Postgraduate taught 

Educational Studies MEd

Youth Work: Working with Young People for Positive Change EDUC5428

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Education
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course draws on a range of theories that consider young people's development and experiences within contemporary society. A range of themes are considered, such as young people's health and well-being, family, social and economic status, schooling etc. The emphasis of this course is on thinking about ways of working with young people to navigate the physical, social, emotional, and educational transitions they experience.

Timetable

This course will run over 10 weeks, on Wednesdays from 10 am to 12 noon

Excluded Courses

N/A

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Assessment 1 - Design a website - weighting (80%)

 

Working in groups, students will create content for, and design, a basic website that critically reflects on youth work practice. In groups, students will produce content that:

1. Reflects on preconceived notions of young people and Youth Work

1. Considers the position that youth work holds in contemporary society 

1. Discusses the future of youth work and the role it plays in young people's personal development 

 

Students will be required to create a group agreement that outlines how they will work together, how they will allocate work and how they will deal with any issues in the process. Each group member will sign the agreement. Each group will update the Course Leader/Tutor on their progress and this will provide the opportunity for support to navigate any issues. Students will be awarded a group grade for the task. The emphasis of this assessment is on creating relevant content and not on technical design. 

 

If a member of the group is not able to undertake the group task due to unforeseen circumstances, they will be required to write a 3000-word essay in which they:

 

■ Critically discussed preconceived notions of young people in contemporary society

■ Analyse youth work approaches and methods

■ Demonstrate their understanding of the role that youth work plays in young people's personal development

 

Assessment 2 - 500-word Reflective account- (20%)

 

Students will also be required to produce a 500-word reflective account of their contribution to the process and development of the website. 

 

Alternative assessment 2 for people who did not manage to undertake the group task:

 

Students will write a 500-word reflection about the benefits and challenges of working in groups.

Course Aims

To enable students to understand and critically examine a range of theories that consider young people's development and experiences within contemporary society 

 

To enable students to identify youth work approaches that enable the positive development and transition of young people in a range of contexts

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

 

LO1 Critically examine a range of theories relating to the social, emotional, and educational development of young people

 

LO2. Demonstrate critical awareness of issues that confront young people within contemporary society

 

LO3. Articulate specialist knowledge and understanding of policies and core approaches that are applied in professional youth work

 

LO4. Use ICT and social media to evaluate and present critical and ethical youth work 

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.