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��ɫ��Ƶ has launched a new course to address a national demand for Politics and Society teachers in secondary schools.

The Professional Diploma (PD) in Politics and Society for Teachers, to be offered exclusively by UL, is one of three new courses rolled out by the Department of Education with the aim of upskilling secondary school teachers in key subject areas. 

The suite of courses – including similar programmes for Computer Science (Technological University Dublin) and French (Trinity College Dublin) – will be fully funded by the Government and open for application to qualified post-primary teachers who are fully registered with the Teaching Council. 

Graduates of the new programmes will be eligible to register to teach the subjects as qualified teachers.

Commenting on the significance of the launch of the new upskilling programmes, Minister for Education Helen McEntee said: "These courses are free and will help teachers to upskill in a flexible way, increasing their own job opportunities while addressing recruitment challenges in each of these subjects."

Politics and Society was first examined as part of the Leaving Certificate cycle in 2018 and designed to prepare students for active and informed citizenship in an increasingly interconnected and dynamic world. However, the absence of formal skills training in the subject has resulted in many teachers delivering the subject out of field, while others interested in teaching the subject reportedly lack the requisite formal knowledge base.

The PD in Politics and Society for Teachers has been designed to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to teach Politics and Society at second level. The part-time course, to be delivered across two academic years, with both taught and online components, will incorporate the values of the Politics and Society curriculum: human dignity, equality, justice, and democracy.

In 2016, the Department of Education and Skills acknowledged UL’s contribution to the implementation of Politics and Society into the Leaving Certificate curriculum, referencing the research of Dr Roland Tormey, former Head of the Department of Education and Professional Studies ��ɫ��Ƶ, as instrumental. Dr Tormey published a background paper, Social and Political Education in Senior Cycle (2006) for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).

Dr Timothy Murphy, Associate Professor in Educational Research and Policy ��ɫ��Ƶ, and course director, said: “With already strong links to the development of Politics and Society as a subject for the Leaving Certificate curriculum, the University is delighted to now offer the Professional Diploma in Politics and Society for Teachers (PDPST). The course aims to develop learners’ capacities to engage in reflective and active citizenship, informed by the insights and skills of social and political sciences and will be delivered by leading academics/researchers in politics and society from UL’s Department of Politics & Public Administration, Department of Sociology and School of Education.”

Dr Andrew Shorten, Department of Politics and Public Administration, added: “We in the Department of Politics and Public Administration are excited to have the opportunity to help train the next generation of Politics and Society teachers. We look forward to sharing our expertise in Irish, European and global politics, as well as our enthusiasm for the discipline of political science. This programme is a great opportunity for dedicated educators to upskill in order to help prepare the next generation of students to meet the challenges of the complex world they will live in.”

Visit the dedicated course page for more information on the Professional Diploma (PD) in Politics and Society for Teachers.