PMWOMCDA - MA Woman and Child Abuse

The MA Woman and Child Abuse presents a unique opportunity for students to learn about a range of forms of and contexts for violence against women and children, and the connections between woman abuse and child abuse or woman protection and child protection. The course is taught from an intersectional feminist approach, which means that you will learn about the interplay of multiple axes of power – sex/gender, race/ethnicity, class, age, disability and sexuality – in terms of how these shape abusive gender regimes and what they mean for the socio-political and socio-cultural contexts within which women and children try to escape or deal with the aftermaths of violence and abuse. You will be encouraged to foster critical thinking on social relations and policy responses. As a specialist subject, we engage students as the current and future shapers of this field, and you will be invited to be ambitious and creative in contributing to social change.

You will benefit from an inspirational and supportive learning space. The course takes a feminist pedagogical approach to teaching, which means we ask you to think critically about what you know and how you know this and who the knower can be. As such we make every effort to recognise your personal, professional and political experience as part of the learning on the course.

The core material is delivered through interactive face to face lectures and these will be supplemented by student-led seminars and practical workshops to consolidate learning and critical engagement. The core modules will be block taught, delivered over six days per module, staggered at two days at a time, three times over the course of the semester. The designate and elective modules are delivered in a range of formats.

You will attend lectures, seminars and workshops at which you will be expected to contribute to discussions of lecture content, seminar readings, social media content, and practical research methods exercises. In addition, you will have access to a detailed online reading list for each core module to support your learning. You will be encouraged to read some key items in advance of each teaching day.

The dissertation module will involve attendance at workshops and supervision sessions and guided independent study.

On this course you will gain a comprehensive grounding in theoretical frameworks, research, policy and practice approaches to woman and child abuse. You will explore all forms of violence against women and children, including sexual violence, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking, and specific forms that are prevalent within minoritised communities in the UK such as female genital mutilation/cutting, forced marriage, child marriage, honour-based violence, and a range of country-specific manifestations of child sexual exploitation. You will engage in discussions on what we know about forms of abuse, the contexts in which they occur and the connections between them. You will learn about all this through a human rights framework, as cause and consequence of gender inequality, and also explore the intersection of sex/gender inequality and other axes of power, namely race/ethnicity, age, disability and class.

Located within the discipline of sociology, this course is cross disciplinary addressing criminal justice, social policy, protection, prevention and health and well-being. You will study the historical approaches to a range of forms of physical, sexual and psychological/emotional abuses of women and children, what research reveals about impacts, prevention and how these abuses are responded to within diverse communities in the UK as well as other countries around the world.

The specific aims of the course are to develop:
1. an overview of the various forms of child and woman abuse, the connections between them and debates with respect to their definition/s;
2. a critical understanding of the theoretical, methodological and ethical considerations when researching child and woman abuse;
3. a strong grasp of the current evidence base with respect to incidence, prevalence, victims, perpetrators and responses;
4. an intersectional analysis of specific manifestations of abuse and violence within minoritised communities in the UK and countries in the global south;
5. an awareness of the historical shifts in perspectives, policies and practices;
6. knowledge of legal, policy and practice responses in the UK and relevant international human rights conventions for challenging and preventing woman and child abuse;
7. sufficient expertise to apply course content to your own specialist interest area or working context.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. demonstrate advanced knowledge of the forms and contexts of woman and child abuse as well as the way these are shaped by intersecting axes of power;
2. evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in woman and child abuse;
3. evaluate methodological approaches and research methods;
4. apply this advanced knowledge and research methods to research and analysis o woman and child abuse;
5. learn to communicate clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences;
6. exercise initiative and self-direction in tackling and solving problems, autonomously planning and implementing tasks, particularly for the independent project;
7. learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development;
8. demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity, and act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

Please include details of the relevant subject benchmark statement found here:
The QAA Subject Benchmark statement for Sociology is currently being updated but the most recent version can be found here: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-sociology.pdf?sfvrsn=6ee2cb81_4

The teaching, learning and assessment is geared towards encouraging confident, ambitious and creative graduates. Skills and learning outcomes are assessed through essays, a briefing paper, an analysis of quantitative data, a research plan, a presentation, an annotated bibliography, and an in-depth specialist project for the dissertation. Each core module requires students to submit two pieces of work and to attain 50% across the two items to pass on aggregate. Students are advised of the assessments for the core modules at the very beginning of the MA and these are then discussed in turn at workshops on day one and day five of each core module.

