Course Title: Understanding Stress in Families

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Understanding Stress in Families

Credit Points: 12

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
BESC1400	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2016

Course Coordinator: Dr. Diane Mead Niblo

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3

Course Coordinator Email: diane.niblo@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: melbourne uni

Course Coordinator Availability: 24/7

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

Rapid change is inherent in the introduction of modern technology, placing increasingly higher demands for adaptation to these changes, which impact on the family. This course explores this impact by introducing the concept of stress, the process of family dynamics (within the Western culture) and the changing roles and responsibilities of the individuals. The course allows the students to understand family dynamics and exposes students to the various options proposed to resolve family conflicts.
Topics areas include an introduction to the concept of stress, stress in families, divorce, intellectual disabilities, relationships, personal identity, sex and organisational issues.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Broadly the course will help the student understand family dynamics and the issues that make families function cohesively in today’s changing world. The student will learn reflective skills and will practice teamwork with other students.
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Introduce issues confronting today’s family
• Identify stressors on modern families
• Analyse the development of conflict in the family
• Describe ways of resolving conflict in families

Students will gain or improve capabilities in:
• Theoretical knowledge of stress
• Critical analysis and problem solving: students will use conceptual models of conflict resolution to analyse effective strategies for negotiation of conflict with family members.
• Communication and working in teams: student capabilities will be improved through group presentations of relevant topics.
• Reflective analysis: students will learn how to reflect on their own and others behaviours.

Overview of Learning Activities

The learning activities included in this course are:
• Attendance at lectures where syllabus material will be presented and explained;
• Participation in group activities to analyse problems in families;
• Completion of written assignments for further analysis of problems associated with families
• Private study, working through the course as presented in classes and learning materials.

Overview of Learning Resources

List of references for student enhancement and preparation
Library material
Directed course readings from current journals
Prescribed texts as appropriate

Overview of Assessment

Formative:
• Small group activities
• Reflective journal exercises
• Group presentations and discussions

Summative
• Essays
• Group presentations
Written assignments and the presentation will be used to provide feedback to students on their progress in the course during semester.