MODULE OUTLINE

 Aims

• To develop awareness of cultural differences and types of family
• To understand how the family plays a major  role in human social development
• To locate the family in wider social and political context
• To place the family in historical and changing times 

and Learning Outcomes

• Show critical understanding of  the ‘family’, being able to reflect on the family as a social and historical construct and as a culturally variable phenomena.
• Developing awareness of the family in its wider social and political context.
• Critically evaluating the psychosocial nature of the family, in regards to mental health and psycho-socio ‘pathology’ in a given social context.
• Opening the definition of the family, the impact  of adoption and foster
• Be able to differentiate and evaluate different psycho-social perspectives on the family 
• Demonstrate an ability to reflect on their own families intergenerationally and to be able to link theory to experience.

Main text book on Kortext   Baca Zinn, M, Eitzen, S, Rupert,F,Wells, P    (2013) Diversity in Families Pearson Education LTD  

Assessment in detail 

Up to 2,500 words Choose a Topic we have studied and discuss the impact this issue has had on family life

Examples of essay tittle

Explore how food impacts on family life

Explore how trauma impacts on Family Life

Explore how mental health impacts on Family life

I want you to use this sentence and insert the chosen topic – Explore how ……..impacts on family life

In place of the dots you can choose -cultural differences, trauma, food, sexuality, adoption, mental distress, mental health, attachment, criminality, intergenerational transmission of trauma, old age, politics, and any other topic but check it out with me)

Model outline for the essay on the module:

For the model essay I am choosing the topic trauma so

1) intro-I would say/ argue  that studying trauma has shown how the environment and interpersonal upheaval can have determining impact on family life, break up the family habitual way of life, shared meaning and sense of belonging, create mental disturbance and is therefore key to understanding emotional disturbances in familial relations

2) In the next paragraph after the into, you need to define the Family and  define trauma –For a definition of the family I would say there are different kinds of family and historically the family has changed, I would question there is an ideal family and challenge conventional stereotypes of the family, however choose a definition you can work with.

3) I choose a general intro to trauma, then a Freud and then Attachment definition and say I go with attachment and why I chose this. So I have chosen a genera definition, then Freud and then Bowlby and attachment.

3 ) then I give examples of how trauma impacts on family life

4) examples from natural disaster  –arguably are different from let us say a war crisis, because from an attachment perspective the crisis in human relations that war brings is potentially more disturbing because it relates to a breakdown of affiliative relations altogether and define why this is more traumatic .

I take an example of a war zone trauma -the Nazi and Jewish onslaught

5) Refer to intergenerational transmission and impact family life and future generations

6)  Refer to effects on individual development

7) sum up and conclude how helped understand disruption and family breakdown and by understanding can address ways of dealing with crisis and developing preventive measures

Assignments

  

• Knowledge from a wide range of relevant sources, you are encouarged to use recent journals as much as possible
• Logical structure with introduction and conclusion
• An ability to answer the question using suitably chosen material
• An ability to critically analyse material
• A clear and succinct argument of your own (without resorting to uninformed opinion)
• Suitable language and grammer, with appropriate referencing and bibiography (will references from the Internet at an absolute minimum).

 

The  essay must be typed or word-processed, double-spaced, and accompanied by a full bibliography in the correct form. Students who fail to adhere to these requirements will be penalised by loss of  marks.

 

Toby Grainger (Module Specification

Module Title:                                   Family Studies		Module Code: Level: 6   Credit:15   ECTS credit:			Module Leader: Dr Nicola Diamond
Pre-requisite:			Pre-cursor: None
Co-requisite:			Excluded combinations :
Location of delivery:  UEL/              - learning (please delete as appropriate) If ‘Other’  please insert location here:
Main aim(s) of the module:   The aim of the module is to explore the question What is the Family? Are families universals and constant or are they culturally and historically variable? What has happened to the family in Western Post-Modernity? Are families central to our lives-should they live up to an ideal or be debunked? Do families both make us and break us. Are they necessary?   In examining and answering these questions we will be exploring ‘family’ as a social and historical phenomenon, in cultural difference and specificity. How does the family define gender, sexuality, parenting, children and ageing? What is the relation between the family and mental health? We will be looking at approaches to the family and in particular the psychoanalytic model. This module is a Psychosocial approach to the family which explores the psychic and social together?
Main topics of study: Cultural Differences and the Family  The Family a historical perspective and contemporary times Different Theoretical approaches to the family Families and mental health
Learning Outcomes for the module       Knowledge    To grasp complexity in  defining the family   To understand the cultural variety of families.   Gain Knowledge of different theoretical models for understanding the family   To understand the importance of the family in shaping the direction of our lives                   Thinking skills   Show critical understanding of  the ‘family’ Be able to differentiate and evaluate different psycho-social perspectives on the family  Being able to reflect on the family as a social and historical construct and as a culturally variable phenomena                    Subject-based practical skills   To link one’s own culturally specific family to a theoretical study of the family   To develop a more informed understanding of family life that will provide a more open perspective in everyday life     Skills for life and work (general skills)   To acquire a capacity to reflect on families that can be  used in the work context To gain a better understanding of career options involving work with families
Teaching/ learning methods/strategies used to enable the achievement of learning outcomes: For on campus students:   Lectures Power point Student Presentations of family of origin Group work Visual material-film /other media
Assessment methods which enable students to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the module; please define as necessary:   Essay				Weighting:       100”/%		Learning Outcomes demonstrated
Reading and resources for the module: These must be up to date and  presented  in correct Harvard format unless a Professional Body specifically requires a different format Core Text    Main text book on Kortext   Baca Zinn, M, Eitzen, S, Rupert,F,Wells, P    (2013) Diversity in Families Pearson Education LTD     Recommended White, J ,Klein, D Family Theories (2007)  Sage Publications, USA UK Trask, B S, Hamon, RR (2007)  Cultural Diversity and Families Sage Publications, USA, London Marrone,M, Diamond,N (1998) Attachment And Interaction Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London    Mason, P, Barnes M, (2009). Children, Families and Social Exclusion - Developing New Understandings for Prevention. Policy Press,Bristol USA
Indicative learning and teaching time (10 hrs per credit):	Activity Activity (e.g. lectures/seminars/tutorials/workshops/studio work/moderated online discussions, online chat etc):   Lectures: 24 Hours Seminars/Workshops: 12 Hours
1. Student/tutor interaction:	Activity and hours (Defined as lectures, seminars, tutorials, project supervision, demonstrations, practical classes and workshops, supervised time in studio/workshop, fieldwork, external visits, work based learning (not placements), formative assessment) See further descriptions in guidance http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/Moduleindicativelearningandteachingtime.docx