CYP5062 - Understanding Family Dynamics

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1 - Explain the change and development of individuals and social groups in theoretical terms.
2 - Analyse the impact that various forms of identity might have in the interactions happening in the family and between members of the families and their environment.
3 - Analyse the emotional side of family life in its social context
4 - Critically evaluate forms of conflicts arising within the family unity and their social circumstances

Content:

This module is about the dynamics of family life, seen in their internal development as well as in their external manifestations. Family life is something that most of us would have an experience of, thus this module will use this pre-existing knowledge to make sense of the fundamental aspects of family's general circumstances, family's emotional side and family's overt and covert tensions.

In understanding family dynamics, we will investigate and discuss important concepts, like 'care labour', which are vital to locate people's experience of family in social and personal terms. Discussion of 'care labour' will then open up the understanding of forms of identity (e.g. gender identity), and as they are linked to general processes in our society, the module will touch on the understanding of social dynamics. The exploration of concepts like 'care labour' will facilitate to see the interrelation between personal experiences of mothers and social understandings of their roles.

Work and family interaction will be part of the items explored in this module, because paid work is the single most important material resource for families and the lack of it the most important source of stress for them. Through this specific aspect, we will discuss how mothers juggle different commitments in their lives, how fathers (when present) tend to help or not (and to what degree) their partners in raising children and with domestic work. Also through this specific aspect we will analyse how mothers with lack of resources 'get by' in raising children in the current economic climate. It goes without saying that 'unpaid care labour' will feature prominently in this aspect of the module.

The unifying theme of this module will be the emotional side of family life and the 'personal', seen form the point of view of approaches that stress the importance of social factors in exploring even intimate dimensions. Through these approaches the students will have the opportunity to critically evaluate standard understandings of family dynamics. Families are then be considered in their complexity and in their diverse nature, but more importantly family life will be considered under the aspect of its particularity, in contrast with more general trends manifest in the social context.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Learning will take place via lectures, which will focus on conceptual as well as factual issues, and in interactive sessions incorporating seminars, discussions, debates and ICT research. Students will be supported by VLE materials, suggested reading and workshop sessions. Formative assessment opportunities will be integrated into taught sessions.

Students may be required to prepare and present brief presentations as the basis for discussion in seminars or workshops.

Lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials
Hours: 30
Intended Group size: Cohort

On-line support and small group tutorials
Hours: 1 (min)
Intended group size: 6-10

Guided independent study
Hours: 169

Assessment:

001 Essay 1; 2,000 words; mid-semester 1 50%
002 Essay 2; 2,000 words; end of semester 1 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Stefano Ba'
Level - 5
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 5S1

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