PSY4992 - Ethics, Society and Employability

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Critically reflect on own experiences and those of others and on personal strengths and weaknesses
Demonstrate and apply the skills of critical thinking and critical reflection to major contemporary ethical issues and the aims, procedures and activities of organisations.
Show an ability to evaluate scholarly arguments for and against a given topic and use information from primary and secondary sources to convey a particular argument;
Evaluate a range of different perspectives on contemporary ethical issues and critical debates within and beyond their subject discipline.
Undertake preparation for professional placement and demonstrate satisfactory performance during the professional placement

Content:

The module aims overall to introduce students to the social justice mission of Leeds Trinity University, invites them to consider a range of contemporary social issues as well as their own personal and professional development.
It will introduce students to the learning and teaching approaches at LTU and support the development of critical thinking and reflective skills, allowing students to integrate their own learning from personal experience with an ability to engage in an empathic, ethical and compassionate way with the wider world. The key vehicle for encouraging students to consider the wider world and their potential role in it will be the professional placement block which rounds off the module.

Core topics covered in the module will include:
• Transitions to learning and teaching in higher education (will include introduction to study skills)
• Citizenship and social justice
• Critical thinking
• Critical reflection
• Ethical issues
• Diversity

A range of other contemporary social and programme–linked issues will be covered as relevant.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The educational mode will reflect the philosophy of the module, i.e. to help students engage with a broad range of diverse thinking, perspectives and experiences, in line with the social justice mission of the university. There are therefore two strands to the teaching:
(1) the presentation of content on contemporary issues which will stimulate thought, reflection and debate;
and
(2) engagement in small group discussion/exercises which will process the content in a critical and experiential way. Students engage with debates (stimulated by first-hand debate, or other relevant material such as reading or films). They also attend seminars which equip them to engage critically with various contentious issues. Furthermore, the seminars equip students with critical thinking skills, writing skills, and presentation skills. The purposeful integration of the stimulus material, with specially designed seminar questions and exercises, is integral to the success of the module.

The experiential element of the module will be consolidated and reinforced through engagement with the seven-week professional placement.
Lectures / debates
Hours: 6
Seminars / tutorials
Hours: 20
Intended Group size: 30-50
Placement
Hours: 224, (7 weeks)
Guided independent study
Hours: 174

Further details relating to assessment
Assessment 1 – Directed activities: these consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks to be completed successfully. A pass will lead to the full award of 20% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

The professonal placement section of the assessment consists of the two-week intensive preparation block and the five-week placement. In addition, students will submit a weekly work reflection.

Placement performance is assessed by the University on a pass/fail basis based on information obtained directly from the employer’s report.

Students must pass the placement and achieve an overall numeric pass mark on other elements of assessment in order to pass the module.

Normally, a student will be ineligible to undertake the block placement without the required communication of placement details between the student and the Placement and Partnerships Office.

In unavoidable circumstances when a full five-week placement with an organisation is not possible, an alternative project which meets the module learning objectives will be agreed between the student, supervisor and the Placement and Partnerships Office.

Other relevant matters
The subject group lead will agree the negotiated assessments with students.

Assessment:

001 Directed Activities semester 1 20%
002 Negotiated assessment end of semester 1 40%
003 Professional Placement semester 2 0%
004 Weekly work reflections semester 2 40%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Ann Marie Mealey
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S1

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