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The overall aim of this module is to explore conceptions of rights, equality and justice in education, and to consider how these concepts apply to complex issues in education, including state and private education, equality of opportunity, compensating for inequality, the politics of recognition, the distinction between public and private spheres, multiculturalism, faith schools and student led-curricula. The course begins by looking at competing conceptions of rights, and we explore how these apply to freedom of choice, autonomy, paternalism and multiculturalism. We will look at the right to education, compulsory education, religious schools and multicultural education. We will also look at feminist conceptions of rights, including the right to be free from state interference, and the distinction between the private and public spheres. In the second half of the course we look at equality and social justice. We examine competing conceptions of equality and justice, and we explore how these apply to educational equality, inequality and disadvantage. We look at the idea of giving priority to the people who are worst off and we explore the justification for affirmative action. We also explore a series of feminist arguments that emphasise the ‘politics of recognition’ and consider how this is distinguished from the ‘politics of redistribution’.

Teaching delivery:ÌýÌýThis module is taught in 10 weekly lectures and 10 weekly seminars.

Module Aims:Ìý

The overall aim of this module is to explore conceptions of human rights, equality and justice, and to consider how these apply to prominent debates in the context of education.

We will examine conceptions of rights, equality and justice, and explore how these apply to debates about statutory education, multicultural schooling and the distribution of resources amongst pupils. We will look at such questions as how much priority should be given to the most disadvantaged pupils, the case for compulsory schooling and the rights of people in prison.ÌýÌý

Amongst the groups we take a close look at are prisoners, migrants and children with profound and multiple learning difficulties and disabilities.Ìý

Reading List:

• Brighouse, H., 2000, School Choice and Social Justice, Oxford University Press.Ìý
• McCowan, T., 2013, Education as a Human Right, London: Bloomsbury.
• Brighouse, H., et al. 2018. Educational Goods: Values, Evidence and Decision-Making, University of Chicago Press.