This is a core compulsory course for all Masters, postgraduate research and postgraduate taught Diploma students (except for those on some professional routes or postgraduate research students with equivalent previous preparation). It is designed to introduce students to the major theories informing contemporary research in the field of education.

The course comprises 11 Units each of equal weighting (duration and effort).

Each week there will be a 2-hour seminar and online lecture anytime resources.

The assessment for this course will be a critical essay of 4,000-4,500 words requiring independent thinking and scholarship.

The aim of the course is:

To explore significant concepts, contemporary debates and discourses on theoretical issues that are important for students engaged in the study and practice of modern education, with a particular focus on theoretical approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

By the end of the course students should be able to:

- demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of key concepts and theoretical approaches in contemporary educational thought that inform the purposes, policies and practices of education;
- explain and critique major theories and concepts relevant to the field of educational thought and how these apply to their own professional contexts and questions;
- discuss the effects of broader intellectual movements on educational thought and apply that discussion to their own professional contexts;
- develop a coherent argument through the selection and application of appropriate theories in educational thought to an issue in the field, drawing upon a range of concepts, arguments, academic literacies and ICT (information and communications technology) skills.

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