ECE8003 Families, Children and Change

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

Families are diverse in form and structure and are continuously changing in response to dynamic social, cultural, technological, and economic conditions. This presents a perennial challenge to early childhood practitioners who are cognisant of the crucial roles played by families and significant others in the lives of children and vice versa. It is imperative that those involved in the care and education of children and young people make use of current thinking and new knowledge relevant to family and child studies in order to create programs that are responsive to these ever-changing contexts.

SYNOPSIS

This course examines families and children from an historical, cross-cultural, attitudinal and contemporary perspective. It is grounded in the social construction of concepts such as childhoods, gender, ethnicity, parenting, families and institutions. It affirms a variety of family forms and households, emphasises the diversity of family life and questions the value placed on children, by engaging with current demographic and sociological literature related to family and child studies. Students will examine and critically analyse the changing roles of families, children and communities, reflecting on the implications of these changes on the education and care of young children, whilst drawing on cross-cultural comparisons.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

engage with social constructions of childhoods, parenting, families, gender, ethnicity, children and institutions in Australia and other cross-cultural contexts (Critical Reflection; Analytical Essay)

2.

analyse the role of families, children and communities in the care and education of young children in a range of contexts (Analytical Essay)

3.

understand the cultural, attitudinal and contemporary issues and influences facing families and young children. (Critical Reflection; Analytical Essay)

4.

demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing. (Critical Reflection, Analytical Essay)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Bowes, J & Hayes, A (eds.) 2008, Children, families and communities: contexts and consequences, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

DECD publications Online 2006, (Available: http://www.oecd.org/publications/(2006, May 18)) [Accessed 06 04 2009]

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library/. The gateway to education resources is here. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

DECD Publications (Available: http://www.oecd.org/publications/) [Accessed 18 05 2006]

Edgar, D 2001, The patchwork nation: re-thinking government - rebuilding community, Harper Collins, Pymble, NSW.

Hutchby, I & Moran-Ellis, J (eds.) 2001, Children, technology and culture: the impacts of technologies in children's everyday lives, Routledge, New York.

Maley, B 2001, Family and marriage in Australia, The Centre for Independent Studies, St Leonards, NSW.

Moore, M, Sixsmith, J & Knowles, K (eds) 1996, Children's reflections on family life, The Falmer Press, London.

Scholte, JA 2005, Globalisation: a critical introduction, 2nd edn, Palgrave MacMillan, Houndsmill.

Weeks, W & Quinn, M (eds.) 2000, Issues facing Australian families: human services respond, 3rd edn, Longman Australia, Melbourne.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The USQ library provides advice on how to format information sources using this system. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/apastyle/default.htm

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There is no examination in this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Marking criteria are provided in the course material as mark sheets/guides or as part of assignment specifications.
2. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc..) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html. *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the state of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.