Course content

The core of the MA is the small group of students and staff - all practitioners but in a very different range of social movements and popular education projects - who spend the year working and reflecting together, across 2 x 12-week semesters and a summer working on their dissertation projects. The "Community of Praxis" module, run over both semesters, gives space for open and respectful discussion about the very different ways we approach our own practice in the field.

We have four other core modules, each run over one semester: "Power and Politics", "Radical Education and Critical Pedagogy", "Equality and Social Justice" and "Feminist Theory and Practice".

Along with these we have a series of electives, which change from year to year but regularly include "The market, the state and social movements", "The politics of environmental justice", "Critical media and cultural pedagogy in communities", "Participatory action research in social movement practice", "Sustaining communities" and "Nature and society". We also usually offer a workshop in "Sustainable activism", not for credit.

Finally we have modules in researching and planning your dissertation over the first two semesters, which set you up for working on it independently, supported by your supervisor.

Overview of the course

More detailed information on course content

A list of research topics to date

This is one attempt to define what we mean by activist practice as something participants work on in the course.