| Unit name | Understanding and Challenging Social Barriers |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ACHSD0003 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | D/8 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tom Porter |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit seeks to establish an integrated social model for understanding the contexts in which children live, and will draw on a range of research projects carried out at Norah Fry Centre for Disability Studies and elsewhere. Children develop in interaction with their own culture, their families, linguistic environment and social network, and have a multiplicity of identities. There are also barriers created by society which will tend to prevent children from reaching their potential. During this unit, there will be a chance to consider the particular issues for a range of children, in their social context. This unit will consider generic issues to do with identity, individual and social development. It will then move on to consider how these impinge on particular groups, those with Autisitc Spectrum disorders, dyslexia and learning disabilities, and will consider how these issues impact on professional practice in relation to families, transition and to establishing 'student centred' practice through accessible communication tools.
Aims:
To develop a holistic view of the learner’s life goals and opportunities beyond school.
By the end of this unit, students will demonstrate a reflective understanding of how to approach issues of identity, diversity and classification. They will have developed a knowledge of social contexts and social models, as they apply to the development of language, learning and literacy. They will be able to apply this knowledge to their own practice in terms of interactions with families, students and professionals at key stages of the child’s career, and they will have developed a critique of ways of listening to learners’ voices.
Blended learning to involve guided reading and seminars, group work, presentations either delivered on campus or on Blackboard collaborate, as the situation allows. At least one of the sessions will include a co-tutor representing an EP client group. Experiences (such as placement) will be organised within the programme as a whole to allow observation and reflection on the issues raised in the Unit.
Completion of a 4000 word assignment, which will give evidence of a reflective understanding of issues of identity, diversity and classification. The assignment will also demonstrate knowledge of various models of disability, including the social model, and will apply a critical approach to the application of these models in practice. The assignment requires students to select particular children with whom they have worked, and to analyse their own input in the light of the theories covered in this unit.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ACHSD0003).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
