SOC30540 Applied Sociology

Academic Year 2020/2021

This module provides students with an opportunity to reflect in a sociological way on their prior and ongoing volunteering and community experience(s). (See pre-requisite section for further detail). Over a quarter of adults in Ireland volunteer in their free time (CSO 2013) in a diverse range of settings in the community. Volunteering both allows us to support organisations, causes, events and also to develop important skills and social capital. During the COVID-19 emergency, in Ireland there have been more people offering their time as volunteers than volunteer roles available (Arwitz 2020).

Core topics include sociological explanations of volunteering; differences in volunteering behaviour; studies of the experiences of different types of volunteers, critiques of volunteerism and the interlinking of these areas. Students will work in small groups, identifying relevant sociological literature and drawing on it to critically assess the role of the volunteer.

Students will use a portfolio to document their volunteering and community experience, apply relevant sociological literature to the setting or settings in which they have volunteered, reflect on key learning from this experience, and consider how this has helped form personal and professional values and competences (e.g., communication, negotiation, teamwork, and problem-solving skills).

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Use sociological literature to critically evaluate the role of the volunteer
Use sociological literature to analyse their experience in a community and/or volunteer setting
Articulate how their own their experience in a community and/or volunteer setting has contributed to their personal and professional development
Develop reflection skills
Develop team working skills
Demonstrate a range of communication skills

Indicative Module Content:

Core topics include sociological explanations of volunteering; differences in volunteering behaviour; studies of the experiences
of different types of volunteers, critiques of volunteerism and the interlinking of these areas.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

6

Small Group

10

Field Trip/External Visits

50

Project Supervision

5

Specified Learning Activities

70

Autonomous Student Learning

60

Total

201

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Overall this is an active learning module. Teaching methods will include online lectures, workshops where students will work in small groups and one-to-one consultations on student portfolios. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Students wishing to take this module should have prior experience of volunteering. This is essential: to complete this module students must be able to reflect on a minimum of 50 hours of recent volunteering experience with a recognized and approved organisation. Students must be able to document this involvement and will be required to ask an employee of the organisation to complete an Evidence of Volunteering and Involvement Statement. The volunteer work must be unpaid. Students should have completed Garda vetting, if required, with the organisation where they volunteer.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
SCI20030 - Community, Volunteering & Lead


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Record of volunteer experience Week 4 n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

5

Journal: Students record and reflect on what they have learnt from their volunteering experience.
Students present a sociological analysis of this experience.
Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

50

Presentation: Group presentation on a sociological theme related to volunteering Week 9 n/a Graded No

45


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Module coordinator will give regular feedback on draft journal entries; class feedback will be given on choice of themes, draft presentations and presentations; students will assess their journal and draft presentation using an agreed rubric; peer feedback on presentations and selected journal entry.