The Life Course and Social Relationships

SOWK60665 The Life Course and Social Relationships 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Andrew Holt Unit coordinator Social Work 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 The course unit is structured both chronologically in terms of age and the life-course and in relation to themes such as attachment and cognitive development. The main disciplines drawn upon are psychology and sociology and students are presented with competing perspectives and contested research evidence. This means they must develop an understanding of the epistemological and methodological basis for competing claims and evaluate evidence and assertions from different disciplines. The content is chosen specifically, so students are able to understand, evaluate and integrate multidisciplinary perspectives into their thinking and practice. A key aim of the course is to equip student social workers with a critical awareness of of knowledge and theories around the life course that they will be able to use in practice as a foundation upon which skills and knowledge can be based. For that reason there will be reference to situations where they might use such knowledge throughout the teaching. <ul> <li> Theoretical perspectives on child development: physical, and psychological / psychosocial – including cognitive, moral, attachment and resilience and behavioural theory.</li> <li> A critical introduction to physiological aspects of human development such as brain development, information processing and genetics.</li> <li> Sociological perspectives on childhood: changing patterns of childhood behaviour, children’s rights, issues of discrimination and inequality as they relate to childhood in generational terms class, sexual orientation, gender, race /ethnicity, child abuse and poverty and their impact upon children’s development.</li> <li> Sociological and psychological perspectives on the family – to include composition and changing structure and roles within the family and variations according to social class, ethnicity, sexuality and changing social and economic structures.</li> <li> Adolescence and youth – different, physical, sociological and psychological theoretical perspectives to include issues of sexuality, body image, mental health as well as risk taking and rule breaking.</li> <li> Adult roles, power relationships, and the changing nature of young and middle adulthood as well as protracted contemporary transitions into to adulthood in Western societies</li> <li> Older age – ageism and age discrimination, medicalisation of ageing, financial needs and poverty, housing, disability and social support, death ,dying, grief and loss, including consideration of the great variety of developmental and socio-cultural experiences for different groups of people.</li></ul> <ul> <li> Facilitate students’ knowledge and critical understanding of the contribution made by the social and behavioural sciences (especially sociology and psychology) to an understanding of people’s lives, actions and behaviours.</li> <li> Enhance students' critical understanding and analytical abilities by contrasting and comparing different and contested theoretical perspectives on children, adults and older people in relation to human development and change.</li> <li> Develop students' understanding and critical awareness of the complex relationship between rights, power, powerlessness and agency, in relation to children, adults and older people and the way this impacts on specific individuals and groups during the life course.</li> <li> Encourage students to apply knowledge learnt on this course critically and selectively to social work assessments and interventions throughout the life-course</li> <li> Develop students' written communication skills.</li></ul> <ul> <li> Critically understand, review and appraise different theoretical frameworks in relation to development and change through childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.</li> <li> Consider how discourses relating to human development, for instance psychoanalytic theory and behaviourism, have influenced and continue to influence social work theories and practice.</li></ul> <ul> <li> Evaluate, theorise and critically analyse the ways in which childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age are constructed, represented and perceived in contemporary society in relation to their positioning in the life course.</li> <li> Demonstrate the ability to synthesise and critically analyse this knowledge to explain the 'lived experiences' of these groups.</li></ul> <ul> <li> Demonstrate the ability to critically apply this knowledge and understanding to social work practice</li></ul> <ul> <li> Critically apply specialist knowledge to the analysis of social work practice in a thoughtful and non discriminatory way.</li> <li> Communicate in writing at a high level of clarity and coherence</li></ul> Lectures, seminars, directed reading; exercises on Blackboard site. All learning will consider application of knowledge to social work practice situations through use of case scenarios and quizzes. 0 Other 100% Two written assessments: Point 1 – Critical application of attachment theory to a case scenario | 1,500 words | weighted 50% of unit mark. Point 2 – Critical application to theories of mid- and later-life to a case scenario | 1,500 words | weighted 50% of unit mark. Students will normally have the opportunity to receive feedback on formative work submitted prior to the summative assessment. Other feedback opportunities will also be available in class and online discussion boards. Online feedback is provided in Grademark. Provisional feedback based on internal marking will be made available prior to the Exam Board on the basis that these marks are yet to be ratified at the Exam Board and therefore may be subject to change. A standard feedback mechanism in Grademark is utilised across all postgraduate programmes within the School which provides detailed and constructive feedback on each component and aspect of assessment and identifies areas of strength and those aspects which could be enhanced.Student feedback is obtained through open discussion forums on blackboard, in class discussions, via formal University unit evaluation forms and also qualitative, in house evaluations at the end of the unit.  MA Social Work MA Social Work PGDT Taught Component Mandatory PG Dip Social Work (DipSW) PG Dip Social Work (DipSW) PGDT Taught Component Mandatory PG Dip Applied Health & Soc St PG Dip Applied Health & Soc St PGDT Taught Component Mandatory N <a href="http://www.readinglists.manchester.ac.uk/index.html">http://www.readinglists.manchester.ac.uk/index.html</a> Lectures 36 0 114