Education Studies - Geography - BA (Hons)

Durham University

Education Studies is a broad multidisciplinary degree, designed for the intellectually and practically curious. If you are fascinated by the geographical and economic aspects of education, this is the course for you.,Are you interested in why people learn in different ways? Do you want to find out more about barriers to learning and how learning supports childhood development? Maybe you’d like to know more about the ways in which politics can impact education and education in diverse cultures? Maybe you’d like to know more about the ways in which global events impact education. The BA Education Studies – Geography combines study of the education process with current issues in geography, offering you the opportunity to explore topics as diverse as childhood development and global economic change. From the philosophical foundations of schooling to the political implications of policy, education is a vast field that has multiple avenues to approach a seemingly straightforward subject. Our degree goes far beyond any classroom and considers education, people and their relationship to the ever-changing world. This BA will prepare you for a career in many different areas, both in the education sector and further afield. It can provide the first step towards a career as a teacher or researcher, and supports roles in publishing, policy making, the voluntary and public sectors, as well as many more. The curriculum draws on research carried out in the School to keep the course content relevant and up to date. The breadth of modules allows you to create your own pathway through the course. As well as the geography pathway, we offer pathways in sociology and psychology, or you can choose to focus purely on education studies.Course structureYear 1 modulesCore modules:International and Comparative Education gives you the tools and the opportunity to reflect on how diversity impacts education and what inequalities might emerge as a result. This will help you develop an understanding of attitudes towards others and allow you to reflect on forms of communication in contexts of diversity and their implications for educationContemporary Issues and Evidence in Education will introduce you to a range of contemporary issues in education and the nature and scope of the supporting evidence. With a range of guest speakers from across the Department you will gain a grounding in a variety of issues at stake.Introduction to Geographical Research You will also study an Introduction to Geographical Research with either a BA or BSc focus. Plus one module selected from Human Geography or Physical Geography.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Historical and Philosophical Ideas of EducationFoundations of Psychology in EducationDisability and Educational Needs: What’s so Special about SEND?Year 2 modulesCore modules:Educational Research Methods will help you understand the purposes and implications of educational research. You will develop a critical appreciation of the different ways in which research can be carried out in education, and how to assess the quality of educational research.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Cultural Identity, Interculturality and EducationHigher Education: Issues of Exclusion and InclusionConstructions of ChildhoodDisability and Education Needs: Impairment, Empowerment and EducationClimate Change: Geographical PerspectivesEconomic GeographyGeographies of DevelopmentReconstructing Environmental ChangeMountain LandscapesSocial and Cultural GeographyUrban Geography.Year 3 modulesCore modules:Dissertation: Disciplinary Contexts of Education You will undertake an extended, independent piece of research with an appropriate educational focus. The dissertation is an opportunity to bring together the skills, knowledge and understanding gained on the course into one in-depth piece o