What does this course offer?

Participants will leave the course with a deeper understanding of how the politics of equality and inequality works in a range of substantive areas. They will have developed the skill of practicing "politics from below": active citizenship, civil society, community education and development, social movements and other forms of popular agency. They will have gained skill as a reflexive researcher, developed their writing and presentation skills and completed a practice-based research project.

At the end of the programme:

• you will have been exposed to a critical knowledge base and will have developed critical thinking and reflexive skills in relation to social analysis, self awareness, critical pedagogy and the use of knowledge for social change;
• you will have a broad understanding of the politics of equality and inequality in relation to a range of substantive areas;
• you will have developed a range of practitioner skills in relation to active citizenship, civil society, community education and development, social movements and other forms of popular agency;
• you will have developed their writing and presentation skills;
• you will have developed the skills for reflexive research and will have completed a practice-based project that will apply your learning;
• you will have identified the fields of practice to which you will contribute, or go back (we hope inspired and with a renewed sense of purpose) to your existing practice.

Some students will find employment in existing organisations, as (for example) researchers, policy workers, campaign coordinators or educators within community, social movement, civil society or NGO groups, or within related parts of the welfare state. Others will return, we hope refreshed and inspired, to their own previous work. Others again will create work – paid or unpaid – for themselves in the building of organisations for equality, community development and social change.