Social Justice and Inclusive Education MA

This Master’s degree is designed to meet the development needs of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds who work in a variety of settings within the statutory and the voluntary sectors. It is designed particularly for those working in and around compulsory and post-compulsory education including teachers, support staff, early years professionals, social workers, careers advisors, NGO staff, and youth and community workers. The course is intended for UK and international students, addressing current initiatives such as the Every Child Matters Agenda in the UK and the Millennium Development Goals in less developed countries. This innovative programme has been designed to work with the wealth of experience students bring with them, with a view to enabling research-informed practice towards education for all, inclusive education, human rights and social justice goals.

Dr Ghazala Bhatti

To obtain the degree you will be expected to successfully complete 6 units followed by a research based dissertation. The programme consists of three core units each providing 20 credits at Masters Level, followed by another unit which will equip you to understand and apply the principles of research and two elective units.

THE CORE UNITS OF THIS COURSE ARE:

PHILOSOPHY, POLICY AND PRACTICE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

This unit focuses on social justice issues of equity and entitlement. Issues such as inclusion and access will be investigated across different dimensions of difference including learning difficulties and disabilities, social class, gender, ethnicity, and other excluded and marginalised groups. The aims of Every Child Matters Agenda and Millennium Development Goals will also inform the unit.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND THE DECONSTRUCTION OF SPECIAL NEEDS

This unit looks at the relationship of inclusive education to special needs education, focusing on journeys and reconstructions involved in conceptualising inclusion. The unit will explore the parameters of what is meant by inclusion in various national, international, early years to post-compulsory education sectors and associated services.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN ACTION

This unit brings together theoretical knowledge and day-to-day practice in the workplace, building on the earlier units to investigate the extent to which theory and policy inform practice. Issues which capture public imagination in relation to policy and practice will be under consideration. These include measuring and enhancing achievement; issues of immigration, cultural and religious diversity; resources for special needs; and social exclusion, inclusion, cohesion and citizenship

RESEARCH METHODS

This unit looks at the principles, ethics and conduct of social research. This comprises qualitative and quantitative research methods. Critical evaluation of research, data collection and analysis are also included.

THE OPTIONAL/ELECTIVE UNITS

Any two units can be chosen from the following

• DISABILITY, TECHNOLOGY AND INCLUSION
• ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
• MANAGING CHANGE
• TEACHING AD LEARNING INNOVATION
• CURRICULUM CHANGE AND INNOVATION
• LIFELONG LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION

THE DISSERTATION

The dissertation is an individual research project carried out on a topic of your choice relating to Social Justice and Inclusive Education. To prepare for the dissertation, you will take an un-assessed unit entitled Dissertation Studies. You will work under the guidance of a dissertation supervisor and are expected to produce a dissertation of approximately 16,000 Words.

Although School of Education Masters units are assessed summatively by means of a 4,000 word assignment, there are formative elements within the summative system. For example, short written tasks, such as the production of a bibliography relating to a specific area of research interest, and the presentation of a review of some of this literature, are formatively assessed. Similarly, students discuss aspects of their assignments with tutors prior to submission. They are encouraged to submit one preliminary draft on which they receive some written and/or verbal feedback from tutors.

A good first degree in any of the following: Education, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Recent and relevant experience in a related field will also be considered.

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