Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾

This module offers you the opportunity to test out a career field that you may be interested in pursuing, as well as providing a space for critical and intellectual reflection on the possibilities of using an Education Studies degree in different career strands: policy; heritage and culture; and the voluntary and community sector. You will be introduced to key academic debates on topics such as the nature of 'civil society', the place of charity in contemporary society, the contested public educational role of museums and heritage sites, and the ways in which different types of policy is made, including in and for universities. The module aims to support you to reflect on your skills, interests and knowledge, and how to apply these to a workplace context and develop a professional development plan to better prepare for the labour market after graduation.Ìý

Teaching delivery:

The module is taught over two terms (with optional sessions in term 3). In term one, students will attend 10 weeks of lectures and seminars where we will cover the various placement strands and debates surrounding these sectors.ÌýÌý

In term two, students will undertake a 50-hour placement. There will also be occasional seminars in term two, designed to support students through the placement process.ÌýÌý

Indicative Topics:ÌýBased on module content in 2023/24, subject to possible changes

Term 1Ìý

• Week 1 - Lecture: Introduction to the module;ÌýSeminar: Introduction, details of placements and expectations of the moduleÌý
• Week 2 -ÌýLecture: Civil Society and the Third Sector; Seminar: Civil SocietyÌý
• Week 3 -ÌýLecture: Heritage and Culture (i);ÌýSeminar, Petrie Museum visit, and historical Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ campus walking tourÌý
• Week 4 -ÌýLecture: What is policy? Youth employment policy;ÌýSeminar: Youth employment policyÌý
• Week 5Ìý -ÌýLecture: The voluntary or third sector and the meaning of charity;ÌýSeminar: The voluntary sectorÌý
• Week 6 -ÌýLecture: Heritage and culture (ii); Seminar, Heritage and cultureÌý
• Week 7 - Lecture: Higher Education policy;ÌýSeminar: Higher Education policyÌý
• Week 8 -ÌýLecture: Preparing for your placement;ÌýSeminar: Placement preparation: expectations and paperworkÌý
• Week 9 -ÌýLecture: Assessment preparation;ÌýSeminar: Assessment preparationÌý
• Week 10 -ÌýLecture: Workers rights;ÌýSeminar: Workers rightsÌý

Term 2Ìý

• Week 1: Placement preparation, risk assessments and health and safety adviceÌý
• Week 2: Good conduct in the workplace and professionalism Ìý
• Week 3: Careers and CV writing workshop Ìý
• Week 6: How to approach your portfolios, the STAR technique and an opportunity for some general reflections Ìý
• Week 8: Reflections from previous students on this module

Module Aims: The module aims toÌý

• Expose students to a wide range of occupations, careers and sectors of the economy for which Education Studies provides a suitable grounding;Ìý
• Build students’ transferable skills (including for example communication, team-work, time-management, independence, project management) and workplace experience through a structured and supported work placement; Ìý
• Provide guidance and reflection on appropriate workplace conduct (including on time keeping, styles of communication with peers and managers, understanding organisational cultures);Ìý
• Introduce students to current academic debates and/or policy issues relevant to the work placement strands, enabling them to make links between academic study and work experience by applying insights from contemporary academic to real-world contexts; Ìý
• Support students to identify their workplace-relevant skills and articulate these with a view to increasingly their employability, including through job applications and CV preparation; Ìý
•  Support students to identify possible career destinations and understand the postgraduate qualifications and/or professional training necessary for these careers, in order to make an informed decision about their next steps.Ìý
• Provide space for students to reflect on their progress and performance to identify further professional development needs.Ìý

Recommended readings:ÌýÌý

• Denise Jackson, ‘Developing pre-professional identity in undergraduates through work-integrated learning’, Higher Education, 74, 5 (2017), pp. 833–853.ÌýÌý
• John Keane, ‘Civil Society: Definitions and Approaches’, in Helmut K. Anheier and Stefan Toepler (eds), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society (Springer, 2010), pp. 461–464.Ìý

Additional costs: Almost all students will undertake a placement at a location in London. Students will be responsible for making their own way to these placements and the department will not be able to cover travel costs. However, these costs should not be large: Placements are only 50 hours long and can be completed in a relatively short time. Placement providers are usually flexible about working arrangements, meaning students should be able to travel at off-peak times, or even work in a hybrid way.

Limited Enrolment

This is a small module with enrolment capped at a maximum of 36 students. Students who are interested in taking this module should schedule a meeting with the module leader, Sam Blaxland, via this link:Ìý. We will arrange brief individual conversations with all interested students to find out how the module fits into your previous experience, current interests and future goals. In the event that more than 36 students want to take this module, we will use these conversations as the basis for allocating spaces.