BVV3050 Child protection, media and public sphere Course description

This course is about the relationship between the child welfare service, the media and the public sphere. The course focuses on all parts of the child welfare field (front-line, second line and preventive) and addresses both traditional editor-controlled media and social media. It includes both written and audio and visual media. The course comprises four main areas:

• The media’s coverage and presentation of the child welfare system
• The child welfare system’s use of media in its strategy to communicate with society
• Children and young people’s use of social media
• Opportunities and challenges relating to child welfare staff’s use of social media in their work with children, young people and parents

The students will first be divided into smaller groups of 4-5 students and choose a topic that falls under one of the main areas above, which they will study in depth. The groups will work regularly on their topic in the course of the elective subject period and be supervised by the lecturers.

Language of instruction is Norwegian.

The student must have completed and passed the second year of the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare Work or Bachelor's Programme in Social Work.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has broad knowledge of children’s digital everyday lives
• has broad knowledge of discussions and presentations of the child welfare system in different media
• has knowledge of the child welfare service’s handling of the media and media strategies
• has knowledge of research and development work relating to child welfare and the media, and knowledge of relevant debates
• has digital literacy, including knowledge of digital security in work with children, young people and families

Skills

The student:

• can reflect on power relations, professionalism and their own role as a professional in connection with the use of social media/digital communication when working with children and families
• has insight into the importance of social debate on the child welfare service in the media
• can use digital tools and relevant technology in work with children, young people and their families

General competence

The student:

• has insight into and can deal with ethical issues in the field of child welfare and media at the societal level and in their own service provision

The teaching takes place with in-person attendance on campus with lectures, plenum discussions and group work.

No coursework requirements or compulsory activities.

The exam in the course consists of two parts: a group project assignment and an oral group examination. The exam parts are weighted 50/50.

1) The group assignment must be submitted as a multimedia product (3-5 minutes) before the oral group examination. Students are required to contribute equally.

2) The groups present their work orally to fellow students and examiners. They will receive feedback on their presentation and content, as well as questions from the relevant syllabus. The oral group examination will last up to 25 minutes per group.

The group project must be passed in order to qualify for the oral group examination.

Groups awarded a fail grade are given one opportunity to submit an improved version of the group assignment for assessment. A student with valid absence from the oral group examination may attend a postponed individual oral examination.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Pass/fail

All exam papers and oral examinations are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.