The first assignment is a shorter piece of work that is worth less of the overall mark. The second piece is longer and more heavily weighted. Students are given a variety of tasks to complete on the MA and each assignment is attached to Level 7 learning outcomes. Academic writing is supported at Academic Skills workshops, and we operate a system of ‘feed forward’ where students are encouraged to take guidance on their topic/question at the assessment workshops then to submit plans of their assignments for further direction before they sit down to write the full assignment. We also encourage students to take on board feedback on the first assignment to improve marks on their second assignment.

SS7P38 dissertation projects are a much longer piece of writing that require students to mobilise learning from across the MA modules including concepts, theories, in depth subject knowledge, research skills, and demonstrate the ability to analyse and synthesise material. The dissertation projects are particularly important creative spaces where students are supported to design and undertake their own specific contribution to knowledge.

Optional modules may also include reports and examinations as assessments.

Our approach to success on the course is two pronged: academic and pastoral support. We recognise the impact of multiple social contexts on the learning process both as potential obstacles to completion and as potential capital for producing impactful assignments. The Course Leader extends support to those that have not had the same opportunities over their life course, through motivational tutorials, practical assistance, and guidance to gain accreditation for practice-based experience. We also signpost students to university wide support systems such as academic mentors, library services, counselling and financial support services. This corresponds with the University’s new Education for Social Justice Framework.

Moreover, the learning, teaching and assessment strategy for all modules on the MA enable students to develop their digital skills from digital literacy to digital fluency in a range on digital tools and online platforms.

Students should complete the course within two years. Students should attempt to complete 100 credits in the first year (three core modules and two designate/elective module) and 80 credits in the second year (one core module and a triple weighted dissertation project).

MA Woman and Child Abuse: 4 core modules, 1 designate, 1 elective, plus triple module dissertation
PG Dip Woman and Child Abuse: 4 core modules plus 1 designate and 1 elective
PG Cert Woman and Child Abuse: 3 core modules OR 2 core modules plus 1 designate

Teaching on the course is designed around the principles of active and experiential learning. This means that lectures are interactive, offering frequent opportunities for students to digest the content by reflecting on a question. This mode of delivery enables students to consider how learning from the course can be applied to their professional practice and/or has changed previous understandings. This is further enhanced through small group exercises, which are designed to challenge common myths and stereotypes, often using research data. These exercises require students to engage with multiple perspectives and develop their critical analytical skills. Moreover, we encourage and support students to become part of a learning community around the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit seminars and events, through which they can continue to build their knowledge and exchange thoughts and reflections with current and former MA students, as well as through peer to peer reading and writing groups.

Students accrue a range of transferable skills through the coursework - writing, referencing, making a clear argument, the ability to summarise and present research evidence and data, public speaking, and in-depth knowledge on forms and contexts of violence against women and children. We actively connect students with volunteering opportunities and employment vacancies, introducing them to organisations in the field and advertising vacancies and PhD studentships. We also encourage students to turn their coursework into publish-able journal articles.

The course is highly respected in the field and offers a solid foundation for those who are looking to:
• work in the end violence against women sector or develop a specialism on this within social work, health or education;
• continue academic research to doctoral level;
• conduct internal evaluation, monitoring and small-scale research projects;
• develop and extend specialist services dealing with child and/or woman abuse;
• participate in policy development at a local, regional or national level where they have responsibility for delivering support and advocacy services, co-ordinating multi-agency for and/or improving the response of the criminal justice and/or health sectors;
• deliver government and or agency policy commitments with respect to child protection, domestic violence, rape, FGM, forced marriage, sexual exploitation and other forms of violence against women and children.

The course is particularly suited to those who are working in specialised services for women and children who have experienced violence. It is also excellent preparation for those who wish to establish careers within academia.

Our graduates are inspiring leaders and change makers in the field. They have gone on to key roles in policymaking or service delivery at local, regional and national levels, they have developed innovative new organisations and interventions, and pursued further studies to PhD level, including with the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit.

The course is particularly suited to those who are working in specialised services for women and children who have experienced violence. It is also excellent preparation for those who are wishing to establish careers in this sector.

Our graduates have gone on to key roles in policymaking or service delivery at local, regional and national levels, and some pursue further studies to PhD level, including with the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit.

You will be required to have at least one of the following:

• a good honours degree in a relevant subject
• experience of developing/delivering policy or service provision in the field (though the course is also relevant to those with a professional interest in violence against women and children)
• extensive relevant professional experience may be acceptable if you do not have sufficient academic qualifications

If you don't meet the entry criteria for the MA you have the option of taking a core module as a short course and on successful completion of assessments, you can then apply to join the MA.

Everyone who applies for the course is interviewed, with importance placed on the statement of application. Please contact the course leader, Dr Sukhwant Dhaliwal, s.dhaliwal1@londonmet.ac.uk to talk about making an application, or if you have any questions about the course.