EPN-V2

SP9260 Children in the Welfare State: Understandings and Research Approaches Course description

Course name in Norwegian
Barn og unge i velferdsstaten: forståelser og forskningstilnærminger
Study programme
PhD Programme in Social Sciences
PhD Programme in Social Work and Social Policy
Elective modules from PhD Programme in Social Sciences
Weight
5.0 ECTS
Year of study
2023/2024
Course history

Introduction

One internal and one external.

Required preliminary courses

  • Innovation theories and related analytical approaches to innovation.
  • Diffusion of innovations and various diffusion dynamics.
  • Product development processes, management and organization.
  • Alternative approaches and strategies in product development.
  • How to anticipate and predict technology trends and future market demand.
  • Innovation and commercialisation.
  • Funding innovations and company start-ups, and intellectual property rights.

Learning outcomes

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

Teaching and learning methods

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

Course requirements

Participation is mandatory, and candidates are expected to attend all days of teaching. A minor absence  may only be accepted under certain circumstances and upon application. In the event of absences that are not approved, candidates will lose their right to have their essays assessed.   

Assessment

An essay of 8-10 pages must be written in connection with the course. The essay shall take the candidate's project as its point of departure and be related to the course content. The essay must be handed in for assessment by the teacher responsible for the course no later than two months after the end of the course. A passed essay is a precondition for being awarded the 5 ECTS credits. If the essay is awarded a fail grade, the candidate can submit a revised essay once, by a specified deadline.

Permitted exam materials and equipment

All examination support material is allowed as long as source reference and quotation technique requirements are applied. 

Grading scale

Passed - Failed

Examiners

The essay will be graded by the course lectures.

Admission requirements

The target group for the course are candidates from the PhD programme in Social Work and Social Policy, but it will also be open to PhD students on other programs who wish to study the field in depth.

Internal candidates register the course in their Studentweb and send a summary, maximum one page, of their project to the PhD administration.

External candidates apply through the Søknadsweb. The following documentation must be enclosed:

1. Confirmation on admission to a PhD program

2. Summary of your research proposal (approx.one page) and how this PhD course will be relevant for your research project

Maximum number of participants is 15.

Course contact person

Oddbjørg Skjær Ulvik