This module will explore and increase knowledge about vulnerable families at risk of harm, in particular from substance misuse, mental ill health and domestic abuse. We will consider whether it is truly possible to safeguard these families, and consider the role of statutory, private and voluntary sector workers in reducing risk.
This module is focussed on dealing with safeguarding in practice, and as such is most appropriate for those studying for professional courses in relevant sectors, and students who volunteer with, or are considering a career that may involve working with, vulnerable people.
Please note that this module will be delivered as a block of four synchronous online days within the first three weeks of the trimester and not on Wednesday mornings as other Ruskin Modules are.
This module will enhance your critical understanding of vulnerable families at risk of harm, in particular from substance misuse, mental ill health and domestic abuse, and increase your understanding of the challenges in providing a collaborative approach to meet clients’ needs in a competent, caring, and compassionate manner.
We will also consider how policy and guidance in your own areas of work, placement or volunteering support you to provide this intervention.
Ultimately, we also discuss how you can care for yourself when working in an emotionally challenging environment caring for families who require safeguarding intervention.
This module increases knowledge of safeguarding assessment and interventions within the interdisciplinary context, preparing the next generation of practitioners in health and social care, and statutory, private and voluntary sector workers.
In this module, you'll reflect on your personal experiences of race and racism by understanding your self-concept to nurture your community cultural wealth.
We'll explore interdisciplinary perspectives through gaining knowledge and understanding of the historical context, influential thinkers, anti-racist activists, theories, models and methods that underpin race and racism in the UK and from broader global perspectives.
You'll work with each other to understand anti-racist practices acquiring skills, attitudes and behaviours to reduce personal and structural discrimination and inequalities.
"Thank you very much for your delivery of [this] module. I feel as though I'm learning a lot and I really appreciate the opportunity we've been given to take a course like this at ARU."
"This module provided the opportunity for me to learn about the historical context, activists, influential people and methods surrounding racism in the UK. I feel that this module would be beneficial for everyone and would help deconstruct individual and structural racist ideologies and views, to create an equal society."
The module has three key elements:
You'll also develop critical knowledge and understanding of personal experience, and skills, attitudes and behaviours to reduce personal and structural discrimination and inequalities.
What we believe shapes who we are and how we behave. Our beliefs influence our identity as individuals and communities. This module provides a unique opportunity for students to articulate their own worldviews and to learn from the worldviews of others. Through the different lenses of a range of academic disciplines (including sociology, law, biology and medicine) students will explore real-life issues and discover how belief shapes our lives as individuals, communities and professionals.
We don’t always think much about what we believe until we find it’s not what everyone else believes. Do you want to understand how what you believe changes not only how you live your life but how everyone else lives their life? This module gives you the chance to ask questions about all of that and the tools to understand how what we believe affects how we live and work.
You will learn to articulate and understand your own worldview and that of other people. You will gain an understanding of other academic disciplines and their approach to life’s bigger questions.
This module investigates what equality looks like across interdisciplinary fields and examines both micro and macro themes, from the notion of equality within our own perceptions to on the grand scale of nations and countries.
You will be examining how equality has been created, practised and broken within specific case studies whilst reflecting on your own ideas of equality and how it can be practiced, demonstrated and upheld.
While considering the question posed by this module, you will have opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities, which could include:
Regardless of your chosen degree and career choice, the importance of equality and awareness of the difficulties on ensuring it is practised both in micro and macro areas is vital for developing our own empathetic qualities.
ARU Peterborough is a new institution within the City of Peterborough, and this module provides an exciting opportunity for students to integrate and network with members of the community.
Whether you live, study, or work in Peterborough, or do more than one of these things in tandem, you are a member of local civic life. As part of this module, you'll have the opportunity to develop and enhance this relationship, by promoting active citizenship and empowering you to seek positive social change within the community.
Underpinned by the tenets of community organising, this module has been co-developed with Peterborough Citizens, the local chapter of Citizens UK.
Within this module you'll be introduced to the core principles of community organising – power analysis, working relationally, negotiation, the five-step method to social change – with sessions delivered by professional organisers from Peterborough Citizens.
Following the introduction of the core knowledge and understanding of organising, and an exploration of social justice and the idea of community, you will be invited to evaluate the responses of a listening campaign to identify areas for change.
Based upon this, you'll work in interdisciplinary groups to develop and implement a plan of action to contribute towards positive social change within the local community.
Please note that this module will be delivered face to face on the Peterborough campus.
The module has three key elements:
In this module you'll explore the theories and practices of feminism in the 21st century, drawing on academic disciplines including Media and Cultural Studies, Film, Gender Studies, History and Fashion.
In your study of feminism, you will gain skills in analysing a range of texts and media, including academic scholarship, news media, social media, celebrity case studies and fashion items.
These include the role of the internet and social media, the shift towards an intersectional approach to gender equality, and the nature of feminist activism at significant cultural moments such as Donald Trump’s presidency and the investigation and exposure of Harvey Weinstein.
You'll reflect upon your own values, responsibilities and contributions. You'll be able to share what you’ve learnt from each week’s topic with other students, as well as in your assessments.
Throughout the module, there will be opportunities for collaborative work and peer interaction and informal group presentations.
The module has three key elements:
In this module, we'll explore the connections and relations between issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, race, disability, and political ideologies, and the role of social systems such as education in promoting notions of social justice.
We'll consider how these issues are interpreted in different disciplines and explore how social justice is experienced. You'll reflect on the interplay between issues and your own subject discipline, the role of social justice in your own professional field, and more widely in society.
We think about these issues as they relate to us as individuals, but we use theory, including social identity theory, agency/structure, queer theory, critical race theory, and transformative learning theory, to underwrite our exploration of them.
"The Ruskin Module honestly has been my favourite module, I hope other students get as much out of it as I did."
The module has three key elements:
The present module delves into the multifaceted dimensions of modern-day slavery, providing a comprehensive examination of its historical roots, contemporary manifestations, and global efforts aimed at eradicating this egregious violation of human rights. Drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives, the course will critically analyse the socio-economic, political, and cultural factors contributing to the persistence of modern slavery in the 21st century.
You will engage in critical discussions, case analyses, and research projects to develop a nuanced understanding of modern-day slavery and contribute to the ongoing discourse on its eradication.
You will develop knowledge and understanding of what slavery is (including the difference between slavery and modern-day slavery), its history and its legacies.
You will also develop critical knowledge of the relationship between slavery, human trafficking, and exploitation and will be able to identify and explain issues arising in the context of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
You will improve your critical thinking, judgment and analysis concerning the main existing typologies of slavery and its grey areas and will critically reflect on the limitations of a single discipline to solve wider societal concerns by applying knowledge created through the discovery and exploitation of connections across disciplines.
Through the preparation of the collaborative research project and group presentation, you will develop the ability to work in a team, research skills, and public speaking.
This module asks you to identify issues that affect your community. Through a focus on developing an understanding of community organising, you'll learn how you can help move your community from the world as it is now, to the world as you would like it to be.
"I felt fortunate to have team colleagues from various academic and cultural backgrounds, so the richness of ideas and originality of thoughts and opinions as well as personal encounters on different topics was very evident."
"I’ve learnt that I need to do more for my community, and when I see and believe that something needs a change for the better, that I should help to make the change rather than just leaving it to others."
The module has three key elements: