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Semester 2

Education and Social Justice (PLIT10158)

Subject

Politics

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed 4 Politics courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses, and we cannot consider interdisciplinary courses or courses without sufficient Politics/Government/International Relations focus. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

This course focuses on an ethical analysis of the demands of social justice concerning education. Students will be introduced to a range of contemporary debates regarding topics such as equality of educational opportunity, markets in education, university funding and admissions. This course invites students to analyse the moral principles that should inform the policies and practices governing education in our societies.

Course Description

Education is one of the most significant social institutions, and as such is central to concerns of social justice. This course addresses important ethical questions regarding the appropriate relationship between education and social justice. It will consider the demands of justice in both schools and universities. The course content will likely vary from year-to-year as academic debates and educational policy develop, though persistent questions include: how should we understand equality of educational opportunity? Who should pay for university education? What is the appropriate role for markets in education provision from the point of view of social justice? Should schools aim to educate children for citizenship? Are faith schools ever justified? **Students will be introduced to a comprehensive range of theories and debates in moral and political philosophy that address issues of education and social justice. No prior knowledge of education policy or moral and political philosophy is expected, as all relevant theories and cases will be introduced accessibly as encountered during the course. **The course will relate theoretical debates regarding education and social justice to concrete cases to demonstrate the importance of rigorous ethical understanding in the evaluation of education policy. The course will be taught primarily through discussion of assigned texts, with an emphasis on relating debates in moral and political philosophy to practical concerns in the field of schooling and universities.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a Politics exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in one Politics course each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. Enrolment in a second Politics course will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the January Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

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