Tutorial Letter 101/0/2023
EDUCATIONAL STUDIES IN CONTEXT
ESC3701
Year module
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS
This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.
, CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 4
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES...................................................................................................6
2.1 Purpose..................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Outcomes.................................................................................................................................. 6
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION.......................................................................................7
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS...............................................................................7
4.1 Lecturer(s)................................................................................................................................. 7
4.2 Department............................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 University.................................................................................................................................. 8
5 RESOURCES............................................................................................................................ 9
5.1 Prescribed book(s).................................................................................................................... 9
5.2 Recommended book(s)........................................................................................................... 10
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)..............................................................................................10
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES..........................................................................................13
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme.........................................................................14
7 STUDY PLAN......................................................................................................................... 14
8 PRACTICAL WORK............................................................................................................... 16
9 ASSESSMENT........................................................................................................................ 16
9.1 Assessment criteria................................................................................................................. 16
9.2 Assessment plan..................................................................................................................... 17
9.3 Assessment due dates............................................................................................................ 18
9.4 Submission of assessments....................................................................................................18
9.5 The assessments.................................................................................................................... 20
9.6 Other assessment methods.....................................................................................................30
9.7 The examination...................................................................................................................... 33
9.7.1 Invigilation/proctoring.............................................................................................................. 34
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY.....................................................................................................35
10.1 Plagiarism............................................................................................................................... 35
10.2 Cheating.................................................................................................................................. 35
11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES..............................................................................35
12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.....................................................................................36
13 SOURCES CONSULTED.......................................................................................................36
14 IN CLOSING........................................................................................................................... 36
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,Dear Student
1 INTRODUCTION
We would like to welcome you to the module, Educational Studies in Context (ESC3701)! We
are sure you will find the content of the module interesting and rewarding. We further hope that
this shared module will provide a better understanding of Philosophy of education and
Sociology of education, and broaden your personal academic spheres of knowledge.
Therefore, the module consists of two parts, namely Part A: Philosophy of education and Part
B: Sociology of education.
In Part A you will embark upon a philosophical journey in education. Philosophy of education is
quite simply the theory on which we base and run our lives, including our educational lives. All
of us, knowingly or unknowingly, are guided by a certain philosophy or ‘life theory’. There are a
number of different ‘life theories’ available to us, and it is these philosophies – life theories –
that we will explore and discuss in this module. We will look at how these philosophies can
influence education and, in particular, the formulation of different philosophies of education.
We live in a global world and some of these philosophies have a very definite impact on
educational practice in terms of teaching and learning. The philosophies that we will explore
are African philosophy, Empiricism, Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, Critical Theory,
Postmodernism and Critical Realism. All these philosophies have advantages and
disadvantages, certainly as far as education is concerned. If we are to improve our various
educational endeavours, we need to know what these advantages and disadvantages are.
In the light of the above, this part of the module will deal with the:
o main ideas of different philosophies
o main ideas of different philosophies of education and what they have to say on
contemporary issues and problems in education
o implications of the main ideas of the different philosophies for philosophy of education.
We hope that you, as a student, in completing this module, will be able to develop your own
philosophy of education to help you reflect critically on:
o the philosophy of education which directs the education system in your country.
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, ESC3701/101/0/2023
o the effectiveness of your own classroom practice in the education of your learners
in preparing them to live meaningfully in their communities, society and the world.
In Part B the module is designed to provide you with a theoretical understanding of the
Sociology of education by critically analysing three major theories/perspectives/approaches,
namely functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. The module also focuses on
the history of citizenship education, citizenship education, and democracy and diversity.
Sociology of education provides insight into how schools operate in society and how the
broader social context can impact on the individual, such as the teacher and the learner.
Initially, you will be required to develop a strong understanding of the theories, as well as the
concepts used in the Sociology of education. You will discover that concepts such as identity,
race, social class and gender are central to the discipline.
Importantly, the module is also concerned with practical school and classroom matters. You
will be required to implement the theories within a schooling context. To put it differently, you
should think about how sociological theory can assist you to understand and gain insight into
schooling and your learners’ social contexts. For example, knowing something about the
social class position of your learners can provide you, as a teacher, with a theoretical ‘handle’
to explain some of the difficulties certain students face at home, at school and in society. So,
there is a strong link between theory and practice in this module. In addition, a central
component of the module is to encourage critical thinking. Hence, we do not expect you to
accept a theory without critique. The ability to articulate a critique will be developed by
working through those questions which lead to the formulation of criticisms of the relevant
theories.
Therefore, in the light of what we have said, this part of the module will deal with:
o sociology of education theories and concepts
o the application of these theories and concepts to schooling and classroom practice
o critiques of the theories of sociology of education.
Furthermore, although we shall support you with your studies, the reality remains that to be
successful in this module, you will need to take responsibility for your own progress. You will
receive tutorial letters at the beginning of the year. These tutorial letters will include important
information about teaching, learning and assessment. We would like to point out that you
must
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