Sociology of Education

This course starts from a broad definition of education - as occurring in formal and informal contexts.  We begin with more classical understandings of education and trace how sociologists have studied ‘education’ through the ages - its definition and its purpose.  We then consider how institutions and broader structures shape provision and outcomes of education across different parts of the world, as well as paying close attention to the relational, affective and non-human elements shaping education.  Key substantive topics included which mirror contemporary concerns found in education systems: school choice policy and strategies, educational decision-making at different points of the education trajectory and factors shaping this, tensions in the purpose of the curriculum, the role of teachers and peer effects, and the evidence around how gender, ethnicity, social class etc shape educational outcomes.  The course also examines the intersections between the local, national and global and how these all impact on education.  We consider global institutions and networks, the impact of internationalization within education, as well as resistances to such globalizing influences at the national and local level.