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The central question that this module addresses is how we can use education effectively to transform society – to create a more just, equal, inclusive, democratic and sustainable society than the one we live in today. The module introduces students to the theory and history of social justice education, and looks closely at key concepts, traditions and thinkers in the fields of popular education, democratic education, environmental education, civil rights education, critical pedagogy and community organizing. In addition to core lectures and seminars, students have the opportunity to engage in direct, hands on, experiential learning about social justice education through participating in a live community organising campaign with schools and community groups in London.

Community organising placement

As part of the module, all students have the opportunity to participate in a community organizing project run in collaboration with Citizens UK. While this project changes each year, in previous years, students have worked on: a campaign in support of refugee children in UK schools; a campaign to support children and young people in the UK without access to UK citizenship; an action research project on how the government’s hostile environment immigration policy is impacting schools, children and families with and without citizenship; a campaign to promote the London Citizens’ Manifesto for youth safety, affordable housing, climate crisis action, immigrant welcome and living wage employment. More information on Citizens UK can be found at:Ìý. The purpose of the placement is to allow students the opportunity to learn directly, through experience and hands on practice, about one particular tradition of social justice education and action.

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Teaching delivery:

The module runs over UCL Terms 2 and 3. Weekly lectures and seminars are scheduled during the ten weeks of Term 2; while the community organising campaign placement attached to the module runs during Terms 2 and 3. Lectures are 1.5 hours; seminars are 2 hours; the placement activity is approximately 30 hours.

Indicative Topics:

In previous years, lectures, readings and seminar discussions have focused on topics such as: Paulo Freire and popular education; Saul Alinsky and community organising; US civil rights movement and the Freedom and Citizenship Schools; democratic education and democratic schools; social justice education with young children; environmental education, radical education and the climate crisis; and learning in social movements.

Module Aims:

The module has four overarching aims:

• (1) to introduce students to the theory and history of using education as part of collective efforts to create a more democratic, equal, just and sustainable society than the one we live in now;
• (2) to provide students with a hands on, experiential learning opportunity to develop and practice community organising skills through participating in a locally based community organising project;
• (3) to develop students’ critical ability to reflect upon, analyse and evaluate the relative strengths and weakness of different ways of using education and collective organising to effectively promote social justice agendas in contemporary society; and
• (4) to foster in students a commitment to public, collective and engaged academic practice, that is based upon making strong connections between individual experience, empirical research evidence, social theory, and a concern with growing our collective ability to actively and effectively address real world social problems.

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DBS Checks:

UCL requires that all students taking this module obtain a DBS (criminal record) check, in order to have no restrictions on their placement work in schools. DBS checks are free of charge and processed via UCL - further details to follow in due course if you are successful in obtaining a place on this module.Ìý

Limited enrolment:

This is a small module with enrolment capped at a maximum of 42 students. Students who are interested in taking this module should sign up for a brief meeting with the module leader, Stuart Tannock, usuing this Calendly link:Ìý

We will hold 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 42 students want to take this module, we will use these conversations as the basis for allocating spaces. If none of the time slots listed on the booking link fit your schedule, please email Stuart at s.tannock@ucl.ac.uk, and we can arrange an alternative time.

Recommended readings:

In previous years, key readings on the module have drawn from texts such as Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed; Antonia Darder, Marta Baltodano and Rodolfo Torres, The Critical Pedagogy Reader; and Rinku Sen, Stir it Up! Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy.