FLKM4310 Struggles for justice and equality in international development, education and sustainabilities Course description

This course addresses children's position in a welfare state context, children's everyday life within Childhood institutions like Kindergarten and School, in families and in encounters with welfare services and state professional's. The course has particular emphasis on academic traditions that contribute to contextualized analyses of the everyday life, upbringing and development of boys and girls; sociocultural theory, intersectional theory and interdisciplinary childhood studies. The rights of children and young people, with particular emphasis on their right to participation, are a topic in the course. Methodological approaches to investigating connections between children's different everyday arenas with their varied relationships, activities and internal connections, are presented. Modes of knowledge compricing children's understanding of themselves and their situation are central in the course. The reading list for the course includes classic and recent texts from Scandinavian and international childhood research.

No prior knowledge requirements

After completing the course, the candidates are expected to have the following knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

Candidates have

• thorough knowledge of selected important childhood research traditions and their theoretical and methodological aspects
• balanced knowledge about the rights of children and young people and participation processes in some of the welfare state's professional fields

Skills

Candidates have

• analytic knowledge about differences between children related to gender, social class, ethnicity, age and physical ability/disability, including how differences are created and interact, and how they are assigned general cultural meaning as well as specialised meanings in relation to how professionals understand and with children
• a scholarly and systematic basis for designing and conducting studies about and involving children (aged 0-18) who are directly or indirectly influenced by the welfare state system

General competence

Candidates are capable of

• assessing and identifying new research questions in the field
• taking part in debates in national and international forums

The essay will be graded by the course lectures.

The main focus of the course is the scientific, social and humanistic basis for health professions and health services. The course emphasises the fields of social pharmacy, communication and ethics. The subject as a whole forms a common frame of reference for practising the different professions.

The course will have a particular focus on knowledge and skills that promote respect, empathy and reflection, along with cooperation and communication skills. The goal is to ensure common competence that includes knowledge about the health and welfare services, laws and regulations and important challenges in society, in addition to general competence such as communication and cooperation skills, and the ability to take a critical approach to ethical issues. The general course content is placed in a pharmacy context, and reference is made to the pharmacist's place in the health service for each user and for society at large.

Listed below are the subjects covered by the course, with credits specified:

• Social pharmacy, 5 credits
• Profession, cooperation and communication, 4.5 credits
• Ethics, 4 credits
• Theory of science and research methods, 1.5 credits

Teaching is organised as a combination of lectures, group work and presentations of the participants' own projects.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• is familiar with the professional role of the pharmacist in a historical, current and future-oriented perspective
• is familiar with the role of pharmaceuticals in the health service in a national and global perspective
• is capable of explaining different perspectives on health and illness, in addition to social differences in health
• is familiar with how the health care system in Norway is organized
• is familiar with the pharmacy's place in Norway, including the development of health services at pharmacies
• is capable of explaining relevant laws and regulations
• is capable of explaining ethical theories, ethical dilemmas and the importance of professional ethical guidelines
• is capable of explaining key concepts in the field of communication theory and challenges related to intercultural communication
• has an understanding of the challenges in the guidance of vulnerable patient groups such as children, young people and the elderly
• is familiar with the use and the limitations of different sources of information about pharmaceuticals
• has an understanding of the challenges associated with the use of pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and plant-based drugs
• is familiar with the methods used in social and natural sciences and which forms of knowledge are central to the health disciplines
• is familiar with the research process involved in pre-clinical and clinical studies, the requirements for approval of pharmaceuticals and plant-based products and how pharmaceuticals are marketed
• is familiar with pricing of pharmaceuticals including import and general economy

Skills

The student

• is capable of carrying out simple searches for information, referencing scientific sources and preparing a literature list
• is capable of using interview as a qualitative data collection method
• is capable of using digital tools in group work with fellow students
• is capable of cooperating and communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds by being open and taking an interest

General competence

The student is capable of

• identifying and reflecting on the professional ethical dilemmas in the field of pharmacy and critical reflection on his/her own values and efforts in simple projects and tasks relevant to the profession
• reflecting on the similarities and differences between his/her own and other's access to health services in a national, global and cultural perspective
• acting with empathy and respect and promoting equality that promotes co-determination in work, which is process and goal-oriented

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• a minimum attendance requirement of 80% at scheduled and supervised group work, and at seminars with oral presentations
• minutes from group meetings
• presentation of the project assignment in groups of 5-7 students

Exam content: The learning outcomes.

Exam form: Individual oral exam, up to 20 minutes.

None.