Assignment (1): Community Audit. (Learning Outcomes 1, 3)

Assignment (2): Two Practice Recording Assignments.(800 words each) (Learning Outcomes 3 & 4)

Assignment (3) One tutor assessed presentation in learning groups to the rest of the year group following a visit to a community project. (Learning Outcomes 2, 3, 4)

This module aims to consider and join up the various sociological and faith based concepts which impact work with young people in local communities. These include culture and subculture, faith and politics, power, empowerment and participation. Students will be able to develop skills and methods in community action and development that are empowering for young people and to provide opportunities to put what has been learnt into practice. Students will be introduced to some research methods to enable them to carry out a community audit. They will be able to develop skills and methods in community action and development that are empowering for young people and to provide opportunities to put what has been learnt into practice.The module begins with an overview of sociological dimensions, professional considerations and examinations of how the Christian church has interacted with communities through history. Methods and skills that create empowering environments for people will be explored. The role of children, young people and families, as consumers, participants and owners, is assessed and connections made with the student's practice. The boundaries of empowerment, inculcation and spiritual transformation are critiqued. The concept of citizenship is reviewed and the role of the youth work and ministry in developing active citizens is appraised. A theology of empowerment and community involvement is proposed and explored. Church traditions, culture and practices are critiqued and models for youth empowerment within the Church community reviewed. The module concludes with students visiting a community project(s) to examine how agencies involved in community development operate, being rooted in a variety of worldviews, and approaching issues in diverse ways.

Bauman. Z. (2000), Community: Seeking Safety in an Insecure World, Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bauman. Z. (2000), Liquid Modernity, Cambridge: Polity Press.
Billings, A. (2009), God and Community Cohesion, London: SPCK
Fiddes. P. (ed.) (2001), Faith in the Centre, Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys.
Hamilton M. (2001), The Sociology of Religion, (2nd Ed.) Oxford: Routledge.
Lynch. G. (2002), After Religion. London: DLT.

300 hours, of which 60 will be interactive lectures and learning groups, involving a visit to a community project as part of the module, which each learning group will have to appraise and report on to the rest of the year group. There will be 150 fieldwork study hours and the rest will be independent study.

On-site library and internet access to Staffordshire University Library
PCs with standard suite of University software providing access to e-mail, the internet, word processing, etc.
Rooms with access for disabled students, and suitable for group work