy’.

This module covers both critical approaches to understanding holocaust education and the ways in which it is delivered in contemporary society. It explores major concepts including: the relationship between perpetrators, rescuers, bystanders and victims; anti-Semitism at key points in British and European history; filmographic perspectives on Judaism, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust; and critical and pedagogic approaches to exploring holocausts in contemporary learning settings, including through the school curriculum and Holocaust Memorial Day.

Religion has not always had a positive encounter with either sexuality or racial minorities, and these encounters continue to be an area that is attached with great importance. By examining political theologies from core thinkers such as Gutierrez, Loades and Cone, this module will offer students opportunities to encounter issues of poverty, sexuality powerlessness and liberative theologies, including Latin American, Black theology, Feminist theology, Gay theology, and Green theology.

This module will provide you with an experience of the world of work in the form of a placement or work experience. It will enable you to apply knowledge and skills in a real-life context offering you a valuable experience to draw on when presenting yourself to employers or selectors upon graduation.

In this module, you will explore key episodes in the development of educational ideas including Classical and Romantic ideas and twentieth century child-centred approaches. You will also explore the nature of education and how it is studied, including education as a theoretical, social and cultural construct.

This module includes an examination of medical, deficit and social models and practice of inclusion through the examination of historical perspectives and analysis of current practice. You will undertake an examination of the implementation of education and social policies in practice in order to understand how adapted provision can meet a diverse range of needs within society.

There is no set syllabus for this module – rather, you will be introduced to a wide range of research skills including: source gathering, information gathering, analytical techniques and the preparation of a critical argument, which will allow you to undertake a project, drawing on tutors’ advice as well as your own interests and instincts. You will conduct your research through self-formulated questions, supported by the gathering of relevant information and opinion along organized lines of enquiry.

Film, cartoon, radio and music are important facets of contemporary communication and as such plays a role in modern society that is ever growing in importance – no contemporary study of society would be complete without an examination of this form of media. This module provides an opportunity to reflect on the way in which the Christian religion and Theology in general is represented in, influences, and affects media products.

After preliminary consideration of what is meant by ‘modernity’, ‘religion’ and ‘atheism’, this module examines the thought of some central thinkers, both theistic and atheistic, and the implications of their thought for religious questions. It then looks at some challenging themes and issues, such as the problems of evil, religious and cultural pluralism, the challenge of moral relativism, the ‘death of God’, the ‘New atheism’ and the emergence of various forms of ‘Christian atheism’.

This independent study module provides an opportunity for you to build upon and apply the key intellectual, transferable and practical skills gained at Levels 1 and 2 of the programme to an appropriate study or research project. You will be directed towards making informed choices concerning topic, sample size, methodology and analytical techniques with a minimal amount of guidance and support in order to reach valid, reliable and sensible conclusions.

During this module, you will explore a number of examples that illustrate issues in development education and global citizenship, examining the cultural and political contexts. You will also be introduced to international dimensions of education, as manifest in different countries, and explore global dimensions to the curriculum.

This highly responsive module provides you with a theoretical and critical understanding of key considerations in the development and implementation of curriculum policy, content and practice in schools today together with an appreciation of innovative practice in this area. It provides you with an opportunity to study this at first hand in placement settings.