University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2018/19 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Social Sciences and Law > School for Policy Studies > Childhood Studies with Management (BSc) > Specification
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Programme code | 9SPOL027U |
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Programme type | Single Honours |
Programme director(s) |
Jo Staines
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Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
School/department | School for Policy Studies |
Second School/department | School of Management - Business School |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups | Early childhood studies (2019) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 3 years (full time) |
This programme is a pathway open to students interested in Childhood Studies. The Childhood Studies programme aims to develop the student's interest in and knowledge and understanding of the interdisciplinary study of childhood and children in all their contexts, including the family, schooling and wider society both in the UK and globally. We intend to utilise the staff strengths in the School for Policy Studies in policy studies, health studies, psychology, education and social work with children and families to educate undergraduate students who will prioritise children's voices, participation and experience in society and champion children's rights and quality of life. We want to see Bristol graduates becoming the leaders, policy makers and influential professionals in the children's services of the future. This vision is neither age nor discipline-bound and therefore would encompass the whole span of childhood as well as all relevant discipline, contextual and theoretical perspectives that inform a deeper understanding of the childhood experience.
Childhood Studies is an academic subject of study that draws on a range of theoretical, policy and practice perspectives. This pathway, Childhood Studies with Management, is designed to allow students to further their critical and analytical understanding of organisations and of the theory and practice of management.
This pathway, Childhood Studies with Management, is designed to allow students to further their critical and analytical understanding of organisations and of the theory and practice of management.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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The acquisition of core knowledge and understanding is through lectures, seminars, classes and workshops together with regular course work in the form of essays, presentations and projects involving the collection and analysis of data. Tutorials provide further opportunities in the course of monitoring student progress and providing advice and support. More advanced knowledge in a student-chosen area is acquired through one-to-one supervision in connection with the final year dissertation. Throughout the learner is encouraged to undertake independent reading both to supplement and consolidate what is being taught and to broaden his/her individual knowledge and understanding of the subject. This independent reading will include academic texts, public documents, journals and internet material. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Throughout the programme there is a combination of formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment is undertaken in relation to unit course work essays, presentations and project work. Written feedback is provided to students in each case. During preparation of the dissertation there are regular meetings between student and supervising tutor and these include verbal feedback on the student's work in progress. Summative assessment is through a combination of unseen written examinations (normally of 3 hours duration) and assessed extended essays, portfolios or reports in accordance with the Social Sciences Faculty rubric. In addition, students are required to produce a final year dissertation which is based on a piece of individual research. The dissertation is the principal assessment for item 10 and 11 above. There are, however, opportunities to choose options in particular areas which will allow greater specialism. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Students are exposed progressively through the programme to the forms of analysis and criticality indicated in items 1 to 5 above and to the application of theory and research noted in item 6 & 7. Acquisition of these particular intellectual skills/attributes is further developed by the discussion of key issues in seminars and classes, the summarising of key points from reading and the application of these key issues and points in the completion of unit course work essays. Training in research methods and data analysis and one-to-one discussion with the academic supervisor of the final year dissertation contribute to the development of the intellectual skills/attributes associated with items 6 and 7. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Through the formative and summative approaches indicated in 'A' above. A component of the overall assessment in each case focuses on the student's capacity to think critically, reflect on what he/she has learnt, formulate arguments and draw upon relevant concepts, findings and perspectives. The dissertation particularly tests the capacity to conceptualise, plan, initiate and report in a clear and appropriately structured manner on a piece of individual research. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Practical Skills: All learners receive initial guidance on how to identify, locate and use material available in the libraries and elsewhere (item 1). Comprehensive bibliographies are provided for each unit as are guidelines for the production of coursework essays (item 1). Input is offered on reading for academic purposes and on essay writing and making presentations (items 2 and 3). Lectures are provided which set out the steps involved in identifying a research topic and planning, carrying through and reporting on an independent piece of research (item 4). Transferable Skills: All units require written work and feedback concerned with enhancing the learner's power of expression is given (items 1 and 5). Meeting deadlines and keeping to the allotted time in presentations contribute to the acquiring of time management skills (item 4), while use of the library, agency visits and contact with practitioners help to promote a capacity to use a range of resources. Items 1 to 3 are developed in seminars, classes and workshops, which rely on facilitated discussion and interaction as well as joint work on exercises and on individual or group presentations. Items 5 and 6 are substantially promoted through the work on the dissertation but are also encouraged throughout the programme in regular one-to-one tutorials with personal tutors aimed at charting progress to date and looking forward to upcoming demands. Item 7 is developed through the encouragement to use online sources of information, the expectation that submitted work will be word processed and direct teaching on the use of IT in the analysis and interpretation of data: Unit SPOL20004. