MAVIT5700 Pain - Multidimensional Assessment and Health Professional Interventions Course description

Language of instruction: English (Norwegian if no English-speaking students have registered for the course)

This course covers theories and models used to understand the neurophysiological basis of pain and how physiological and sociocultural factors affect the experience of pain. It has a focus on how acute pain conditions can develop into persistent and long-term pain, and on how to carry out a multidimensional assessment, implement treatment measures and/or preventive interventions and evaluation.

The master's programme focuses on the Nordic model, with an emphasis on social welfare policies' sustainability in the face of global challenges and the need for global sustainable development. The master's programme is unique in its focus and provides students with the knowledge and skills in social science theories and methods to analyse, develop and manage social policies at an advanced level. The programme provides insights into drivers and challenges of social policies in the Nordic countries, how they compare to other welfare models, and lessons learned for global social policy and social policies globally.

Rethinking sustainable welfare or sustainable welfare models is compelled by a series of interrelated societal changes that have become challenges globally: for instance, demographic and family changes, new migration patterns, urbanisation, digitalisation of society, democratic backsliding and climate change and the green transition. This includes focus on present situations and future strategies, but also reckoning with the historical power relations that have shaped social inequalities and injustices we see reflected in society today, both within nation-states and globally.

Many actors have called for the restructuring of Nordic and other European welfare states to promote human rights, social cohesion and social sustainability in a globalised economy. This involves a broad range of actors including the UN, the European Commission, OECD, the Nordic governments, social partners and civil society organisations. The internal and external pressures on welfare states also raise questions about the capacities of individual citizens and households to overcome contemporary societal challenges and improve their life opportunities, as well as reduce risks of poverty and social exclusion.

The societal and environmental transformations we witness all over the world today pose significant questions about the future organisation of the welfare state. The economic and social values that have shaped past policies in the Nordic and other mature welfare states are being questioned, as is the appropriate balance between, state, market, family and organised civil society in protecting the rights and fulfilling the needs of the inhabitants. Additionally questioned are the connections that have and will continue to exist between Nordic welfare states and other global entities. The transformations and ongoing crises raise concerns about new inequalities and the need to critically examine existing policies.

This degree provides you with the knowledge and skills to contribute to developing new welfare policy solutions to foster the well-being of all individuals, local communities and nations given the challenges they face.

In the programme we explore:

• How the Nordic countries have fared during past crises and during ongoing societal and environmental transformations, including within a global context.
• Different strategies for critically evaluating the outcomes of social policy interventions, as well as how the design of an evaluation may be framed around particular questions or priorities.
• Different approaches to and critical perspectives concerning what is meant by “sustainability”. Some scholars first and foremost focus on the need for green transition. In the programme you will learn about both growth and post-growth perspectives on welfare. We will also examine other megatrends such as demographic aging, climate change, migration, family change and digitalisation of society to critically assess the sustainability of the Nordic and other welfare models.
• Critical insights into drivers and challenges of social policies in the Nordic countries, within a global context.

The NORPOL programme consists of 6 mandatory courses (60 ECTS), 3 elective courses (30 ECTS) and a master's thesis (30 ECTS). Elective courses allow students to pursue topics of special interest that may be relevant for both the master's thesis, as well as for future career possibilities.

All courses are taught in English, and the diploma will be issued in English for all successful candidates. Candidates will be awarded the title Master of Applied Social Sciences, programme option Nordic Social Policy and Global Sustainable Development.

This degree provides the candidates with the knowledge and skills to contribute to examine welfare models and measure and develop new welfare policy solutions to foster the well-being of all people, at the local, regional, national and global level. The degree qualifies for

• positions in public and private sector that require the knowledge and ability to undertake systematic documentation and evaluation of social service programmes, as well as the knowledge of Nordic, international and comparative studies within social welfare.
• positions in government agencies, non-governmental organisations or voluntary organisations engaged in local, national, regional and global social policies
• social science positions dealing with welfare and social policy issues
• PhD programmes in the social sciences, including social policy

Candidates find work in management, development and examination of welfare policy issues in municipalities, directorates, government ministries, NGOs, international organisations, research and education, and multilateral and bilateral aid.

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences.

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

Knowledge

The student

• can assess key theories related to pain in young people, adults and the older adults
• can discuss approaches to assessing pain and appropriate interventions provided by healthcare professions
• can critically assess theories on motivation and coping with respect to long-term pain conditions
• can assess the significance of a culture and gender perspective in relation to pain

Skills

The student

• can apply relevant theories and models on pain
• can interpret the results of multidimensional assessments of people with pain
• can critically reflect on different interventions for long-term pain conditions

General competence

The student

• can describe key aspects of pain theories
• can implement knowledge about multidimensional assessments of pain conditions
• can disseminate research-based knowledge on the examination and treatment of pain

The Master's Degree Program in Transport and Urban Planning (TUP) is a full-time course of study over two years with 120 ECTS that is given in English. The program represents a continuation and specialization in relation to the bachelor's degree program in Civil Engineering, under the technical planning course option. This program offers a practical and profession-oriented specialization, extending a bachelor’s in civil engineering in the study field of integrated urban and transport planning, geographical planning, technology or landscape architecture.

