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This module aims to:Ìý

1. Introduce you to key issues and debates in contemporary education studies, and how these are represented and discussed in filmÌý
2. Help you develop a key skill that is required for you to write successful coursework throughout the three years of your degree course: namely, criticality and the critical analysis of sources. Ìý
3. Recognising that the demands of academic writing in universities is often very different to the style of writing asked for in school, college, and/or work environments, this module aims to help you develop your writing skills as an independent, analytical and creative thinker, academic writer, and educational researcher.Ìý

In order to achieve this, we will examine the (re)presentations of education that appear across a selected set of four films:Ìý

• "Freedom Writers" (Richard LaGravenese, 2007).Ìý
• "Educating Rita" (Lewis Gilbert and Willy Russell, 1983).Ìý
• "Entre le Murs (The Class)" (Laurent Cantet and , 2008). Ìý
• " Kynodontas (Dogtooth)" (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2009).Ìý

In each case, as critical students of education and wider social science, it is important that:

1. We acknowledge that the films are historical; namely, we can think of them as artefacts that speak to the social and political context in which they were made,Ìý
2. We are able to use the film as material to help us better understand how theories and ideas might play out in practice, and where their limitations might beÌý
3. At the same time, we recognise that these films represent a particular point of view, and we are able to deploy academic tools to critically engage with the film and the representations of education made available through them Ìý

If we achieve this, we can also better understand educational ideas and theories through identifying them in the film. As we develop such skills throughout the module and beyond, we will be better placed to critically test and evaluate any claims made more widely across academic research, the media, and political and public life.  Ìý

Teaching delivery:ÌýÌý

The module will involve a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures will consist of formal inputs with questions followed by structured activities involving analysis of text or issues arising from presentations. Where appropriate scenes from the films and other web-based materials will be used as illustrations. Ìý

Seminars will take a range of forms involving short presentations addressing carefully defined areas of the module. This includes practice for a group scene analysis which is an essential stepping stone for completing your essay assignment. In addition the module will include activities designed to provide access to difficult areas of study, and additional learning resources will be provided on the virtual learning environment.Ìý

Indicative Topics:ÌýÌý

Based on module content in 2023/24 (subject to possible changes) these include questions such as:ÌýÌý

• Race, Segregation and Integration in Education
• Social Class and EducationÌýÌý
• Feminist Issues in EducationÌýÌý
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• The Role of the Teacher as (White) Saviour or AllyÌý
• Debates Around Decolonising EducationÌýÌý
• Traditional, Progressive and Liberal Theories of EducationÌýÌý
• The Nature of Social Reality and its Relevance to EducationÌýÌý

Using material from the films as well as from philosophy (of education), students will critically interrogate others’ and their own positions on these debates, and think through how and in what sense these issues are pertinent for education.ÌýÌý

Module Aims:ÌýÌý

This module aims to

• Develop students' critical and analytical thinking and writing.Ìý
• Develop these skills through a practical application of a variety of tools and theoretical approaches, in order to explore, contextualise  and interrogate claims about education made within the films themselves. Ìý
• Develop students’ abilities to engage critically with film as source material, with the aid of secondary literature that develops a technical understanding of the nature of film and cinematography. Ìý

At the end of this module, students will have been encouraged to:Ìý

• Explore general conventions of academic writing;Ìý
• Understand key concepts and issues in education studies with particular reference to the ways that these are brought to light through film;Ìý
• Develop their ability, resources and confidence to critically read and analyse film, as well as literary and academic texts relevant to educational issues;Ìý
• Be able to see how, whether and in what ways the critical assessment of film and literary treatments of educational themes can contribute to the understanding of educational policy and practice. Ìý

Recommended readings:ÌýÌý

• Said, E.W. (2014a) Culture and Imperialism. London: Vintage Publishing.Ìý
• Sikov, E. (2020) Film studies, second edition: an introduction. Second edition. New York: Columbia University Press.Ìý
• Standish, P. (2010) ‘What is the Philosophy of Education?’, in The philosophy of education: an introduction. London: Continuum. Available at: .Ìý