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Cultural and Creative Approaches to Education - EDU00019C

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  • Department: Education
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Clementine Beauvais
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
    • See module specification for other years: 2023-24

Module summary

This module aims to introduce all students to cultural and creative approaches to education, childhood and youth. The overall aim of the module is to make students conscious of the crucial role of symbolic and cultural representations of education and the way they interact with policy and practice.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

This module aims to introduce all students to cultural and creative approaches to education, childhood and youth. In the first part of the module, students will learn to analyse and theorise the ways in which culture and language shape visions of major educational questions. Students will also consider the importance of storytelling and narratives as part of this phenomenon. In the second part, students will gain a sophisticated understanding of the place and nature of creativity in education, and apply that knowledge by engaging in creative practice themselves. The overall aim of the module is to make students conscious of the crucial role of symbolic and cultural representations of education and the way they interact with policy and practice.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will be able to:

  • critically analyse and explore cultural representations of education, childhood and youth, for instance in art and media;

  • gain knowledge of cultural studies of education and be introduced to narrative and aesthetic analysis

  • theorise the role of narrative in visions of education, and engage with storytelling to tackle major questions pertaining to childhood and youth;

  • finely understand and critique the nature of creativity in education

  • engage in creative practice in response to specific prompts

Module content

This module aims to introduce all students to cultural and creative approaches to education, childhood and youth. In the first part of the module, students will learn to analyse and theorise the ways in which culture and language shape visions of major educational questions. Students will also consider the importance of storytelling and narratives as part of this phenomenon.

In the second part, students will gain a sophisticated understanding of the place and nature of creativity in education, and apply that knowledge by engaging in creative practice themselves. The overall aim of the module is to make students conscious of the crucial role of symbolic and cultural representations of education and the way they interact with policy and practice.

The following is indicative of the different topics that will be covered

  • General Introduction: Arts, Culture and Education

  • Language, Thought and Childhood

  • Education in the Media

  • Adolescence in Visual Culture

  • Storytelling 1

  • Storytelling 2

  • Models of Creativity

  • Creativity and Schooling

  • Digital Creativity and Teaching

  • Creativity in Practice 1

  • Creativity in Practice 2

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Cultural and Creative Approaches to Education		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

For their summative assignment, students will decide whether they want to write:

  • An analysis of one representation of childhood or adolescence in a cultural or creative work of their choice, not covered in the course.

  • OR

  • Create an artefact or text related to childhood and adolescence and write an analytical essay about the work.

Students will have the opportunity to prepare for the summative by submitting a creative piece + an analytical essay for formative assessment towards the end of the semester.

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Cultural and Creative Approaches to Education		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Individual written feedback reports, with follow-up tutor meeting, if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information

Indicative reading

  • Beghetto, R. A., ebrary, Inc, & Kaufman, James C. (2010). Nurturing creativity in the classroom [electronic resource] / edited by Ronald A. Beghetto, James C. Kaufman. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.

  • Cook, D.T. (2002). (Ed) Symbolic Childhood. New York: Peter Lang.

  • James, A. & Prout, A. (1997) (Eds.) Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer.

  • Kenway, J. & Bullen, E. (2001). Consuming Children: Education - Entertainment - Advertising. Buckingham: Open University Press.

  • McIntosh, P., Warren, Digby, & ebrary, Inc. (2013). Creativity in the classroom [electronic resource]: case studies in using the arts in teaching and learning in higher education / edited by Paul McIntosh and Digby Warren. Bristol: Intellect.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.