Literature review up to 1000 words, devising an interview schedule and consent form for the interviewee to complete (Formative Assessment)
Written Report based on a life-history interview 3,000 words 100% (Summative Assessment)– University Learning Outcomes 1-3

The Life Course explores the various transitions and ‘age’ related phases that people pass through as they move through their respective life-courses in Britain. Students are encouraged to recognise that individuals’ life courses are not universal. Instead, we focus on how a person’s life course is subject to processes of social construction, influenced by socio-cultural and historical climates we inhabit, the relationships we have with significant others and the material circumstances of people’s everyday lives.
In part 2 of the life course (semester 2) students begin by contemplating how life-course stories are generated. The remainder of the module explores the key aspects of life course related to phases of adulthood (including middle and later adulthood). Particular topics covered include: ‘marriage and stories about getting hitched’, ‘the implications of the 24 hour economy for work/life balance’, ‘the consequences of the 2008 recession and austerity cuts on people’s work trajectories’. We explore the ‘pleasures and precariousness associated with mid-life’. We also consider the various issues and inequalities that are unfolding with having a ‘greying population’ such as ‘retirement and pensions’ and ‘informal vs institutional care’. Finally we contemplate issues at the end of the life course relating to ‘death and bereavement’.

The 16% schedule activities will consist of:
Ten one-hour lectures
Ten one-hour seminars supported by structured worksheets and case studies in which key issues relating to the life course will be discussed
One session of preparation for the assessment
One session of feedback

The 84% independent guided study will consist of: -
Guided reading and secondary research
Preparation for seminars
A mock examination (formative assessment) which you will do in your own time, and which you will discuss with other students in one of the seminars.

Individual tutorial support will be provided on request and you will be encouraged to seek individual tutorial guidance if required.

Formative Assessment will take the form of a literature review up to 1000 words, devising an interview schedule and consent form for the interviewee to complete

Arber, S., and Attias-Donfut, C., (eds) (2007). The Myth of Generational Conflict: the Family and State in Ageing Societies. London Routledge
Bytheway, B (2007). Unmasking Age: the significance of Age for Social Research. Bristol. Policy Press
Finch, J., and Mason, J., (2000). Passing On, Kinship and Inheritance in England. London Green, L. (2010). Understanding the Life Course. Cambridge: Quality Press.
Howarth, H. (2007) Death and Dying, A Sociological Introduction. Cambridge: Polity
Hockey, J., and James, A., (2003). Social identities Across the Life Course. Basingstoke. Palgrave MacMillan
Hunt, S. (2005) The Life Course: A Sociological Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillian.
Lawton, S. (2008) Identity: Sociological Perspectives. Cambridge: Polity.
Philipson, C., (2013). Ageing. Cambridge. Polity Press

A seminar room large enough for group work with a computer and projector for a PowerPoint presentation.
A lecture room with a computer and projector for a PowerPoint presentation
Computers with Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, SPSS and Accessibility Software
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available (where relevant) to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.

1. DEMONSTRATE AN ACQUIRED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF THE LIFE COURSE AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
[Knowledge and Understanding]

2. ARTICULATE AN APPRECIATION OF THE ROLE THAT VARIOUS SOCIO-CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, RELATIONAL AND MATERIAL FACTORS PLAY IN INFORMING THE DIFFERENT TRANSITIONS THAT PEOPLE PASS THROUGH DURING THEIR RESPECTIVE LIFE COURSES
(Knowledge and Understanding; Learning; Analysis; Communication]

3. DEMONSTRATE RESEARCH AND CRITICALLY APPLY THEORIES TO A SPECIFIC ASPECT OF THE LIFE COURSE (TAUGHT ON PART 2 OF THE MODULE) BY PRODUCING A REPORT THAT ANALYSES A LIFE-HISTORY INTERVIEW THEY CARRIED OUT
[Communication; Enquiry; Application]