SBV4000 Knowledge perspectives in child welfare Course description

Child welfare is a social field whose practice is based on implicit and explicit theories drawn from many different disciplines. It is a normative area, and a critical basis is required for assessing what knowledge is valid and relevant to practice in the field. Ways of understanding children and their status in society form important premises for the child welfare services' activities at all times.

None.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

The student has

• in-depth knowledge of key theoretical understandings of children and childhood, including child constructions that address children as participants in daily life and in the child welfare services' professional practice

• insight into the importance of theoretical understanding for the practice in the field

• knowledge of the importance of social class, ethnicity, age/generation and gender in the context of child welfare

• knowledge of the methodological implications of the different theoretical interpretations

• the necessary expertise to remain critical to new knowledge

Skills

The student is capable of

• analysing child welfares' implicit and explicit knowledge base.

• analysing the phenomena related to child welfare

• analysing and discussing child welfare phenomena with a basis in social science theory and social science perspectives

Teaching methods vary between lectures given by lecturers and guest lecturers. Students will actively participate in teaching and group work.

Work requirements for  groups are to make a summary and an assessment of 3 - 4 syllabus articles. Syllabus articles will be distributed to groups. Approval of the work requirement by the course convener is required to sit the exam. 

Individual home exam on a set topic. A topic relevant to child welfare must be discussed in an analytical manner. The duration of the exam is seven days and the scope of the paper should be ten pages (+/- 10%).  

A grade scale with grades from A to E for pass and F for fail is used.

The exam papers are graded by one internal and one external examiner. The external examiner will grade 25 % of the exam papers.

The grades awarded for the papers assessed by an external examiner form the basis for determining the level for awarding the different grades. The internal examiner shall take the external examiner's assessment into consideration in the grading of all the exams.