Programme of Study Catalogue

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

Compare and contrast perspectives on childhood within and outside the UK which inform social policy relating to children, young people and families;

Point out key developments in law, policy and practice relating to children, young people and families;

Analyse contemporary UK social policy within historical and international patterns;

Outline tensions and balances inherent in social policy formulation relating to children, young people and families.

Content:

In this module students will study:
1 Perspectives on childhood that underpin social policy: historical, geographical, sociological, philosophical and psychological.
2 The changing status of children within families and society, e.g. the emergence of children's rights.
3 The nature of the changing relationship between state, families and children.
4 Social policy in contexts, e.g. education, health, social services, law.
5 The responses of government and society to child poverty.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module will be taught using a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials - some of which will be student-led. Students could be expected to prepare for the sessions by reading set texts and completion of tasks set in class or via the VLE and will be expected to take part in a wide range of learning activities.

Students may be required to prepare and present a brief presentation as the basis for discussion in seminar or workshops.

Lectures, seminars and workshops
Hours: 30
Intended group size: Cohort

Directed Activities
Hours: 5
Intended group size: Cohort

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

Guided independent study
Hours: 164

Further details relating to assessment
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 10% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

Assessment:

001 Directed activities; throughout semester 1 10%
002 Reflective report on approaches to childhood; 1000 words; during semester 1 20%
003 Poster presentation & written rationale of 500 words (1500 word equiv) mid-semester 1 35%
004 Essay; 1500 words; end of semester 1 35%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Paul Coman
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S1