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Practical skills: An element of the formative assessment of course work essays, presentations and project work is concerned with the student's achievement of items 1 to 3, as is an element of the summative assessment of unseen written examinations or assessed extended essays. The achievement of item 4 is addressed principally through the completion of the final year dissertation. Transferable skills: Effective communication of ideas is an important criterion in assessing all areas of a learner's work. All skills are formatively assessed through unit course work essays and student presentations whilst items 1, 2, 4 and 7 are also summatively assessed through unseen written examinations, assessed extended essays and the dissertation. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Mandatory and recommended optional units at Level C (Year 1) are designed to enable the acquisition of foundational knowledge and understanding about i) historical and contemporary views concerning the care, education and health of children ii) social policy in these and related areas and how it has come to be formulated iii) concepts and theories relating to the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of children (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6), iv) critical understanding of education and schooling and the complexities related to responding to diversity in education (A2, A3, A7). They will develop an understanding of debates on issues of central importance to management and its theoretical foundations. Students also learn, through seminar and class discussion, project and course work essays, about the nature of enquiry in the relevant disciplines and thus take a step towards the development of a more analytical approach to the subject matter (A1, A2, A3, A4, A6, A7). Required reading, unit course work essays and projects, and seminar, class and tutorial discussions contribute towards the acquisition of Intellectual Skills B1 and B4, Practical Skills C1 to C3 and Transferable Skills C1 to C5. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
Mandatory and optional units at Level I (Year 2) are designed to extend the acquisition of knowledge and understanding begun at Level C (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6) but most are also specifically concerned with enabling students to grasp how this knowledge and understanding can be applied to childhood issues and objectives or, in the case of options, to allied topics (A7, A8, A9). Provision and practice are discussed with reference to previously acquired knowledge about children's rights and needs and about what policy and legislation are seeking to promote. In this way, and through seminar, class and tutorial discussions, essays and other assessment mechanisms, critical analysis becomes a more prominent feature of the learning process (B1 to B5). They acquire an overview of key fields of organisation and management theory and appropriate methodologies, a strong conceptual basis for later theory and substantive units. Students undertake joint project and presentation work in a number of units, thereby continuing to develop Practical Skills C1 to C3 and Transferable Skills C1 to C5 and C7. In addition, students are acquainted with social research methods of enquiry, the use of computer-based programmes to analyse quantitative data and a framework for critically evaluating research articles and papers (A10, A11, B2 and parts of B6, Practical Skills C3 and C4 and Transferable Skills C1 to C5 and C7. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
All mandatory and optional units at Level H (Year 3) continue to encourage the acquisition of knowledge and understanding but most deal with more complex processes, thus requiring students to engage with topics where knowledge and understanding are less certain or more fluid and where a more open, explorative and critically appreciative approach to learning is necessary. The dissertation in particular requires students - within their chosen area of study - to grapple in some depth with the processes referred to in A8, A9 & A10 and to sharpen and draw upon the Intellectual Skills associated with B4, B5 and B6, the Practical Skills associated with C1 to C4 and the Transferable Skills associated with C1, C2 and C4 to C7. Other mandatory units similarly require a more intellectually supple approach in addressing topics not previously examined but of emerging or special significance to children's development or to the provision of education and services. Effective team work and oral presentation remain a prominent expectation. |
Level M/7 - Masters |
Not specified |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Certificate |
Not specified |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Diploma |
Not specified |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Masters |
Not specified |
Level D/8 - Doctoral |
Not specified |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Workload Statement
Success at undergraduate level in the Social Sciences and Law depends on your being able to make the transition to self-motivated, independent learning. The programmes offered in the Faculty are designed to assist you in this development, in many cases by starting with larger lecture-based units providing the foundations of knowledge and skills in a subject, moving through to smaller seminar-based specialist units and finishing with an individual dissertation or research project. Over time you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for your own learning. But at the heart of your studies at every level there must be regular and disciplined individual reading, reflection and writing, whether in the library or at home. It is this skill of independent study above all others that you will take with you when you leave.