In line with expectations from the industry, the program is planned to be cross disciplinary from the start, with a unique focus also on IT, digital tools and skills commonly used and highly needed in the industry, especially tools and skills related to urban and transport analytics and planning, geographical information systems (GIS) and data science.

Society and authorities place increasing demands on environmentally friendly, innovative and sustainable design of mobility and urban solutions. Climate change in the form of increased temperatures, more precipitation and extreme weather exposes constructions, infrastructure and networks to greater and less predictable stressors. Industry and researchers highlight the need of candidates with expertise at master's degree level (engineers) in the fields of smart mobility and urban analytics who have knowledge in environmental issues relating to this field as well as updated skills on new technology.

This study program offers a combination of expert and interdisciplinary knowledge where the students will achieve a high level of proficiency in sustainable urban development as well as achieving strong digital skills and knowledge. Interdisciplinary studies involve the combination of two or more academic disciplines into one activity. The interdisciplinary nature of this program has two major aspects according to the academic professionals developing this program at the faculty. The first related to the knowledge developed in urban planning and design, urban transport and mobility, as well as ethics and sustainability in this field. The second being digital competence, new technologies and tools, like simulation tools AIMSUN or SUMO, or data analysis software Python, R or Weka, or geographical information systems such as ArcGIS or QGIS.

In-depth areas in this master program will be:

Space Syntax (20 ECTS) which will provide in-depth knowledge of how complex architectural and urban systems work, and how spaces can be planned, designed and manufactured to create a better society bringing together the fields of architecture and urbanism. Space Syntax is a theoretical and analytical framework, as well as a modeling tool to design and analyze the human-built environment. Students will investigate spatial morphology and its social implications by a practical, hands-on program of lectures, workshops and a project.

Urban Mobility (20 ECTS) which will provide in-depth knowledge in land use and transportation planning for smart and sustainable cities that meet the needs of all residents. Students will learn how to experiment and test hypotheses and think strategically about multi-modal transport systems, the movement of people and goods, and intelligent transport systems in urban areas. Students will grow their expertise joining a session of lectures, workshops and through work on projects.

The goal with this program is to educate and train candidates who are qualified to address the challenges of both professional life and scholarly enquiry within their specialization as well as being a productive member of interdisciplinary teams.

Graduates from this program will:

understand the role of their specialization in organizations and society

possess deep technical skills from their own specialization that can be applied in a variety of real-life scenarios

understand how their specialization is part of a wider fabric of skills necessary to solve tomorrow's challenges

have a professional and ethical attitude towards their role in the workplace

display creative thinking in real-life situations, leaning both on theoretical knowledge and on pragmatism

plan and execute their work in a structured and independent manner, be it as professionals or as researchers in their field

have expertise that is in high demand in both the private and public sector. The most relevant employers are advisory engineering firms, municipalities or other public agencies, private companies within transport and urban planning industry and research institutes

qualify students for further studies at the doctoral degree level.

More specifically, the graduates will:

Be able to identify needs in the smart society. This particularly means that the students are trained to plan for mobilities and accessibility to/from services, jobs and amenities that are more fluent in times when tele-commuting and online consumption has increased.

Be aware of and sensitive to, and responsive when planning and suggesting policy measures to handle vulnerabilities. Pandemics, 100-year-storms, and similar have proven to be more than fiction. Planning for a resilient society includes planning for alternative transport solutions, and prioritization of lines, roads, and services in case of emergency.

Be able to integrate sustainability in plans, execution, evaluation and circularity of societal development.

Be equipped with tools and methods for planning and implementing integrative urban landscapes. With specific focus on planning for equal opportunities in urban areas where new technologies for participation in and communication with citizens may be used to different extent due to language barriers, age, trust, etc

After completing the education, the student will be especially suitable for:

Employments in urban, regional and transport planning departments in municipalities and public organizations

Jobs in firms and agencies developing stakeholder strategies, meta-data description and tech-mediation between smart-city developers and users

Consultancy firms developing strategies for smart city developments

Creation and analysis of geo-coded data, including statistical analyses

Research and evaluation work

Students who complete the master's degree program will be awarded the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Transport and Urban Planning.

None.

The master’s degree program is aimed at candidates who want a solid professional and academic supplement to their education in Transport and Urban Planning, and that holds a three-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent in one of these fields: Architecture, Demography, Economic history, Economics, Engineering, Geography, Geoinformatics, Geology, Human geography,Informatics, Landscape Architecture, Political science, Psychology, Physical geography, Sociology, Statistics, Tourism science & Urban planning.

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

Pass/fail.

All answers are assessed by one examiner.

An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. When selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 5 answers. The external examiner’s assessment of the selected answers shall benefit all students.

This programme is aimed at social science students who have a special interest in Nordic and global perspectives on social policy and sustainable development.