Unit information: Education and International Development in 2021/22

Unit name	Education and International Development
Unit code	EDUCM0095
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Mitchell
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit explores the role of education in international development. It highlights the key theoretical ideas, debates, and international actors that have driven international development agendas as well important critiques of these. Students will have the opportunity to explore the history of international development, considering its colonial legacies and tracing key moments from the founding of the United Nations after the second World War, through the Cold War era, the global recession, and into the contemporary period. This includes critical engagement with human capital and modernisation theories, human rights, social justice and capabilities based approaches to development, sustainable development, and post-development and post-colonial perspectives.

The unit considers key debates and focuses on current, important issues in comparative and international education and will give students an overview of research in this field. The unit also explores different approaches to generating comparative knowledge about education, with a focus on research in the Global South, highlighting the diversity of approaches to comparative research. Students will have an opportunity to explore contemporary issues of their own interest and to share these at a collaboratively organised conference.

Aims:

• To critically explore and draw out implications of the history of international development, including its colonial legacies and current power dynamics;
• To introduce and critically reflect upon key development theories and their deployment within international, national and local policy agendas in education;
• To develop and deepen knowledge of comparative and international education, including by developing an understanding of comparative approaches to conducting educational research;
• To critically and creatively apply this learning individually and working with peers to explore contemporary issues in international development.
• To develop research, presentation, and convening skills individually and collaboratively.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit, students will be able to:

1. Critically connect current practice and debates in international development to historical processes, events and legacies;
2. Critically and creatively apply relevant development theories to critique and understand current, practice and debate, including to propose promising alternatives;
3. Independently source and manage comparative and international education research, demonstrating an understanding of research approaches and their implications;
4. Develop coherent and convincing oral and written arguments and presentations that draw on theory, personal and professional interest, and independent research around education and international development;
5. To develop individual and collaborative research, organisation and presentation skills.

Teaching Information

This unit will be taught using a blended approach consisting of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities including seminars, lectures, reading and discussions

Assessment Information

Formative Assessment

• Essay outline
• Group presentation

Summative Assessment

• 4000-word essay (ILOs 1-5)

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM0095).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.