This model of academic development is particularly obvious in the more discursive subjects such as law, politics, social policy and sociology. The typical timetabled contact time for a discursive 20 credit point unit in the Faculty is about 30 hours. You will find that you need to allow for about 10 hours preparation on your own if you are to get the most from one of these teaching sessions. In addition there will often be class presentations or essays to write. Typically, the final year will include an independent research unit which by definition has a much smaller amount of more individualised support. Towards the end of any teaching block you may have additional revision or updating classes, and many programmes have occasional ad-hoc lectures of general interest and relevance. If you get stuck, there is always the chance to speak to your lecturer after a class or during their hours of general availability, or you could see your personal tutor. The Faculty also includes programmes which require increasing levels of mathematical sophistication, typically in Economics, Finance and Management. In this latter case, much larger numbers of lectures - up to 18 hours a week depending on option choices - and fewer small group classes are normal, as in the sciences.
As a result, and depending on your particular programme and option choices, your timetable is likely to be a lot less structured than that of fellow students who are linguists, scientists, engineers or medics. But the time that others spend in laboratories you should be spending in private study. In a sense, the library is your laboratory, and you will want to make best use of the excellent range of resources available to you here. A good University education does not tell you 'what you need to know'. Rather, we assume that, like your lecturers and professors, you are intellectually curious about your subject. We invite you to join us and we are there to help you satisfy your curiosity as best we can.
Assessment Statement
Please select the following link for a statement about assessment. This is University of Bristol access only.
https://www.bris.ac.uk/fssl/current-students/fssl-undergraduates/assessmentandfeedbackstatement.pdf
A minimum of Grade A GCSE Maths (or equivalent) is required for this degree
Programme Administrator: Emily Rodda
Emily.Rodda@bristol.ac.uk
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Constructing Childhoods | SPOL10023 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Contemporary Debates in Global Childhood | SPOL10024 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Critical Skills for Social Scientists: Childhood Studies | SPOL10025 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Introduction to psychology for Childhood Studies | SPOL10016 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Introduction to Accounting | ACCG10052 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Introduction to Management | EFIM10015 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Social Research Methods | SOAD20004 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Child Health in the Early Years | COBM20000 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Public Management | EFIM20019 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Select 40 credit points from: | ||||
Play and Creativity | SPOL22021 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Youth, Sexualities and Gendered Violence | SPOL22023 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Youth Justice | SPOL20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Family Support | SOWK20002 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Child and Adolescent Psychology | SPOL20032 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Changing Families and the State | SPOL21008 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Youth Policy and Social Welfare | SPOL22022 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Education, Schooling and Diversity | SPOL20037 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Work and Work Placements: Childhood Studies | SPOL20040 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Select 20 credit points from: | ||||
Global Business Environment | EFIM10012 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
International Business Management | EFIM20003 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Foundations of Business Law | LAWD10007 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Project Management | EFIM20015 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Marketing and New Product Development | EFIM20030 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Strategic Finance | EFIM20024 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Dissertation (Childhood Studies) | SPOL30033 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Select 40 credit points from: | ||||
Children and Young People in the Law A | SPOL30057 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Children in a Global Context | SPOL32008 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Therapeutic Work with Children | SPOL30035 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Disability in Society | SPOL30075 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Interprofessional Working in Children's Services | SPOL30037 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Child Nutrition, Activity and Health | SPOL30034 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Select 40 credit points from: | ||||
Strategy | EFIM30030 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability | EFIM30012 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
International Human Resource Management | EFIM30024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Childhood Studies with Management (BSc) | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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