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 on Wednesday mornings and afternoons during teaching weeks 1-4. Attendance of all four full days is required. There will be two optional tutorials in teaching weeks 11 and 12.
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.
Childhood is an important time of growth and development in the human lifespan, but the way we view children’s role within society is contextually dependent. This interdisciplinary module will facilitate reflections on childhood as a construct - embedded as it is within historical and cultural norms - encouraging us to reflect upon our own assumptions about how children develop and how they are included within our society. What rights should children have? Should their voices be listened to alongside those of adults in a democracy? How do we balance protection for the vulnerabilities of childhood with empowering children to participate in society? Theories and case studies from philosophy, sociology, history, literature, the arts and geography will support us in analysing these important questions. Knowing that constructs of childhood will differ across the world, we will welcome you to bring international perspectives to this debate.
When we think of how we might educate and empower children and young people, formal schooling may be the first place that comes to mind. However, children learn through many different experiences both inside and outside of school. In turning to consider practical ways in which children can learn and be empowered as agents in their own development, we will look at a range of different experiences that can act as facilitators of learning. This will include examples from the arts, media, cultural sites, science and technology, sports, activism and volunteering. You will also be encouraged to reflect upon your own experiences and disciplinary affiliations to consider how children’s talents and interests can be nurtured in a society that recognises children’s agencies.
What will I do in this module?
In our weekly online workshops, we will reflect upon different attitudes to childhood and the opportunities children and young people have to learn and participate in society. We will examine this from a range of disciplinary and cultural perspectives, with breakout room discussions and activities to encourage collaboration and exchange between students.
On Canvas, you will find links to a range of literature and other media to support your developing understanding of theories and case studies relating to childhood studies and experiential learning or social participation. There will also be recorded lecture segments that you can watch back after our workshops to support your learning.
What skills will I develop?
You will develop critical thinking, analytical thinking, reflective skills, theoretical analysis, communication skills, and interdisciplinary thinking. If you wish to include some creative practice (e.g. drawing, presenting or video-making) to present your case study, then this will also be encouraged and supported.
ARU Peterborough is an 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.
The module has three key elements:
In this module you will explore the theories and practices of feminism in the 21st century, drawing on academic disciplines including Media and Cultural Studies, Film, Gender Studies, History, Fashion, Sociology, Philosophy and Education.
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.
On this module, we will sometimes discuss sensitive topics. Some students may find it beneficial to be aware of this in advance. Topics may include, but are not limited to: sexual and gender-based violence, misogyny, racism, transphobia, and diet culture. This module will introduce you to new ideas, some of which may challenge your existing perspectives. We encourage you to approach this module with an open mind and a genuine interest in learning about feminism.
The module has three key elements:
Within this module you will explore games and play as a means for exploring wider societal issues. This is a non-technical module, instead the focus is on design, ideas and critical analysis of games and play. Feel like games don’t represent you? Do they focus on themes or topics that don’t feel relevant to you? This is your chance to either critically analyse a game or pitch your idea for a game addressing an issue or topic important to you. Within taught sessions we will investigate topics including education, politics, identity and more via interactive lectures and game play seminars.
What will I do in this module?
Each session will be split into two equal sections. An interactive lecture on Teams and a Game Play seminar where we will play a relevant game and critically analyse the game in response to the lecture from your subject specialism/discipline.
What skills will I develop?
You will develop a critical awareness of debates in play studies and core principles of game studies. To express this learning, you’ll develop design and presentation skills to share your new ideas and critically reflect on them in relation to your own discipline.
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.
We live in an increasingly complex world, driven by the proliferation of digital tools and devices, and now further complicated by the free availability of AI tools and the proven manipulation that those with the power and knowledge can elect with social media (Cambridge Analytica Files).
This module aims to arm students with the critical, reflective and analytical tools and mindset that enable them to understand what is trustworthy, and who may be manipulating them for their own gains. Individuals have been leveraged, and often exploited throughout history by those in power, or those who seek to gain from influencing others; “Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely” – Lord Acton.
How do you trust people? How can you trust a rope bridge across a canyon will support you if you haven’t seen anyone else cross it? Do you ever feel regret for putting your trust into something or someone for it to be broken?
By leveraging the systems and psychology that has helped many trust the right things, changing your approach to risk and believing in yourself, you may find that this module will help you make better decisions in your life, work, friendships and interpersonal relationships. By aligning your moral compass with a holistic approach to theory, you may learn better “who can you trust?”
What will I do in this module?
You’ll be guided by experienced ARU staff with many collective years of teaching, research and life skills to take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding what trust means for different groups of people. Do skydivers trust their parachute in the same way a patient or doctor trusts the efficacy of a drug?
You’ll look at risk and reward, perspectives on conducting research from different paradigms, and how trust can be gained and broken. Through working online with others, your discussions will allow you to broaden your horizons, and hear experiences from others. You’ll also learn how the world switched from belief based trust systems, to evidence based, and now swings back to allow more risky strategies, particularly in business, in order to deliver human progress.
At times, this module will feel deeply philosophical, giving you space to really think and reflect, to more pragmatic rationalism, and finally to how AI and the sustainability is changing the way we live in the Third Millenium.
All of this though will be grounded in ‘You’ though – how you can make better decisions and work out what is trustworthy faster and more consistently. We’ll also look at ‘Red flags’ that commonly exist in scams and hoaxes and toxic situations, and where you can go to get the facts.
What skills will I develop?
Broadly, this module will teach you two things – Firstly, how to make better decisions in all aspects of your life to live with less regrets and use your time more effectively. Whether it be your studies, friendships, interpersonal relationships, work and career or the wider world we live in.
Secondly, you’ll learn skills that help you live in a more harmonious way in your environment; by making sure that your use your time effectively and waste less time with the things that were potentially bad for you. You can leverage these skills to manifest behaviours that are more assertive, effective and grounded in better moral judgement. On top of this, you will learn more about the SDGs and our collective responsibility to make the world a better place for future generations, particularly how a holistic, interdisciplinary approach is key to the realisation of these goals.
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: