013008 The Socio-cultural Contexts of Secondary Education

This subject investigates the socio-cultural contexts of secondary education and social theories which seek to explain the social, economic and political forces shaping schools and classrooms. It explores the ways in which these forces interact in the Australian context to influence educational outcomes. This subject focuses on a critical-reflective approach to educational practices and beliefs which enables a critique of educational philosophy and how it influences professional practice. Some of the following issues are examined: the construction of knowledge and the process of socialisation in schools; forms of capital; poverty and disadvantage; globalisation; gender, indigenous, and multicultural education.