Education/Philosophy & Ethics

Education in BA/BSc - Combined Award

Education Studies is one of the fastest growing subjects in universities today. The subject at Bath Spa was one of the first to be developed and is now nationally recognised for its exciting and innovative approach to Education. We are one of the largest providers in Education in the country with other 600 students and so we can offer a very wide choice of study. The study of Education at Bath Spa has a high quality rating from the Quality Assurance Agency.

You can take Education in the Combined Awards Degree alongside a second subject of your choice and you can take it as a major, joint or minor award depending on your interests.

Career Opportunities

Education Studies itself is not a teacher training course, but it will prepare you very well for entry to a PGCE teacher training programme, either primary or secondary. It helps you with knowledge of the curriculum, schools and teaching and education policy. It will also give you a broad and critical analysis of the education system and how it works. All this is good for future teachers and you will be better informed with a background in education.

Alternatively, if you don't want to be a teacher, studying education will prepare you for one of the many alternative careers in education. Many companies and organisations now want people who know about education, schools and universities and offer posts such as, education officer, education adviser, educational researcher. There are also many opportunities for posts in various kinds of training which do not require qualified teacher status.

In addition, studying education will give you a range of skills which will equip you for a wide range of careers. You will be able to organise and manage groups, work in professional situations and negotiate and liaise with people, present information in written and oral form, analyse situations and handle data.

The University College offers a Masters Degree in Education Studies and you may be interested in applying for that course at the end of your undergraduate studies.

Philosophy and Ethics

Focus of the course

Philosophy and Ethics at Bath Spa University explores a range of philosophical arguments and debates concerning the nature of knowledge, reality, truth and value. The course introduces the student to tools of philosophical and ethical analysis during year one, critically examining core concepts in epistemology, metaphysics and ethics, before proceeding to consider specific schools of thought in greater depth during years two and three. The course encompasses many of the core philosophical and ethical topics but is notable in so far as, rather than focusing exclusively on philosophy and ethics as defined by the West, it includes arguments and ideas developed by non-western traditions and thinkers. The course includes Introductions to Philosophical and Ethical Enquiry as well as module options in Philosophy in Indian Traditions, Ethics in Religious and Humanist Traditions, Philosophy and the Human Condition and Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Ethics.

Interesting aspects of the course

While there is a focus on teaching Western philosophy and ethics in the United Kingdom, Bath Spa includes Indian and Buddhist philosophical traditions and schools of thought; an approach that promotes greater intellectual breadth and presents a challenge to contemporary, Westernised modes of thinking. The course also affirms the relevance of 'past thought as living argument and as a challenge to contemporary modes of thinking' as well as the value of philosophical and ethical approaches to a variety of contemporary debates including many 'arising outside the academy' (Philosophy Benchmarking Statement 15.iii, 25.ii). This emphasis is evident in the manner by which philosophical and ethical concepts are applied to diverse contemporary situations throughout this course; for example, feminist philosophy and ecological ethics.

Career prospects

Graduates in Philosophy and Ethics enter a wide variety of professions, including Information Technology, Law, Finance and Accounting, Communication and Media, Arts, Medicine, Management, Journalism, Politics, Education and Business. Although other degree subjects are more obviously vocational, the skills gained in studying Philosophy and Ethics are highly prized by employers. Feedback from the University Careers Service in response to the Employability Survey (2003) indicated that employers think that 'the degree subject is less of a concern than the attitudes, attributes, skills and motivation' of graduates and that '[p]hilosophy students are well respected as analytical thinkers' as well as being 'good in a team due to influencing/persuasive skills' (A Brief Guide to Employability in Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies PRS Subject Centre 2004, Appendix C).

Objectives

Subject aims

The strength Bath Spa's provision in Education is the breadth of the study which is offered. We believe that education is a powerful force for change in the world and our approach is a global one. We look at learning and development in individuals, schools and classrooms, but we also examine the big issues: What is education for? How can it make a better world? How can it enhance human rights? Does education relate to the economy?

When you have studied Education you will understand how the education system works and the politics of education; who takes decisions about the curriculum and what we learn. You will have a grasp of the social context of education and how poverty affects children's opportunities to learn and the effects of gender, race and ethnicity.

If you are interested in the development of young children, there is a strong Early Years team and you can choose Early Years modules.

Education is about learning and knowledge and you can study the nature of knowledge in the curriculum and how it is learned at different ages and in different situations.

Education is for the future and you can study alternative futures for education and for the world: how can education help us to have a sustainable future on the planet.

Teachers are the key to all this and you get the chance to study the work of teachers and children's learning in placements in educational settings.