BV3200 Child protection in the welfare state - Diversity and minorities Course description

This course provides nuanced perspectives on diversity and the relationship between the majority and minority, as well as challenges that can arise in interactions between the child welfare system and children, young people and families that belong to/are placed in different minority groups. The course addresses how power structures in society construct preconceptions about ‘the other’ through different categorisation related to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, functional level, age, class and religion. The students will learn how inclusion and exclusion mechanisms can play out at the individual, institutional and societal levels and how the different levels affect each other.

Students must participate in the interprofessional teaching programme ‘Interprofessional Cooperation on and with Children and Young People’ (INTER1300). Relevant topics include children and young people’s cooperation with professionals, explorative approaches to children, young people and their families, and professionals’ contributions to parents’ and children/young people’s formation of opinions. See INTERACT’s website for a more detailed description of the content of INTER1300: https://www.oslomet.no/forskning/forskningsprosjekter/interact

The student must have completed and passed the second year of the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare.

Knowledge

The student

- has knowledge of different theoretical perspectives on diversity and equality, including sociological, post-colonial and inter-sectional perspectives, and knowledge of how these can be used in work with children, young people and families

- has knowledge of identity and belonging and how different identities and group affiliation can work together in categorisation and marginalisation processes

- has knowledge of inclusion and exclusion mechanisms at the institutional and individual level, including categorisation, marginalisation, stigmatisation, segregation, discrimination and racism

- has knowledge of different perspectives on power and how structural power can play out in the relationship between the majority and minority

- has knowledge of ethnic minorities and refugees’ life situations and rights

- has knowledge of indigenous people’s life situations and rights, including the rights of Sami children to practise their own language and culture

- has knowledge of using interpreters in child welfare work

Skills

The student

- can apply relevant theoretical perspectives and knowledge to analyse and develop a nuanced understanding of different minority groups’ situation and challenges in the Norwegian welfare state

- can reflect on society’s general understanding of different minority groups and how these understandings can influence their own professional practice with children, young people and families

- can reflect on how their own childhood, cultural background, preconceptions and values influence interactions with different minorities and can influence assessments and decisions in child welfare work

- can reflect on how power plays out in interactions between child welfare officers and children, young people and families from different minority backgrounds

General competence

The student

- can critically reflect on their own and other’s actions, attitudes, experiences and values relating to different minorities

- can contribute to ensuring equitable services for all groups in society, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual expression, sexual orientation, religion and life philosophy, functional ability, age and class

The course is taught through lectures, self-study, group work and other teaching methods as needed.

No coursework requirements or compulsory activities.

An individual oral exam with a time frame of approx. 30 minutes.

Candidates who fail or who were absent from the ordinary exam for a valid reason can take a resit/rescheduled exam.

Publicly approved law collections with notations according to more detailed guidelines are permitted during the exam.

Grade scale A-F.

Oral exam is assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

The language is normally English.

Technologies, from the stone axe to the computer, have been integral in shaping;how we live, think, interact;and work.;Advances in;digitalization have;made digital competences;a significant factor in ensuring the employability of candidates in all professions vital to our society. Understanding;the benefits, the;limitations;and the transformative power;of technologies;on public and private life as well as;professional practice;is crucial.;

In this course, students will acquire the basic knowledge;needed to harness the potential of;digital technologies;and identify opportunities to use technology;to;foster inclusion,;active participation, and;sustainability;in society;and the workplace.;Through;individual reflection,;shared exploration;and group discussions, students will;gain;awareness;of;how technological developments might impact their future professions, and their role as citizens in an increasingly digitalized society.;;

This course will provide students with the foundational knowledge and means to become a responsible agent of change in their own profession and field of study.;Students will learn to recognise limitations, strengths and potentially disruptive consequences of technological innovation and grapple with the social, ethical and political issues that arise as technology becomes both increasingly complex and;essential to;the;function of society.;