SW4004 - Sociological and Psychological Perspectives on Social Work

You will be able to learn through a variety of ways on this module. The module is based both on lectures and seminars. Lectures will address key theoretical approaches and models in relation to sociology and psychology and will be delivered by academics with different professional and research backgrounds, giving you therefore a variety of perspectives for social work theory and practice. In seminars you will have the opportunity to explore in depth these perspectives with your peers, applying them to social work practice. The teaching methods will include group activities, recent research as well as video and other resources. The emphasis in this module is to enable you to reflect on your emerging knowledge and you will be supported in this throughout the activities of the module.

The module leader and seminar tutors will support you throughout this module in various ways. Lectures and any support material will be available via the Blackboard Ultra e-learning (eLP) site. Assessment guidance will be provided during the semester as well as formative feedback on your critical reflection skills, the development of your knowledge and understanding that will support you towards the written summative assessment.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

At the end of the module you will be able to:
Knowledge & Understanding:
1 Demonstrate knowledge of key ideas from the fields of sociology and psychology relevant to social work practice.
2.Show awareness of theoretical frameworks for appraising human development and change across the lifespan.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities
3.Identify factors which can affect physical, cognitive and social development.

4.Reflect on your learning and demonstrate how it links to social work practice.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5.Demonstrate the value placed on the expertise of service users, carers, and other professionals.

Formative assessment

As part of the learning process for this module, you will be required to record a ‘critical commentary’ on points of personal and professional learning. This may be in a form of diary, in which you will record thoughts, ideas and questions that arise when you are undertaking independent reading or participating in lectures and seminars. Details and guidance for this commentary and assessments you will be given in the Module Handbook, as well as by module leader and seminar tutors.
Your formative assessment will be a 5-minute presentation based on a specific aspect of your ‘critical commentary’ and feedback from peers and module tutors will be given verbally.
(MLO 1,4,5)


Summative assessment and rationale for tasks
Your summative assessment will be a two-part 2,000 word workbook:
Part A: a written summary (1,000 words) of your critical commentary on your weekly reflections from your learning over the course of the module. You will need to demonstrate how and why this may be useful for social work practice.
(MLO 2,3,4,5)
Part B: a short-answer coursework task (1,000 words) where you will answer two questions, drawing on theory and research to support your responses.
Both formative and summative assessments will provide you with an opportunity to record your learning and being able to reflect how you reached your learning and understandings on the module topics and linked these with why these are important for your own social work development and practice.
Both assignment components will be submitted via Turnitin. The workbook comprises 100% of the module mark. Summative feedback will be provided by the module team via Turnitin.
(MLO 1,2,3,4,5)

N/A

SW4000, SW4001,SW4002,SW4003,SW4005

This module will give you the opportunity to examine how and why sociological and psychological factors can influence individuals, groups and communities and therefore social work practice. You will be provided with foundational knowledge for your further development in the course and career, via the exploration and reflection on key ideas and concepts that have shaped and continue to shape the human life-course, inequalities, and wellbeing. You will learn to critically reflect on these and link them not only with social work practice but also with your own understanding and development. Through lectures, seminars, and formative and summative assignments, you will have a range of opportunities to learn about, debate and reflect on contemporary theories and research and to relate these to social work practice.